Find sometime over the summer break to start your gender pay gap journey

As we head into the summer break, it’s the perfect time to pause, reflect, and plan for the year ahead. One area that deserves your attention is your organisation’s gender pay gap journey. Why? Because closing this gap isn’t just about compliance, it’s about fairness, transparency, and building a stronger, more inclusive financial services industry.

Why it matters

The gender pay gap in New Zealand remains a persistent issue. According to the Ministry for Women, the gap is not about equal pay for equal work, that’s already law. Instead, it reflects systemic differences in roles, opportunities, and progression. With the FSC Board endorsing the initiative to measure and report your gender pay gap, you’re taking a critical step toward addressing these disparities and creating a culture of equity.

Gender pay gap journeys

At the FSC Empower Women’s October launch event, Hon Nicola Grigg, Minister for Women along with our panellists spoke passionately about why this matters not just for women, but for the entire economy. It will take just a couple of minutes to hear about their gender pay gap journey in the video below. It’s a powerful reminder that closing the gender pay gap is a shared responsibility.

Your summer action plan

Over the break, why not set aside some time to:

• Explore the Ministry for Women’s toolkit: It includes a calculator and step-by-step guides and has just been updated to collect ethnicity and disability data alongside gender.
• Start your journey: You don’t need to be a data analyst; the tools are designed for real-world use.
• Commit to reporting your gender pay gap by 31 March 2026: Every member who takes this step strengthens our industry benchmark.

The FSC will not publish individual member data, only an aggregated benchmark. This is about collective progress, not competition.

A member journey: Partners Life

Bron Thompson, Senior People and Culture Business Partner at Partners Life, shared how her team tackled the challenge of measuring their gender pay gap. Instead of relying on complex calculations, they streamlined the process by uploading their payroll data into the Ministry for Women’s Gender Pay Gap Toolkit. This made it simple to measure, understand, and publicly share their findings, helping drive transparency and accountability.

This transparency demonstrates leadership and commitment to change. By understanding where gaps exist, Partners Life has been able to implement targeted strategies to close it proving that data isn’t just numbers, it’s a roadmap for progress. 

You can read more about Partners Life’s approach here.

Let’s lead together

Closing the gender pay gap is a statement about who we are: transparent, fair, and committed to equality. Every organisation that acts sends a powerful message to employees, customers, and the wider community.

So, as you enjoy the summer sun, take a moment to plan for a brighter, fairer future. Together, we can make it happen.