Councillor Calls For Snap Election Over Pay Equity Changes

Friday, 9 May 2025, 8:29 pm
Article: Emily Ireland - Local Democracy Reporter

South Wairarapa councillor Rebecca Gray has challenged the Government to call a snap election due to her concerns over the equal pay law change.

Gray issued the challenge during the acknowledgements section of Thursday’s Local Water Done Well deliberation meeting, the day after the Government passed the Pay Equity Amendment Bill under urgency.

“I would like to acknowledge the huge amount of work that has gone into the topic that we’re about to discuss and I’d like to note that it followed a very rigorous consultation process where we engaged the community and we have followed all the legislation and we followed all the processes.

“I say that the day after central government passed the Pay Equity Amendment Bill not following the same set of processes and not allowing the community to get on board with all of this.”

Gray looked directly at the livestream camera and called on the Government to initiate a snap election “recognising the fact that they’re not acting on behalf of the country’s best interests”.

The legislation raises the threshold for proving work has been historically undervalued when making a pay equity claim.

Workplace Relations and Safety Minister Brooke van Velden said the changes would make the process of raising and resolving pay equity claims more “robust, workable and sustainable”.

Opponents said it would make it harder for women in female dominated industries to make a claim.

The changes to the legislation included raising the threshold of “predominantly performed by female employees” from 60 percent to 70 percent and requiring that this has been the case for at least 10 consecutive years.

There would also be a requirement for evidence that the work was historically and currently undervalued, and a framework to ensure employers were able to “meet their pay equity obligations in a way that is sustainable for their business – for example through phasing of settlements”.

The legislation would also give further guidance on the use of comparators in pay equity claims, with the Government saying the Act did not sufficiently set out the rules for comparators which had led to comparators being chosen even where the work was very different to the claimant.

For example, health administration and clerical staff employed by district health boards used comparators of a fishery officer, customs officer, corrections officer, and mechanical engineer to support their pay equity claim.

Midwifery comparators included detective senior sergeants and transport engineers and school administration comparatives included civil engineers, and senior fishery officers.

Any comparison would now be between female employees and male employees at the same employer, or if that was not possible, then to other similar employers.

Opponents to the amendment bill said because there were few comparable industries that reflected the same skill level, multifaceted work, and qualifications held by those working in predominantly female workforces, it would now be harder to gain pay equity.

Under the new legislation, 33 current claims would be stopped and would need to restart under the new threshold.

– LDR is local body journalism co-funded by RNZ and NZ On Air.

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