Our divisions are committed to transparency and supporting fair pay by publishing our gender and ethnicity pay gap results as a part of ensuring an inclusive workplace for all.
We acknowledge there is still work for us to do, and by sharing these results we show our focus on addressing and making progress towards understanding and improving in this important area.
Workforce Gender and Ethnicity Pay Gaps
The gender pay gap is a high-level indicator of the difference between women’s and men’s earnings. It compares the hourly earnings of women and men in full- and part-time work. Our results report on the mean and median pay gaps.
The mean is the average income of kaimahi of a specific gender or ethnic group. The median is the middle income taken from the full range of incomes earned by a specific gender or ethnic group.
The ethnicity pay gap is the difference in pay between people of different ethnic backgrounds irrespective of their role or seniority, for example the difference between average pay for Māori and non-Māori kaimahi. Ethnicity pay gap calculations exclude any kaimahi who have not disclosed ethnicity.
In 2024, the Public Service gender pay gap using median pay was 4.3% and for the entire New Zealand workforce, as reported by Stats NZ, was 8.2%.
In 2024, the Public Service ethnicity pay gap using mean pay was for Māori 4.8%, Pacific 17.2% and Asian 13.8%.
Our workforce data pay gaps as at 31 March 2024:
MIT’s median gender pay gap was 2.9% as of 31 March 2024. That means that across MIT’s 609 permanent and fixed-term kaimahi, the median pay for women was 2.9% less than the median pay for men. The MIT gender pay gap was 5.3% lower than the national gender pay gap of 8.2%, and 1.4% lower than the public service gender pay gap of 4.3%. MIT’s mean ethnicity pay gap across 490 permanent and fixed-term kaimahi shows that for Māori kaimahi their mean pay was 2.0% less than the mean for all other kaimahi at MIT. MIT’s pay gap was 2.8% lower than the public service ethnicity pay gap of 4.8%.
Unitec’s median gender pay gap was 5.8% as of 31 March 2024. This indicates that across Unitec’s 720 permanent and fixed-term kaimahi, the median pay for women was 5.8% less than the median pay for men. Unitec’s gender pay gap was 2.4% lower than the national gender pay gap of 8.2%, and 1.5% higher than the public service gender pay gap of 4.3%.
Unitec’s mean ethnicity pay gap across 591 permanent and fixed remuneration kaimahi shows that for Māori kaimahi their mean pay gap was -2.0%, indicating Māori are paid 2.0% more on average than the average pay for other kaimahi at Unitec.
There are numerous factors contributing to an organisation’s gender pay gap. This can include our high proportion of female kaimahi (MIT 62% and Unitec 53% of our workforce), particularly in our lower pay bands.
There are also many factors contributing to an organisation’s ethnicity pay gaps. These are driven by a combination of things like over-representation of certain ethnic groups in low paid occupations, and under-representation in leadership.
Please note, ethnicity data for Unitec and MIT is based on the information kaimahi provide on joining and not everybody chooses to provide this. That is why the total number of kaimahi recorded for ethnicity data is lower than the total workforce.
To improve the accuracy of our reporting, we would like to take this opportunity to encourage all kaimahi to update their ethnicity data in the HR system. This can be done easily via self service.
One of our key goals is to improve the economic and social wellbeing of our region and strengthen our communities. Leading the way in diversity and inclusion is one of the ways we are working hard to do this across our MIT and Unitec whānau.
The 2024 | 25 Your Whakaaro Action Plan demonstrates our commitment and the initiatives that can help improve our pay gaps by developing a clear strategy as well as having robust processes, data and initiatives.
Priority Group Kaimahi Scholarships for 2025
Our divisions are committed to the goal of equity in education. Part of this means developing the leadership potential of kaimahi from groups traditionally underserved in our systems.
In Quarter 1, 2025; we will be introducing three separate scholarships to support professional leadership development for kaimahi from these groups.
They are as follows:
- Kaimahi Māori Leadership Scholarship
- Pacific Kaimahi Leadership Scholarship
- Disabled and Neurodivergent Kaimahi Scholarship
Further detailed information on the scholarships and the process for applying will be shared early in the new year.
If you have any pātai in the meantime, please reach out to Organisational Development & Equity or your local People and Culture team.
By focusing on identifying the barriers to equity of access and achievement for our kaimahi and ākonga, we can build more inclusive workplaces and education providers.
Ngā mihi,
Katrina Van de Ven
Pounuku Tangata a-rohe tahi | People and Culture Director Region 1
Such an important mahi to accomplish and present! Thanks to everyone involved.