What is PaEE?

Pay Equity: Women getting the same pay as men for the same work or work of equal value. Employment Equity: The removal of barriers to equality for women in employment, including access to recruitment and promotion; professional development and training; and pay and conditions. Pay and Employment Equity (PaEE): A systematic approach to identifying and eliminating causes of inequality in pay and employment.

New Zealand is often cited as model of gender equality, but it may surprise some to know that the New Zealand pay gap – the gap between what a woman working full-time and a man working full-time get paid per hour – was still at 16% as of mid-2005.

If a woman works full-time throughout her career, without taking breaks, that differential translates into $450,000 over her working life.

But equity in employment isn't just about pay. What about access to professional development opportunities, promotions, or how our jobs are valued? Why, for example, are police paid more than social workers, when social work is just as challenging and complex, and just as necessary?

In order to assess these problems of Pay and Employment Equity (PaEE), the Government has put together a five-year plan to assess and correct inequities in New Zealand employment, starting in public sectors and eventually moving to private.

The education sector is one of the first to be in the review. Group Special Education reviews are currently underway, and reviews will be carried out in schools next year.