A 'pay gap' cake at Parliament as the petition was delivered today. Photo: RNZ / Craig McCulloch
Campaigners have presented a petition to Parliament demanding businesses be forced to measure and publish their gender pay gaps.
The public sector is subject to mandatory pay gap reporting, but the MindTheGap petition - which has more than 8000 signatures - wants that extended to private businesses.
About 30 people delivered the petition to Green MP Jan Logie. They included Nina Santos, who told those gathered it was time for change.
"Every time you see pay gaps you have to remember that it's people behind those gaps. It means Pasifika women, it means Māori women, it means disabled women, migrant women.
"It means ethnic workers have been earning less because of discrimination that's not our fault."
The campaign's co-founder, Jo Cribb, said the government needed to follow through on its commitment to pay equity.
"The current status quo is that the government has said it is committed but nothing has happened, and that doesn't really put money in people's pockets and it doesn't address the pay gap," Cribb said.
"What we really want is this legislation in quickly so we reap the rewards when families need it most."
Logie thanked those involved and those who signed for their resilience and perseverance.
"This is a long-standing call on government to take responsibility for doing what it can to eliminate discrimination in our workplaces, to deliver equality for women, for Māori, for Pasifika, and for whānau in our communities, because everybody benefits from the elimination of discrimination.
"It's overdue. The time is now."
The public sector already reports gender and ethnic pay gaps.
