Well Done, NZX

Well Done, NZX!

NZX is to be commended for its proposal to include gender diversity as part of its annual reporting, according to Rae Julian from UN Women NZ.

Women are still a small minority among senior executives in major businesses in New Zealand.

“If the NZX members must report on the positions of women in their organisations, they will be forced to consider the barriers to women’s advancement and what can be done to overcome the challenges,” says Rae Julian, President UN Women Aotearoa NZ.

This initiative links well to the international campaign of UN Women and the UN Global Compact, the Women’s Empowerment Principles, which was launched for New Zealand at Government House in February.

Twelve NZ businesses[1] have already signed on to the Principles and thus pledged to be accountable for the promotion of gender diversity in their organisations.

“They are convinced that gender diversity enhances business prospects.”

The two initiatives, along with the work of the Ministry of Women’s Affairs to nominate women for private sector boards and the mentoring programme for potential women directors of the NZ Institute of Directors, should do much to ensure that women achieve their rightful place, beside the decision makers in business matters.

The New Zealand Federation of Business and Professional Women, the NZ Human Rights Commission and the EEO Trust are working with the NZ National Committee of UN Women to promote the Women’s Empowerment Principles to businesses in New Zealand.

Rae Julian
National President
UN Women National Committee for Aotearoa New Zealand

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[1] BNZ; Westpac; ASB; Heidrick & Struggles; The Warehouse; Vodafone; Price, Waterhouse Coopers; Z Energy; Deloitte; Sky City Entertainment; Alcatel-Lucent; Auckland Chamber of Commerce.

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