Ani O'Brien: Triggered by an ACT social media post

I initially wrote about the pay equity legislation debacle from the perspective of the competing narratives at play. You can read the article here. I was pretty scathing of what I consider to be some pretty appalling politics by the unions and Labour. In particular, I took exception to the lie that “women’s pay is being cut”.

Then all hell broke loose. Andrea Vance called Nicola Willis and several senior female ministers “girl bosses” and patronised them for doing “girl math”… and she called them “c**ts”. In Question Time the following week, one of the “c**ts” Vance had maligned, Brooke Van Velden, gave a searing rebuke to the journalist and her apologists. She became the first person to use the four letter word in the House.

The entire time I fell on the side of Brooke and the Government in that I understood their legislation’s purpose and agree that we can’t have wildly mismatched professions being used for pay equity claims.

Then ACT triggered me.



This post made me baulk. I took a few minutes to try figure out what it was that hit my feminist button and initially I thought maybe I just didn’t like the choice of photos. I questioned if I was overthinking the presentation of the two professions. Is it just me who feels like the social worker is being belittled as an officious busybody with a clipboard while the air traffic controller is depicted as more serious? Maybe.

Regardless, it set me off thinking further about the challenge of comparing male and female dominated fields of work. An issue I had thought I had moved on from was now bugging me and sent me off down another series of rabbit holes. This resulted in me seriously questioning how we value qualifications and different types of work. It gave me a lot more sympathy for the arguments of those who were very angry with the Government for the legislation change. BUT, and it is a significant ‘but’, one of the rabbit holes I ended up down shone a light on how a few male dominated professions are being undervalued also. Should they take a pay equity claim?

In short, this opinion piece is going to piss everyone off. I want to hear your thoughts about, but you might like to start your comment with “I disagree with you, Ani, because…” and refrain from name calling.

The social worker rabbit hole

To be a social worker in New Zealand you need to complete a three-year undergraduate degree in social work and, from what I can gather, an extra year of honours or a masters degree are common. That is four to five years at university. You must also be registered with the Social Workers Registration Board (SWRB) to legally work as a social worker and hold an annual practising certificate.

The median salary for a social worker in New Zealand is $67,925 per year ($32.66 per hour). The typical range is from $51,228 to $100,470 annually, depending on experience and role.1

On the other hand, to become an air traffic controller in New Zealand, you don’t need a university degree, but you do need to complete specialised training through Airways New Zealand. This training takes 12–14 months and is conducted at the Airways Training Centre in Christchurch (classroom and simulator-based). After initial training, you’ll move to a live control centre or tower for 6 to 12 months of supervised on-the-job training. So a maximum of just over two years of training but much of it is on the job and paid.

While training on the job, air traffic controllers receive a salary of around $60,000.2 After completing training and obtaining a license, starting salaries are around $95,000 to $105,000, depending on the role and location. At busier airports, total remuneration packages are between $141,795 and $227,203, including shift allowances and superannuation.3 Controllers working in radar centres (Auckland and Christchurch) typically earn between $160,000 and $245,000.4

Both jobs are important. Both jobs are specialised. The pay is very different.

I still agree with ACT that it is wrong to compare the two roles. But that is because if we are looking purely in terms of qualification, social workers should be paid more than air traffic controllers.

The way ACT have portrayed the comparison is back to front. They appear to be framing social work as the lesser profession when it requires more extensive education. Perhaps they might argue that there is something more urgent about ensuring aeroplanes do not crash into each other. Certainly, it is a very important job that prevents disaster and loss of life. But equally, social workers go into violent and volatile homes everyday to assess the wellbeing of children. The decisions they make might not ensure the safe passage of a 747, but it could save one child’s life that day. Maybe more.

After Brooke’s bold and unapologetic speech, the series of graphics of which the above was part, are disappointing. National’s ‘explainer’ videos were a far better response to the back lash - although they came a little late.

None of what I have shared here proves that the reason social workers are paid so much less than air traffic controllers is because social workers are predominantly women. It could raise questions of how we value qualifications and maybe even if prerequisite education for social work is too lengthy and onerous. Whether a result of sex-discrimination or not, the equation seems skewed in the comparison of these two professions.

The police officers (and firefighters) rabbit hole

It is pretty widely known that police and firefighters are paid poorly in New Zealand. It is no wonder that so many of them head over to Australia where they are able to secure a salary far higher than they could even hope for years down the track here.

New Zealand

First Year (Post-College): ~$74,494 base | ~$83,266 total package5

Australia

Starting Salaries by State (I converted to NZD):

• New South Wales (NSW): ~NZ$87,223, increasing to NZ$104,010 by 2027 under new pay deal

• Victoria: ~NZ$88,519 for first constable

• Queensland: ~NZ$93,635 (includes 21% Operational Shift Allowance)

• Western Australia: ~NZ$89,392 for probationary constables

• South Australia: ~NZ$82,527 for first-year constables

• Northern Territory: ~NZ$85,252 post-probation

• Tasmania: ~NZ$74,149 for level one officers6

Australia (~NZ$91,419 per year) pays approximately 18% more on average than New Zealand (~NZ$77,000 per year) for police officers — before accounting for tax and cost of living differences. And the story is similar for firefighters with New Zealand trainee firefighters starting on ~NZ$53,800 per year7 and (depending on state) Australian recruits starting on between ~NZ$62,060 and ~NZ$80,250.8

This is all common knowledge, but what I wasn’t aware of was how much less police officers and firefighters are paid compared to some other Government jobs in New Zealand.

Now, obviously, neither job requires a university degree. Both receive on the job training. Police recruits undergo a 20-week residential training program at the RNZPC. Then, after graduating, new officers enter a two-year period as probationary constables. During this probationary phase they engage in supervised police work, receive regular assessments to evaluate performance and competency, and complete workplace assessments related to practical skills.

