TEU stands for pay equity.

May 13, 2025

Hau Taki Haere | Tertiary Update Vol 29, No 8

When the news broke last week, Te Hautū Kahurangi | Tertiary Education Union was quick to publicly condemn the National-led government’s move to gut the Equal Pay Act.

The changes, passed via urgency without any public consultation, halted all current pay equity claims, meaning they will have to be restarted under very restrictive and unreasonable criteria, wasting years of work by employers and unions who in many cases have been working together to seek justice for some of Aotearoa’s lowest paid workers.

In the wake of the move, there has been a public outpouring of anger and solidarity with low paid working women. The CTU launched a petition that at the time of writing is approaching 70,000 signatures.

Alex Cass, Library Assistant, Te Herenga Waka | Victoria University and union member covered by our pay equity claim, captured the sentiment of Aotearoa’s union women brilliantly when she said her message to the government is: "What you're doing amounts to wage theft, it's as much bullshit now as it has been for the last hundred years."

Te Pou Whirinaki | National Women’s Officer Bronwyn Larkins says “this is not a movement that started last week. It’s one that’s been going for well over a century, but what the government has unwittingly done is poured jet fuel on it. Our fight for pay equity in our sector and across Aotearoa’s workforce won’t stop because current claims have been unilaterally cancelled. Quite the opposite. We’re just getting started.”

“In the coming weeks and months, please join every action we call. And write to your local National, New Zealand First, and ACT MPs today to make sure they all know what is coming at the ballot box next November as a result of their government’s enormous miscalculation.”

Also in this update:

TEU welcomes Hēmi Houkāmau as new Te Pou Tuarā

Collective bargaining initiated at three unis

#TEU2025 – To lead towards what is precious

Budget 2025 – Get ready to fight back

TEU stands for pay equity.

Hau Taki Haere | Tertiary Update Vol 29, No 8

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