Pay equity law undermines hard-won progress, NZAC warns

Passing sweeping changes to pay equity law under urgency is hugely concerning, the New Zealand Association of Counsellors (NZAC) say.

NZAC President Sarah Maindonald says the rushed the Pay Equity Amendment Bill sends the wrong message to women in undervalued professions.

“We welcome the Government’s continued support in principle for pay equity, but this bill halts the progress of dozens of active claims and risks undermining the intent of the original Equal Pay Act,” Maindonald says.

“It’s hard not to see this as a step backwards for fairness.”

NZAC’s membership numbers in the thousands, and represents a profession made up predominantly of women.

Maindonald is concerned about the bill’s potential to narrow the scope of future claims and limit the ability of workers to address systemic undervaluation.

“This affects far more than just a handful of cases.

“Thousands of workers across female-dominated sectors who have spent years navigating the existing system in good faith now face uncertainty,” says Maindonald.

NZAC stands in solidarity with those affected and urges the Government to reconsider aspects of the bill that risk setting back decades of hard-won progress toward gender pay equity.