The firefighter training programme is 12-weeks long, followed by a one year probation period. During this time, firefighters must complete on-the-job assessments, maintain fitness and operational readiness, demonstrate growing competence and confidence.

If we compare these qualification requirements to nursing, which involves a three-year degree, they are clearly not as extensive or academic. But that is not the only measure used to determine the validity of pay equity roles. In New Zealand two main evaluation models are used; Mercer and Hay. These models assign values in numerical form to certain criteria.

As the Hay framework was used in the Care and Support Workers Pay Equity Settlement (2017), the teacher aides’ and admin/clerical staff pay equity claims, and is often referenced by the Employment Relations Authority and Human Rights Commission, I will use it to assess police and firefighters. I used AI to apply the framework to the profession.

Hay Job Evaluation – NZ Police Officer (Constable)

1. Know-How: Total ability required to do the job — including knowledge, skills, and interpersonal requirements.

• Practical & Technical Knowledge - Medium–High - Knowledge of New Zealand law, procedures, powers of arrest, investigation techniques

• Interpersonal Skills - High - Required to manage conflict, calm volatile situations, communicate under stress

• Management Breadth - Low–Medium - Some coordination of incidents or junior staff, but not a primary management role

Estimated Know-How Score: 310–350

2. Problem Solving: The thinking environment and challenge of resolving issues.

• Thinking Environment - Unstructured Officers - must assess and respond to rapidly evolving, high-risk situations

• Thinking Challenge - Medium–High - Must weigh legal, ethical, and safety implications in real time

• Estimated Problem Solving Score: 160–180

3. Accountability: The impact and responsibility the role carries.

• Freedom to Act - Medium - Operates independently but within legal and procedural constraints

• Impact on End Results - High - Decisions can affect public safety, legal outcomes, and lives

• Magnitude - Moderate - Not directly tied to financials but very high social and legal consequences

Estimated Accountability Score: 230–260

4. Working Conditions: While not a core Hay factor, many New Zealand roles include this in evaluation.

• Physical Demand - High - May involve foot chases, manual restraint, long shifts

• Psychological Stress - High - Exposure to trauma, aggression, unpredictable risk

• Environment High Outdoors, at crime scenes, high-risk environments

• Working Conditions Adjustment: doesn’t get assigned a score but adds weight

Total Hay Score (Estimated): 750–800

This score puts police officers in a similar band to other male-dominated roles with high social responsibility, such as: Firefighters, Corrections officers, and Customs officers.

If we compare this score to registered nurses in New Zealand we also get a very similar score. Nurses get a slightly higher 330–360 for Know-How as they require clinical knowledge (anatomy, medications, acute care), decision-making in patient care, and a degree of interpersonal demands. For Problem Solving they get 160-180 just like police officers due to the need for clinical judgment, triage, and risk assessment, and managing unpredictable patient situations. They have the same score again for Accountability (230–260) as they are responsible for health outcomes, medication administration, and life support. Working Conditions are also similar with shift work, emotional strain, infection risk, and physical effort. They too come out with a score of 750-800.

Police Officer Salaries (NZ)

• Trainee (Police College): ~$57,595

• Constable (1st year after training): ~$74,494

• After 5 years: ~$81,771

• Senior Constables or Sergeants: Can earn over $90,000 with allowances

• Top earners (Specialist units or long service): Over $100,0009

Nurse Salaries (NZ)

Registered Nurse (RN):

• Starting: ~$69,566

• After 5+ years: ~$91,000+

• Top of RN pay scale (step 7 or 8): ~$99,630

Senior Nurses (e.g. Clinical Nurse Specialist):

• $100,000–$130,000+, depending on role and DHB10 (NZ Herald reported salaries up to $153,000pa)11

So why the difference in pay? It is important to note that registered nurses didn’t always have higher earning potential than police officers. Registered Nurses have historically earned less, reflecting a systemic undervaluation of female-dominated caring roles. Their current position is due to a significant pay negotiation facilitated by their union in 2023.

Does that mean male police officers should make a pay equity claim? No.

For a start the law states that the role must be “currently or historically female-dominated”. So while men in female-dominated roles can make claims, they can only do so if they believe they are being paid less because the role they are working is undervalued as a result of it being traditionally or currently perceived as women’s work.

Most importantly, however, is that although police can argue that they are being underpaid compared to nurses, there is no evidence that this is because of their sex. That is the clincher for any pay equity claim. Proving an unfair difference is not enough. It must be due to sex discrimination.

What police can do, and should do, is tell their union to pull finger and negotiate them a deal as good as the nurses’ union did.

Having delved into this more than was probably warranted, I am more convinced than ever that everyone got this wrong. The Government cynically shoved the legislation through under urgency, ACT are treading very close to outright undervaluing women’s work themselves, Labour and the unions lied about women all getting pay cuts, and everyone failed to fully understand how complex it is as an issue. So-called women’s work has been, and still is, undervalued and it is important we have a mechanism by which to challenge genuine cases. However, proving there is an unfair and unequal pay comparison is different from proving it exists because of sex discrimination. It is important that legislation provides a high threshold for proving this claim. There are a lot of reasons for unfairness and they should all be challenged. In some cases, as with nurses, it simply comes down to an effective union driving a hard bargain. So perhaps, unionists like Fleur Fitzsimons might like to spend more time negotiating and less time shouting outside Brooke Van Velden’s office.

Ani O'Brien comes from a digital marketing background, she has been heavily involved in women's rights advocacy and is a founding council member of the Free Speech Union. This article was originally published on Ani's Substack Site and is published here with kind permission.