Pacific workers earn $6.68 less an hour than European workers, Stats NZ data shows

Pacific workers continue to have the lowest median hourly earnings among New Zealand’s major ethnic groups, with new figures highlighting a significant gap in what Pasifika workers earn compared with European workers.

Stats NZ figures for the year to the June 2026 quarter show Pacific workers had median hourly earnings of $31.17, compared with $37.85 for European workers.

That is a difference of $6.68 an hour.

Asian workers had median hourly earnings of $33.56, while Māori workers earned $33.45.

The figures show that while wages have increased across major ethnic groups, a significant difference remains between Pacific and European workers.

Equal Employment Opportunities Commissioner Gail Pacheco said rising wages had not necessarily shifted longstanding inequalities in the workforce.

She said longstanding differences in where people worked and in their average or median pay had changed little.

Pacheco's research found Māori and Pacific workers were disproportionately represented in lower-paid sectors and underrepresented in some of the country's highest-paying industries, including professional services.

However, she said the disparity was not only about which industries people worked in.

"We see that Māori, Pacific and Asian workers tend to be concentrated further down the earnings distribution and underrepresented at the top," Pacheco said.

The difference becomes even more significant when ethnicity and gender are considered.

In 2026, Pacific men earned 17.1 percent less than European men, while Pacific women earned 20.3 percent less than European men.

Māori men earned 12.8 percent less than European men, while Asian men earned 11.3 percent less.

For Māori women, the gap was 15.8 percent compared with European men, while Asian women earned 16.2 percent less.

Pacheco said ethnic and gender pay gaps could not be explained by differences in education, age or job-related characteristics alone, but reflected broader structural factors.

Where Pacific workers are concentrated

Maretha Smit, chief executive of Te Uru Tāngata Centre for Workplace Inclusion, said occupational and industry distribution was the single largest factor driving the pay gap.

"Pacific workers are heavily represented in manufacturing, construction, cleaning, security, aged care and food processing," Smit said.

"Those industries pay what they pay, and this is where most of the $6.68 [gap] sits."

Smit said intergenerational disadvantage played a much larger role in explaining Māori and Pacific pay gaps.

The issue also extends into leadership positions.

Public Service Commission data shows Māori, Pacific and Asian public servants are overrepresented in lower-paid occupational groups.

As of 30 June 2025, there were 1,231 senior managers across the top three tiers of the Public Service.

Of those, 4.8 percent identified as Pacific peoples, compared with 76.8 percent European, 17.3 percent Māori and 3.8 percent Asian.

Pacific and Asian employees remain underrepresented in senior management compared with their share of both the Public Service workforce and the wider New Zealand population, although representation has improved over the past five years.

Pacheco said employers needed to examine where inequalities emerged, including recruitment, starting salaries, performance assessments, access to training, promotion, flexible working arrangements and representation in senior roles.

Smit said employers could also take practical steps to address pay inequality, including measuring pay gaps by ethnicity and gender and examining differences at different levels of an organisation.

She said employers could set salaries according to the role and pay band rather than a candidate's salary history, while creating clearer pathways for promotion and progression.

The Ministry for Ethnic Communities said removing barriers to career progression, leadership opportunities and the full use of people's skills and experience would benefit ethnic communities and New Zealand's wider economy.

It said ethnic communities collectively earned more than $31 billion in the year ending 30 June 2022, but estimated they could have earned an additional $5 billion if the pay gap had been eliminated.

For Pacific communities, the latest figures provide another snapshot of the economic inequalities Pasifika workers continue to face, from the industries they are concentrated in to their representation in higher-paid and senior roles.

While Pacific workers are earning more than in previous years, the figures show the gap in hourly earnings remains significant.