Iusitini, LeonMeehan, Lisa2025-09-242025-09-242025-08-29Iusitini, L. & Meehan, L. (2025). Pay gaps among Ethnic Communities in Aotearoa New Zealand. New Zealand Policy Research Institute, Auckland.9781991011534http://hdl.handle.net/10292/19851This report provides the most detailed analysis to date of pay gaps between Aotearoa New Zealand’s Ethnic Communities and NZ Europeans. Using data from Stats NZ’s Household Labour Force Survey (2016–2024) and the Integrated Data Infrastructure, it finds that Ethnic Communities face an average pay gap of 7.2%. Outcomes vary widely across subgroups: Asian and Latin American workers experience wage penalties of up to 14%, while Continental European, Middle Eastern, and African+ workers often earn more than NZ Europeans. Despite generally higher education levels and favourable demographic profiles, many groups still face unexplained pay disparities, highlighting the potential role of structural barriers in the labour market.Auckland University of Technology (AUT) encourages public access to AUT information and supports the legal use of copyright material in accordance with the Copyright Act 1994 (the Act) and the Privacy Act 1993. Unless otherwise stated, copyright material contained on this site may be in the intellectual property of AUT, a member of staff or third parties. Any commercial exploitation of this material is expressly prohibited without the written permission of the ownerCommissioned ReportOpenAccess