6. Question No. 6—Workplace Relations and SafetyJAN LOGIE (Green) to the Associate Minister for Workplace Relations and SafetyQuestion No. 6—Workplace Relations and Safety6. JAN LOGIE (Green) to the Associate Minister for Workplace Relations and Safety: Is she committed to progressing pay transparency?Hon PRIYANCA RADHAKRISHNAN (Associate Minister for Workplace Relations and Safety): Mālō li Mr Speaker. Happy Tokelau Language Week. Our Government has begun work on pay transparency and remains committed to addressing pay gaps in Aotearoa. Earlier this year we accepted in principle all the recommendations of the Education and Workforce Committee following their inquiry into pay transparency. Just last Thursday my colleague Minister Tinetti and I announced that NACEW or the National Advisory Council on the Employment of Women will act as a national advisory group on pay transparency that their remit will be expanded to include ethnicity as well and that they will provide advice on what a pay transparency system that is fit for purpose for Aotearoa could look like. We know that there isn't one silver bullet to addressing pay transparency and that's why we're committed to taking a range of actions.Jan Logie: Is the Minister aware that the previous Minister for Women Julie Anne Genter also asked NACEW to progress pay transparency in 2017 and 2020 with mindfulness to the gap for Māori and Pasifika women with research best-practice case studies promotion as well as international updates?Hon PRIYANCA RADHAKRISHNAN: NACEW reports to the Minister for Women and so that's actually outside of my ministerial responsibility. But I do understand that the previous work focused on a preliminary question around whether a pay transparency system would be something that we should be looking at and I think we all know the answer is yes.Jan Logie: What has changed since September 2021 when Traci Houpapa the chair of NACEW said NACEW supports the Human Rights Commission's petition to include pay transparency in legislation."?Hon PRIYANCA RADHAKRISHNAN: Once again NACEW sits outside of my ministerial responsibility but what we are doing here collectively—or jointly—is to look at the next level of detail. We've all agreed based on what the select committee's recommendations have been that we should be progressing work to investigate what a pay transparency system would look like. There's quite a bit of work that needs to happen at the next level to look at what that might look like for New Zealand.Jan Logie: What does she say to Mind the Gap's Dellwyn Stuart who said "An advisory group is not enough to put more money in people's wallets. We need much greater urgency."?Hon PRIYANCA RADHAKRISHNAN: Again as I said before we are undertaking on this side of the House a range of actions to address pay gaps and to improve people's pay and conditions. Just this week for example the work that's being taken by Minister Wood around the Fair Pay Agreements Bill—once that legislation has passed—will contribute significantly towards lifting pay and conditions for workers in many sectors many of which we see women and people from both Pasifika and ethnic communities overrepresented in. The employment action plans that this Government is progressing or undertaking across various population groups looks at issues around discrimination diversity and inclusion—yet another aspect that feeds into pay gaps. There is also work for example: the 2020 amendment that was undertaken provides for a clear process for employees and unions to raise pay equity claims directly with employers rather than courts making it much easier. The Public Service Commission is progressing work and agencies will start reporting on the ethnicity pay gaps in addition to gender pay gaps from this year. There's a range of work under way to address the issue that the member has raised.Jan Logie: Can NACEW draft pay transparency legislation?Hon PRIYANCA RADHAKRISHNAN: NACEW will be the national advisory group to us on what a pay transparency system could look like in a way that is fit for purpose for New Zealand.Jan Logie: Point of order Mr Speaker. I think it was a pretty specific non-political question and it wasn't answered.SPEAKER: It was addressed though—can you ask the question again.Jan Logie: Can NACEW draft pay transparency legislation?SPEAKER: The problem is whether or not the Minister has ministerial responsibility for that. So I think she has addressed it but perhaps not to your satisfaction. But none the less it was still addressed.Jan Logie: Will the Minister commit to legislating for pay transparency as requested by the Human Rights Commission women's NGOs significant business leaders and the public?Hon PRIYANCA RADHAKRISHNAN: Minister Tinetti and I have committed to looking at what a fit for purpose pay transparency system could look like for New Zealand."