PSA Te Pūkenga Here Tikanga Mahi welcomes the launch today of Kia Toipoto, the gender, Māori, Pasefika and ethnic pay action plan and Te Orowaru, a revolutionary new tool designed to understand and measure the skills, responsibilities, effort and experience workers bring to their workplaces every day in Aotearoa New Zealand.

PSA kaihautū Janice Panoho says, "As a wahine Māori I know that Te Tiriti o Waitangi obligations are essential for achieving aspirations and equitable outcomes. I’m proud we have worked together to create this plan using Te Tiriti as a foundation.

The things that would have the biggest effect on pay gaps is addressing the disproportionate representation of women and ethnic minorities in lower paid work and the elimination of bias, discrimination and racism at the workplace.

We urge the government to move at pace to support employers and provide funding to settle outstanding equal pay claims for administration workers, maintain fair pay rates for care and support workers and implement equal pay for social workers in the NGO sector.

This will lift these women and their families further away from the poverty line and create space for claims for other undervalued jobs to be raised and provide opportunities for Māori, Pasefika and ethnic groups to upskill into higher paid positions.

Equality, opportunity and achievement is for all of us - for me, for my Pacific whānau and for all other ethnicities in Aotearoa."

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