“I’m no longer accepting the things I can’t change. I am changing the things I cannot accept” – Angela Davis.
Kia Toipoto was launched in November 2021, with the following goals:
- substantially reduce gender, Māori, Pacific, and ethnic pay gaps
- accelerate progress for wāhine Māori, Pacific women, and women from ethnic communities
- create fairer workplaces for all, including disabled people and members of rainbow communities.
Under Kia Toipoto, agencies and Crown entities publish annual plans reporting their gender and ethnic pay gaps and outlining the actions they are taking to address those pay gaps.
Kia Toipoto is the name gifted to us by Piripi Winiata. It comes from the saying “Waiho i te toipoto, kaua i te
toiroa l let us be united, not wide apart.” The name speaks to closinggaps and creating unity and fairness for all peoples.
Te Whakapiri is the working group that overseas Kia Toipoto. It is co-chaired by PSA Te Rūnanga o Ngā Toa Āwhina and Te Kawa Mataaho, and includes representatives from the PSA, population agencies and employee-led networks. These voices are the foundation of Kia Toipoto. The name Te Whakapiri was also gifted to us by Piripi Winiata. It comes from the saying “he ora te whakapiri, he mate te whakatakariri” or "there is strength in unity, defeat in anger.”
Having established Kia Toipoto over the course of 2022, we are now focusing on accelerating gains for Māori, Pacific, and ethnic communities. Te Whakapiri works closely with agencies and Crown entities to meet the Kia Toipoto milestones and provide ongoing support and advice. The guidance we’ve published in the last year includes:
- ensuring bias does not influence starting salaries
- career progression, breaks and leave
- improving workforce and leadership representation, so that the Public Service overall becomes more representative of society.
We hold regular workshops for agencies, entities and union representatives on how to implement our guidance. All our guidance is on our Kia Toipoto webpage.
This work has contributed to substantial decreases in the pay gaps in the public service. The gender pay gap fell from 12.2% in 2018, to 7.7% in 2022. The Māori pay gap also fell substantially from 11.2% in 2018 to 6.5% in 2022. There is more work needed to reduce the Pacific pay gap.
How can PSA members get involved in Kia Toipoto? Read your Kia Toipoto action plan for your organisation and ask questions about it – action plans are available at the website below. Ask your delegate, organiser, or HR team how you can get involved with developing the next plan – there is an expectation that plans are based on engagement with employees and unions.
Naku noa na Te Pūkenga Here Tikanga Mahi (PSA) & Task Force (Te Kawa Mataaho).