Property Council New Zealand’s Inclusion Alliance has today released the findings of an industry-wide study into the gender pay gap across the property sector, showing a median gender pay gap of 24.9 per cent in favour of men. The research draws on pay data from 30 property organisations and more than 11,600 employees, making it one of the most comprehensive studies of its kind undertaken in the sector.
“Property Council’s Inclusion Alliance commissioned this research because you cannot fix what you don’t measure,” said Leonie Freeman, chief executive of Property Council New Zealand. “A 24.9 per cent gender pay gap is a confronting number, but facing it honestly is the first step, and acting on it is the next. This data gives us a clear, evidence-based starting point, and that is exactly what real progress requires.”
The research, conducted by remuneration specialists Strategic Pay, shows the gap is largely driven by where women sit within the industry, rather than unequal pay for the same job. Women now make up 38 per cent of the property workforce overall, a marked shift for an industry where women were once few and far between. But that progress at entry level hasn’t yet carried through to leadership, with women holding only around a quarter of senior and middle management roles. The gap is widest at supervisor level, the first step into management, a pattern often described as the “broken rung.”
Property Council New Zealand’s Inclusion Alliance, made up of chief executives and senior leaders from across the property sector, has committed to using the findings to drive practical change rather than treat the research as a one-off report. In a joint statement of intent released alongside the research, Alliance members said they were choosing to act on the findings rather than treat them as a reason to be defensive.
Signatories to the statement have committed collectively to:
- make the data public and report on it honestly, including the parts that are uncomfortable.
- track progress every two years, with the first full follow-up due in 2028.
- develop a targeted action plan to help talented women in property move into senior roles faster.
- hold themselves accountable, individually and as an industry, for closing the gap.
Alongside the research release, Alliance members have committed to the sector’s next move. In response to the findings, the Alliance is developing a targeted action plan to help talented women in property move into senior roles faster, focused on three career paths where the gap is most pronounced: asset management, property and portfolio management, and development management. The Alliance will share full details of the plan in 2027.
“Real change only occurs if the whole industry gets behind it,” said Freeman. “This is not one company acting alone. It is a collective of industry leaders agreeing to hold each other accountable and back women into senior roles, faster, aiming to eliminate the broken rung. We know this will take sustained effort over several years, which is why we have committed to reporting back regularly, following a robust structure and developing clear targets.”
The Alliance has committed to reporting on progress every two years, with the first full follow-up report due in 2028.
Further information is available at https://www.propertynz.co.nz/inclusion/gender-pay-gap.
ENDS