What a pay equity claim is#
The Equal Pay Act 1972 prohibits sex-based discrimination in pay.
The Equal Pay Act enables unions and individual employees to raise a pay equity claim with an employer for a female-dominated occupation if they believe their pay has been affected by sex-based discrimination.
The Act provides a process for the claim to be investigated by the union/employee and employer. The claim process looks at the work and pay of the female-dominated occupation and compares it with the work and pay of male-dominated occupations doing work of equal value. If the comparison finds sex-based discrimination, a settlement is reached to correct the pay inequity.
The Equal Pay Amendment Act 2025 has made changes to the pay equity claim process which are now in force. Further information about the changes to the Equal Pay Act are available on the Ministry of Business, Innovation and Employment website.
Equal Pay Amendment Act – Ministry of Business, Innovation and Employment
Pay equity claims in the education sector#
The amendments to the Equal Pay Act mean that all current pay equity claims are discontinued.
The pay equity claims in the Education sector that are discontinued are:
- Teachers’ Pay Equity Claim
- Residential Support Workers’ Pay Equity Claim.
The pay equity claims for Ministry employees that are discontinued are for:
- psychologists
- education advisors
- service managers.
New claims can be raised under amended Equal Pay Act if they meet the new requirements. See the Equal Pay Act below.
Equal Pay Act 1972 – New Zealand Legislation
Settled claims#
The Equal Pay Amendment Act 2025 means that the reviews of settled claims will stop and the review clauses in settlement agreements and employment agreements will no longer be enforceable.
All other aspects of existing pay equity settlements remain in place.
Find out what you need to do as a school, or as an employee in one of these workforces when a claim is settled.
Librarians and Library Assistants' Pay Equity Claim
Science Technicians' Pay Equity Claim
Administration Support Staff in Schools' Pay Equity Claim
Kaiārahi i te reo Pay Equity Claim
Teacher Aides' Pay Equity Claim
Disclaimer#
The information on our pay equity webpages has no statutory or regulatory effect and is of an informational nature only. Guidance cannot override the law and is not legally binding. Users of this guidance should not substitute this for legal advice. The information should not be relied upon as a substitute for the wording of the Equal Pay Act 1972.
While every effort has been made to ensure the information in this publication is accurate, the Ministry of Education does not accept any responsibility or liability for error of fact, omission, interpretation or opinion that may be present, nor for the consequences of any decisions based on this information.
