Families, community members and supporters of fair pay are invited to a protest picnic for pay equity at Mount Drury tomorrow.

The event, hosted by Unions BOP, aims to highlight the ongoing fight for pay equity and honour New Zealand’s legacy of women’s suffrage.

From 10.30am-1.30pm on September 20, the gathering will feature a free union-run barbecue, live entertainment, a short hikoi along the boardwalk, and family-friendly activities including a treasure hunt and spot prizes.

“We’re encouraging whānau to come along, bring a picnic, and stand together for pay equity,” said E tū organiser Bertie Ratu.

“It will be held on the playground side of Mount Drury Reserve. We’re doing a little hikoi from Mount Drury along the boardwalk down to the Mount and then back again.”

Attendees can look forward to a performance from a kapa haka group affiliated with IHC, plus speeches from the teachers’ union, nurses, and care and support workers.

“They will be sharing personal stories about how the issue of pay equity has affected them,” Ratu said. “This is about the ongoing fight for pay equity in Aotearoa. Care and support workers and many others are still paid less because their jobs have traditionally been done by women.

“These workers do vital jobs in our communities, and they deserve pay that truly reflects their skills and contribution.”

The protest picnic is part of a nationwide Day of Action, marking 132 years since women won the right to vote in New Zealand on September 19, 1893.

The NZ Council of Trade Unions is calling for bold and visible demonstrations across the country in response to recent government changes to pay equity legislation.

“The Government has gutted pay equity legislation that would have eased the cost of living and lifted pay for 182,000-plus people,” NZCTU stated on its website.

“They have cancelled claims set to boost the very services that make life possible – schools, libraries, hospitals, aged care, disability support, and more.”

The Day of Action is intended not just as a protest, but also as a celebration of the women who “nurture, lead, and resist” and to honour the suffrage movement while urging action on pay justice. Participants are encouraged to wear purple, green and white – the colours of the Aotearoa suffrage flower, the camellia.

“We’re inviting everyone – whānau, communities, individuals of all genders, backgrounds, and identities – to stand together for pay equity and justice,” Ratu said.