Brooke Van Velden didn't know the difference between Pay Equity and Equal Pay

OIA documents released to RNZ on the cancellation of the pay equity redress system show that in December 2023, Workplace Relations Minister Brooke van Velden asked officials for a briefing on "pay parity," prompting them to send her a screenshot from MBIE's website explaining that pay parity and pay equity are legally distinct concepts under the Equal Pay Act.

She had not yet received a full briefing on pay equity at that point. A 45-minute ministerial meeting on 19 March 2025 then terminated all 33 pay equity claims in progress, affecting an estimated 150,000-180,000 workers in female-dominated sectors including education, health, and social services, and redirecting roughly $12.8 billion in contingency funding back to Budget allowances.