Today is International Women’s Day and Chia Sisters – as a majority women-owned and led business is launching a campaign in collaboration with Fresh Choice Nelson to create more awareness around the Gender Pay Gap, a significant issue that reflects the broader inequalities faced by women in the workforce.
The Chia Sisters team says: “In Aotearoa New Zealand, women are paid on average 8.6% less than men. It’s worse for wāhine Māori, Asian, and Pasifika women. For every $1 a Pākehā male earns, a Pākehā woman earns $0.89, an Asian woman earns $0.83, a Māori woman earns $0.81, and a Pasifika woman earns $0.75 (source: https://www.mindthegap.nz/).
“So what are we doing about it?
• On International Women’s Day (Friday 8 March) Chia Sisters will launch a limited run of Pressed Juices in Fresh Choice Nelson that are filled 8.6% less than our regular juices.
• Why 8.6% less? 8.6% represents the gender pay gap in Aotearoa New Zealand. The juices will be displayed next to our regular juices, visually demonstrating the Gender Pay Gap in an unexpected way, capturing the attention of shoppers and encouraging them to consider the issue.
• Our labels have been redesigned to confront shoppers – Would you accept 8.6% less? Then why should women?
• 100% of revenue from each bottle sold by Chia Sisters and Fresh Choice Nelson will be donated to the Nelson Women’s Refuge – helping women and children experiencing family violence.
• The limited edition juice will be on shelf officially at Fresh Choice Nelson from 7.30am on Friday and will remain until all bottles are sold.”
Chia Sisters founders Chloe and Florence Van Dyke will also be speaking at Parliament alongside Dame Farah Palmer, Dame Miranda Harcourt, and Hon Louise Upston.
“Chloe and Florence will speak on the International Women’s Day theme of inspiring inclusion, using Chia Sisters as a platform to test different ways of doing business that have a positive impact on the environment and communities in which they operate, and how we can each see and call out gender bias through the different platforms that we hold,” says the Chia Sisters team.
Chia Sisters is a health drinks company based in Whakatū Nelson. Chia Sisters is Climate Positive Certified, Living Wage Certified and ranks in the top 5% of all Certified B Corps in the World for their environmental impact. Founders Chloe and Florence Van Dyke are Obama Foundation Leaders, EY Entrepreneurial Winning Women, SheEO Winners, Deloitte Fast 50 Rising Stars and have been recognised in the Forbes 30 under 30.
Chloe Van Dyke, co-founder of Chia Sisters says: “At Chia Sisters, we have a platform that can be used to try new ways of doing business, share ideas, and campaign on issues that are important to us. We all have subconscious biases that filter into the conversations and actions we make every day. By bringing these to the forefront in a visual way, such as low-filling a bottle of juice to emphasize the gender pay gap, it can highlight the absurdity.”
Commenting on supporting women and families in the workforce, Chloe adds: “As parents, we often get told ‘we can’t have it all’. We can’t have it all because the model in which we operate is designed for family life to fit around work life when surely it should be the other way around. At Chia Sisters, most of our team have family or passions outside of work. We do our best to support those, and by allowing that flexibility we have a kick-ass, committed team, and because of that, our business is growing faster than ever before.”
