An uneven playing field

Sport bodies ‘‘need to do better’’ following the release of research showing a 15 per cent gender pay gap, a lack of women in leadership positions, lack of trust in sporting organisations and an underrepresentation of Asian and Pasifika communities.

More than 150 sports bodies – including national and regional sports organisation, regional sports trusts, disability sports organisations, and Sport New Zealand (SNZ) – participated in research exploring inclusion and diversity.

The research – the first of its kind into gender pay in New Zealand sport – found women in paid employment earn 15 per cent less than their male counterparts. That is worse than the national average of 9.1 per cent.

The pay gap between Ma¯ ori and Pa¯ keha¯ is 9 per cent in favour of Pa¯ keha¯ .

Sport New Zealand chief executive Raelene Castle said that while the pay gap is not ideal, it’s a starting ‘‘baseline’’ to start conversations about equity.

‘‘Much of what the survey tells us doesn’t come as a surprise, but it gives us line of sight into the current state of the sector. As a collective we can advance discussions around under-representation and jointly develop strategies to improve,’’ she said.

Women make up 55 per cent of the sporting workforce, but men dominate leadership positions.

The research shows there is a lack of women in chief executive, high performance director, high performance coaching and sport development manager roles.

The gender pay gap between male and female chief executives is nearly 50 per cent. For Ma¯ ori in leadership positions, the pay gap with Pa¯ keha¯ is 17 per cent.

Sixty-six per cent of the 1679 workers who responded – about 40 per cent of the paid sporting workforce said poor salary or remuneration is a barrier to progression in the sector.

At Sport New Zealand, the pay

■ 9% pay gap between Ma¯ori and Pa¯keha¯ in the paid sporting workforce

■ 9% identify as LGBTQI+

■ 14% are Ma¯ori

■ 15% gender pay gap

■ 15% have experienced discrimination, harassment or bullying in the last 12 months

■ 17% pay gap between Ma¯ori and Pa¯keha¯ in senior leadership positions

■ 80% of the sector is Pa¯keha¯ gap will now be monitored every three months, Castle said.

Among the other findings, 57 per cent either didn’t trust or had limited trust in their sports organisation to handle integrity issues appropriately, that trust diminished further with Ma¯ ori and Cook Island Ma¯ ori respondents.

Fifteen per cent of the workers said they had experienced harassment, bullying or discrimination in the past 12 months.

Several sports have faced high profile integrity problems in the past 12 months, including gymnastics, bowls, canoe racing, hockey and now cycling. A review is under way into cycling following the death of Olympic cyclist Olivia Podmore.

Disability sport providers are among the most trusted, with Sport New Zealand the least trusted.

Regarding ethnicity and language, 80 per cent of the sector is Pa¯ keha¯ , 14 per cent Ma¯ ori, and Pasifika, Chinese and Indian communities make up just 6 per cent of the sector. Just 4 per cent of the workforce speak te reo Ma¯ ori, and less than 1 per cent can communicate in New Zealand Sign

Language.

Castle said efforts are starting to ensure the sector is more ethnically diverse, particularly with the growth of the New Zealand Asian population.

She said the research has started a ‘‘really positive conversation’’, but there is more work to be done.

‘‘There’s an openness from the sporting sector, to look at the numbers and recognise that they need to do better... and they’re absolutely looking for ways to make sure the numbers improve,’’ she said.