Table 5 Percentage (%) gender ethnic pay gap in median weekly earnings from main job compared to
European men
Year
Men
Women
European
Māori
Pacific
peoples
Asian
MELAA
European
Māori
Pacific
peoples
Asian
MELAA
ref
13.2%
23.4%
15.2%
4.6%
25.5%
30.6%
34.9%
29.9%
23.7%
2021
Source: Household Labour Force Survey data from Stats NZ. Note: All percentages are compared to the reference group –
European men – for each year. MELAA statistics should be interpreted with caution.
The occupational distribution for Pacific men and women, as noted already, is contributing to pay gaps. For
example, only 8.5 percent of Pacific men and 8.1 percent of Pacific women hold manager roles compared to
21.3 percent of Pākehā men and 14.0 percent of Pākehā women (see Table 6).
Table 6 Occupation distribution for Pacific peoples by gender compared to NZ European aged 20–64 years
(2018 Census data)
Share by occupation
Men
Women
NZ European
Pacific
peoples
NZ European
Pacific
peoples
Manager
21.3%
8.5%
14.0%
8.1%
Professionals
9.2%
5.1%
8.8%
8.0%
Technicians and trade workers
23.7%
17.6%
5.4%
3.5%
Community and personal service workers
5.2%
8.1%
15.7%
19.1%
Clerical and administrative workers
5.2%
6.2%
30.9%
20.6%
Sales workers
7.5%
4.5%
14.6%
14.2%
Machinery operators and drivers
14.2%
25.8%
2.0%
6.7%
Labourers
13.6%
24.2%
8.6%
19.9%
Source: Pacheco et al. (2022)34 using 2018 Census data.
The Pacific Employment Action Plan, launched
by the Government in May 2022, recognises the
intersectional pay gap for Pacific women. It notes:
Pacific women’s high rates of participation in
historically female-dominated industries where
labour is undervalued, as well as barriers faced
by Pacific women in progressing into higher-
34
paid careers or occupations including a lack of
culturally relevant development support from
employers, a lack of awareness or bandwidth to
engage in educational or training opportunities,
and difficulty in returning to work from having a
child or taking up family responsibilities like caring
responsibilities.35
34
Pacheco, Gail, Alexander Plum, and Linda Tran. The Pacific Workforce and the Impact of COVID-19. Auckland: New Zealand
Work Research Institute, 2022. https://workresearch.aut.ac.nz/__data/assets/pdf_file/0009/674559/Pacific-Labour-MarketOutcomes_final_website.pdf.
35
Ministry for Pacific Peoples. Pacific Employment Action Plan – Prosperous Pacific Communities. Wellington: Ministry for
Pacific Peoples, 2020, 10. https://www.mpp.govt.nz/assets/Corporate-Publications/Pacific-Employment-Action-Plan-FINALapproved.pdf.