Port of Auckland are charting a new course to close their gender pay gap.

Lena, a stevedore lasher at Port of Auckland Tāmaki Herenga Waka, is clear about the gender divide at her workplace.

She says the women are better drivers than the guys—jokingly, of course. 

Lena loves her work, and she even helped get her older sister a job. 

“I started before her, and I brought her here. I thought this was a cool place. I really enjoy working with all the guys. They are very, very helpful, and they make me feel safe,” says Lena.

A young woman stands outside underneath large yellow cranes. She is smiling and looking into the distance on the right. She is wearing a yellow hard hat and a hi-vis jacket.

Keeping the gender pay gap closed is important work for Port of Auckland.

Leading the organisation is CEO Roger Gray, who is personally driven to close the gender pay gap.

“The reason I'm so passionate about this is because I have a fundamental value of fairness. I just think people should be treated fairly and equally and for whatever reason – gender, ethnicity – that fairness doesn't exist, really rankles me. - Roger Gray.

Roger says his team has been working hard to address the gender pay gap and increase the representation of women in their industry. He highlights that the port sector is historically not an attractive workplace for women because of the nature of the work and hours.

Roger identifies that there is “a lot of work to do in making pathways for women to join, and then pathways for women to build their career” at the Port of Auckland and in the wider sector.

“When it comes to recruitment, we probably spend quite a lot of time focusing on ensuring that women are able to come in to apply for the roles and that we make sure that we have women included in the shortlist.”

“It's about making sure that… that we've got a proper, standardised remuneration system so we don't have some people on one different contract than the other,” says Roger. 

Something Roger is strident about is increasing the number of women on his executive team.

Currently, there’s only one - General Manager of Containers and Engineering, Tessa Auelua.

Left side, a man with white hair, black square rim glasses, and a grey suit smiles at the camera while he stands outside in front of shipping containers. Right side is a smiling woman with slicked back dark hair, and a white shirt with vertical black stipes. She stands inside a reflective white hallway.

L-R: Roger Gray (CEO, Port of Auckland), Tessa Auelua (General Manager - Containers and Engineering).

“The sector is old and traditional. After 180 years, we're still working on representation of women. I think it's really important for women to raise up other women,” says Tessa. 

“It is about being seen and to encourage others, because what you see is what you know." - Tessa Auelua.

Tessa has become a role model to Lena.

“For me, Tessa is a really strong leader. She's really out there, and an amazing Pasifika woman, and seeing her as a leader really motivates me to come to work,” says Lena.

Roger is focused on pathways for women to grow at the Port.

“We're spending a lot of money on leadership and development because I'm trying to see people grow in the organisation. We want to move from the Port being seen as a job, to a career,” he says.

The CEO, who is also Co-Chair of Champions for Change, has frank advice for others. 

“Have the guts to measure.” - Roger Gray.

“When you understand what the gap is, ask yourself why. Why do we have this? Look for the structural issues that are preventing you recruiting more women, or stopping women progressing in your organisation, or stopping you paying women equally, and address those,” says Roger. 

“At least start the process. Because if you fix the construct first, the results will come progressively.”

Two women wear yellow hi-vis vests and hard hats while walking outside on a port with shipping containers ad cranes.