DOIA REQ 0016299 Marilyn Waring Response.pdf

13 August 2025

Ref: DOIA-REQ-0016299-Marilyn Waring

Marilyn Waring
Email: [FYI request #31321 email]

Tēnā koe Marilyn,

Thank you for your email via FYI of 17 June 2025 to the Ministry of Business, Innovafion and Employment
(MBIE) requesfing, under the Oﬃcial Informafion Act 1982 (the Act), the fol owing informafion:
What meefings have been held by the Minister, with representafives of Business NZ since November
2023?
What representafions - oral or wriften - have been received from Business NZ since 2020, on the pay
equity processes, and what issues were raised?
On 15 July 2025 MBIE contacted you to clarify the understanding of your request as:
1. What meefings have been held by the Minister for Workplace Relafions and Safety, Hon Brooke
van Velden (the Minister) or MBIE, with representafives of Business NZ on pay equity processes
since November 2023?
2. What representafions – oral or wriften – have been received by the Minister or MBIE, from
Business NZ on pay equity processes, and what issues were raised?
On 16 July 2025, you conﬁrmed that above is the informafion you are seeking with your request. MBIE
noted that this clariﬁcafion would eﬀecfively be a new request, replacing your original request and would
therefore have a new due date for response of 5 August 2025.
On 5 August 2025, the date to respond to your request was extended to 14 August 2025 to enable
consultafions necessary with BusinessNZ to make a decision on your request. I appreciate your pafience in
receiving a response to your request.
Response to your request
MBIE has idenfiﬁed one meefing within scope of your request.
On 16 February 2024, MBIE held a meefing with BusinessNZ which included some discussion of pay equity
in relafion to a list sent by BusinessNZ of Employment Relafions issues idenfiﬁed as relevant to BusinessNZ
members. This list was provided by BusinessNZ to the Minister for Workplace Relafions and Safety, Hon
Brooke van Velden in early 2024 and to MBIE in April 2024.
At this meefing, BusinessNZ indicated that: “the ﬂow-on eﬀects from public sector seftlements across the
labour market, parficularly in health and community services is signiﬁcant”.
The excerpt relevant to the Equal Pay Act 1972 from this list is the only other representafion received by
MBIE or the Minister and is aftached to this response. Informafion out of scope of your request has not
been included.

If you wish to discuss any aspect of your request or this response, or if you require any further assistance,
please contact [email address].
You have the right to seek an invesfigafion and review by the Ombudsman of this decision. Informafion
about how to make a complaint is available at www.ombudsman.parliament.nz or freephone 0800 802
602.
Nāku noa, nā

Charlofte de Feijter
Team Leader, Employment Relafions Policy