NZEI Te Riu Roa has welcomed Labour’s commitment to reverse changes to New Zealand’s pay equity laws, putting the issue firmly back on the election agenda.
Pay equity has become a significant issue for education workers, with NZEI campaigning for the restoration of the previous framework alongside increased classroom support, protection of Te Tiriti in education and improvements to early childhood education.
The coalition Government changed the Equal Pay Act in 2025, tightening requirements around pay equity claims and changing how potential settlements would be funded. Labour has committed to reversing those changes and restoring the previous pay equity regime.
The debate comes amid wider pressure from unions over pay equity. A recent Talbot Mills poll commissioned by the PSA found 49 percent of respondents supported delaying the Government’s return-to-surplus target by a year if necessary to restore pay equity, while 28 percent opposed the proposal and 23 percent were unsure.
For NZEI, the issue is particularly relevant to education, where women make up a significant part of the workforce and pay equity has been a longstanding focus for unions representing teachers and support staff.
With Election 2026 approaching, pay equity is shaping up as another clear point of policy difference between the parties.
#PayEquity #NZEI #TeRiuRoa #Education #Teachers #EducationWorkers #Election2026 #Labour #EqualPay #WomenAtWork #WorkplaceRights #MāoriEducation #Tamariki #NZPolitics #Aotearoa #WaateaNews #RadioWaatea
