Global Women congratulate Dr Gail Pacheco on her appointment as the next Equal Employment Opportunities Commissioner.
Dr Pacheco has been tireless in her work around pay disparity, especially for Māori and Pacific women. She recently co-authored “Gender and Ethnic Pay Gaps,” with Leon Iusitini and Lisa Meehan, a research report that examines pay gaps at an industry level in Aotearoa New Zealand.
This report, commissioned by Global Women partners Manatū Wāhine Ministry for Women, offers a detailed intersectional analysis of pay disparities that will help advance the campaign for equity across all sectors.
We are excited by Dr Pacheco’s appointment and look forward to working together as we continue to advocate for equity in the workplace.
We also want to acknowledge Saunoamaali’i Dr Karanina Sumeo, the outgoing Equal Employment Opportunities Commissioner, whom Global Women has had the pleasure of working alongside for the past six years.
Dr Sumeo has led critically important conversations on gender and ethnic pay disparities in Aotearoa New Zealand. During her tenure as Commissioner, she put in invaluable work to raise public awareness of the Pacific Pay Gap and advocated on a daily basis for equity in the workplace. Over the past year, Dr Sumeo has also held the roles of Acting Chief Commissioner and Acting Race Relations Commissioner, through which she has continued to demonstrate exemplary leadership and a deep commitment to uplifting all New Zealanders.
In addition to her work on pay transparency, Dr Sumeo recently spearheaded critical research into the economic cost of workplace bullying and harassment. This year’s “Counting the Cost” report, delivered by Global Women partners KPMG, provides conservative estimates of the economic ramifications of bullying, sexual harassment, and racial harassment in the workplace. Building on a study published by Te Kāhui Tika Tangata Human Rights Commission in 2022, the report reveals the disproportionate impact that bullying and harassment has had on women, tangata whenua, and Pacific peoples, as well as Asian workers, disabled workers, and bisexual workers.
Karanina’s commitment to addressing inequities across the intersections of identity has paved the way forward for workplace equity, and we thank her for the past six years of service in the EEOC role.