32924 (2026). Kahurangi Carter to the Prime Minister

32924 (2026). Kahurangi Carter to the Prime Minister: Does he stand by his comments on reporting of gender and ethnic pay gaps that, while CEO of Air New Zealand, “I self-reported it because I thought it was important", and if so, will his government introduce or support legislation to make reporting gender and ethnic pay gaps mandatory, and if not, why not?

Rt Hon Christopher Luxon: Yes. I stand by my comments. The Government supports transparency and supports businesses measuring pay gaps. The key question is not whether information should be available, but what will most effectively reduce the gap. Our focus is on practical action and lasting change rather than regulation for regulation's sake. The question is not whether pay gaps should be understood and addressed, but what is the most effective way to achieve that outcome. The Government's current approach is to support voluntary, business-led reporting through the Ministry for Women's Gender Pay Gap Toolkit, which provides practical tools to help organisations measure, but importantly understand and address gender, ethnicity and disability pay gaps. Reporting by itself does not close pay gaps. What matters is the action businesses take once they understand the drivers of those gaps. The Government is focused on supporting practical change and improving opportunities for women in the workforce, rather than imposing additional regulatory requirements. Issues affecting women's economic participation and workforce outcomes are always worth discussing, however, the Government's current policy settings are focused on voluntary reporting supported by the Gender Pay Gap Toolkit rather than mandatory legislative requirement. New Zealand's gender pay gap is at a record low of 5.2 percent. We should stay focused on what actually reduces the gap in practice, rather than assuming that more regulation is the only answer. At a time when New Zealand's gender pay gap is the lowest on record and compares favourably internationally, the Government's priority is supporting actions that continue to drive improvement, rather than imposing additional compliance requirements on businesses.