Green Party launches plan to pay women more

“New Zealand was the first country where women won the right to vote, and now we can be the first country to have pay equity for women,” Green Party leader James Shaw said.

“The Green Party has a plan to ensure that women and their families are treated fairly and paid better.”

We will:

Introduce pay transparency, by requiring all employers to collect data on what they pay men and women.
Make public sector chief executives responsible for achieving pay equity for employees of core government departments.
Amend the equal pay laws, to include agreed principles and place the onus on employers to prove they are paying women fairly.
Fund an expert body to assist women so all pay equity claims are progressed efficiently.
Double the funding for the Ministry for Women from $5 million to $10 million, to get a better deal for women.
Fund social marketing and education aimed at eliminating bias in employment.
Ensure the Minister for Women sits in Cabinet, and ensure gender balance amongst Green Party ministers.

“Getting a better deal for women is a priority for the Green Party in government,” Mr Shaw said

“The Green Party is committed to overhauling our pay equity laws, and we will place the onus on employers to ensure that the right to equal pay for women is being upheld.

“The fight for equal pay in Aotearoa New Zealand can be traced back to the suffragettes in the 1890s – they knew that a fairer society meant increasing pay for women.

“At the moment, most women only find out by accident, if at all, if they’re being paid less than a male colleague.

“Introducing gender pay transparency will mean the pay difference is made clear, so that employers can change what they have been doing.

“Doubling funding for the Ministry for Women and ensuring that the Minister for Women sits in Cabinet are important steps to ensure that Government shows leadership on issues for women,” Mr Shaw said.

Click here for more detail about the plan.

Action

Protect te reo Māori

Sign our petition asking Minister Erica Stanford to keep prioritising the teaching of te reo Māori.

Action

Bird of the Year

Send Christopher Luxon an email letting him know that his fast track to environmental ruin is not something Aotearoa signed up for.

Action

Submission Guide to the Law Commission for Trans, Non-Binary & Intersex Peoples' Rights

Make a submission today for increased protection our trans, non-binary and intersex communities.

Action

Emissions Reduction Plan Submission Guide

Submit today on the Government's inadequate Emissions Reduction Plan.

Action

Safer Speeds Petition

Sign our petition asking Christopher Luxon to keep our roads safe.

Action

Cut the Coal Petition | Join the movement

Fight back: Tell the government that coal mining is not our future.

Action

Safer Speeds

Submit today on the Land Transport Rule: Setting of Speed Limits, which stops Councils from being able to implement safe speeds on their streets.

Action

Protect Our Freshwater

Join our Green MPs in calling for the government to protect freshwater. Proposed changes to the Resource Management Act threaten New Zealand's...

Action

Marine Farm Consents Bill | Make A Submission

Tell the government that we will not accept damage to our oceans.

Volunteer

The Greens are proud to be driven by passionate people like you. Today we need your help to take action on the biggest issues facing Aotearoa. Volu...

Action

Save Auckland's Climate Budget

Sign the petition to stop Mayor Wayne Brown's proposal for dangerous cuts to climate and environmental programmes that protect us from extreme weat...

Action

No New Mines 2023

Action

Expand Voting

Now more than ever, young people in Aotearoa are impacted by Government decisions, and they deserve to have a say. We are calling on all Members of...

Action

End Intensive Winter Grazing

Sign the petition to Labour Ministers, to move faster in bringing regulations into force and end intensive winter grazing.

Action

Trains for Climate

Add your name to our open letter urging the Minister for Finance Grant Robertson to save our passenger trains between Wellington, the Wairarapa and...

Action

Healthy Oceans 2022

Join our Healthy Oceans Crew to help us keep the health and protection of our oceans high on the Labour Government’s political agenda.

Action

It's time: A Ministry for Rainbow Communities

Join our call asking the Prime Minister to establish a Ministry for Rainbow Communities that can champion Rainbow issues.

Action

No new mines on conservation land

Sign the open letter asking Labour Ministers to stick to their promise of banning new mining projects on conservation land.

Action

Allow community ownership of our buses

Public transport is an essential service and helps to tackle the climate crisis by reducing our carbon emissions. But there are barriers to communi...

Action

Local Events

We have activists across Aotearoa / New Zealand who are working hard to build a brighter future for our kids and grandkids. This page lists upcomin...

Latest Social Development Announcements

Story

Govt more interested in punishing beneficiaries than ending poverty

The expansion of compulsory money management and introduction of mandatory community service for beneficiaries reheats failed policies that have no...

Govt setting poverty trap with punitive policies

Rising unemployment confirmed by the latest labour market figures, along with the Government’s job cuts and punitive policies for beneficiaries, wi...

Government quietly waters down child poverty targets

The Government’s move to dilute child poverty targets is a reminder that it is actively choosing to preserve hardship for thousands of households.

MSD figures show Govt determined to punish beneficiaries

The 53.7 percent rise in benefit sanctions over the last year is more proof of this Government’s disdain for our communities most in need of support.

Government prioritises punishing beneficiaries again

Frivolous check-ins with beneficiaries are the Government’s latest plan to find excuses to punish those on the Job Seeker allowance and add to the ...

Government shows allergy to evidence in benefits crackdown

The Government has been caught in opposition to evidence once again as it looks to usher in tried, tested and failed work seminar obligations for j...

Story

US abortion decision reinforces need to protect rights in Aotearoa

The US Supreme Court’s decision on abortion is a reminder that we must take nothing for granted in Aotearoa, the Green Party says.

Prominent women reinforce collective approach to addressing gender-based violence

On International Women’s Day, the Minister for the Prevention of Family Violence and Sexual Violence, Hon Marama Davidson, has joined with other wo...

Green Party celebrates better support for birth injuries

The Greens are celebrating the first reading last night of new ACC legislation to better support birth injuries after a successful campaign achieve...

We must investigate COVID-19 retraining support that skews towards men: Greens

The Green Party is calling for a review into the gender split of training programmes offered by government to help New Zealanders retrain following...

Government achieves 50 percent women on state boards

Minister for Women Julie Anne Genter announced today that the Government has reached its target of 50 percent on women on state sector board and co...

Ending Family Violence and Sexual Violence

The work we’ve undertaken on ending family violence and sexual violence has been some of the most effective, transformational work done in this Gov...