This election, we're asking everyone to be part of the campaign for pay equity.
What is pay equity?
It's a way to get people in female-dominated professions paid what they are worth. These are people working with families and communities in education and health.
Equal pay, men and women being paid the same for doing the same job, has existed in New Zealand law since 1972.
The concept of pay equity was won in New Zealand after Kristine Bartlett and the Service and Food Workers Union (now known as E tū) brought a claim against TerraNova Homes and Care, arguing that care work was undervalued because it was predominantly women's work.
The argument was not that she was paid less than a man doing the same job, but that the entire occupation was underpaid because of systemic undervaluation of women's work.
This was an historic win.
Experts all over the world looked to our pay equity system as an innovative tool for closing the gender pay gap. Just like when women won the right to vote in 1893, we were world-leading in the fight for gender equality.
But the National-led Government has ripped that progress away.What's happened?
In 2025, the governing coalition of National, ACT, and New Zealand First made significant changes to the Equal Pay Act 1972 under urgency.
They pushed through these changes in a single day with no public consultation or select committee scrutiny.
They cancelled 34 live pay equity claims instantly with no consultation and the ability to take new claims was restricted, in effect, taking money that had been budgeted for wage increases for thousands of workers in female-dominated roles and locking them out of making pay equity claims.
These are early childhood, primary and secondary teachers, care and support workers, nurses, essential medical staff - the people that hold our communities together and that we rely on for essential services.
WHAT'S HAPPENED?
In 2025, the governing coalition of National, ACT, and New Zealand First made significant changes to the Equal Pay Act 1972 under urgency.
They pushed through these changes in a single day with no public consultation or select committee scrutiny.
They cancelled 34 live pay equity claims instantly with no consultation and the ability to take new claims was restricted, in effect, taking money that had been budgeted for wage increases for thousands of workers in female-dominated roles and locking them out of making pay equity claims.
These are early childhood, primary and secondary teachers, care and support workers, nurses, essential medical staff - the people that hold our communities together and that we rely on for essential services.
What can I do?
This election year, candidates will be knocking at your door, at candidate's meetings, and out in your community telling you why you should vote for them.
We want them to hear a clear message from New Zealanders: people working in female-dominated occupations deserve pay equity and a Government that respects their work.
We're asking you to take action in your electorate and find opportunities to talk to candidates directly.
This could be at:
- candidate forums;
- regular stalls at markets;
- public discussions;
- or on social media.
What are we asking for?
Make sure you ask every person campaigning for your vote:
- Will your party restore the 33 cancelled pay equity claims, and when?
- Do you support fully funding pay equity settlements?
- Will your party restore a genuine pay equity system that is actually workable?
Most of us are either directly impacted by these changes or know someone who has been.
Politicians need to know how much voters care about pay equity.
How can i stay involved?
Make sure you and your whānau are enrolled to vote.
Because of changes to Electoral law, everyone must be enrolled by the 25 October, 2026. You can no longer enrol to vote or change your details on election day.
Even if you think you're enrolled, check your details. Check in with your loved ones and make sure they're enrolled, too.
Go to vote.nz to enrol or update your details.
Take the pay equity pledge.
This is a historic opportunity - be part of the campaign to win back pay equity this election.
