The principles released will guide them to recognise skills and experience gained through unpaid and caring work and ensure they are "utilised and rewarded".
Rachel Mackintosh, the Council of Trade Unions Vice President, said she was delighted that the principles acknowledged parenting and caring as unpaid work.
She said it meant addressing the disadvantage women faced in pay, progression, security of employment and retirement income because of that time out of the workforce.
"Many women take time out of the workforce to do unpaid work. I am thrilled that these principles recognise this - as it is often never properly addressed. These principles mean that work will be designed to recognise the skills used in unpaid work, and make sure women's pay and advancement will not stagnate through taking time out of the workforce."
She also welcomed principles aimed at eliminating conscious and unconscious gender bias and maintaining transparent employment and pay practices.
Genter said the principles would guide all Government work on gender pay and ensure women's contributions, skills and experience across the board, including in unpaid work.
State Services Minister Chris Hipkins said the principles were developed by state sector unions and agencies, including the State Services Commission.
"The Government recognises that workplace gender equality must be addressed by policies around recruitment, remuneration, career progression and many more."
The SSC said the gap had narrowed over recent years partly because of the increasing proportion of women in senior leadership roles (48 per cent, up from 38 per cent in 2008) and closing gender pay differences in large workforces, such as IT, social, health and education workers.
Statistic New Zealand calculated last year's nation-wide pay gap at 9.4 per cent based on median pay rather than the average pay model the State Services Commission prefers. The public service pay using median pay was slightly higher, at 9.7 per cent.
