Kiwibank first bank to receive Gender Tick

Tuesday 11 June 2019

Kiwibank is New Zealand’s first bank to receive the Gender Tick accreditation.

Kiwibank Chief Executive Steve Jurkovich said fairness was an important attribute for the New Zealand-owned bank, and the accreditation signalled its ongoing commitment to diversity and inclusion.

“The process for getting the Gender Tick has been hugely useful. We aim to make Kiwis better off and we do that in our workplace by having an inclusive culture that leverages our people’s unique backgrounds, qualities, and contributions.

“Not only is gender equality in the workplace important, but it is the right thing to do. The added bonus is it positively impacts on wellbeing, productivity and innovation, all of which we highly value,” Mr Jurkovich said.

“We are working towards putting a gender lens over all our policies, processes and strategy to ensure there is no gender discrimination. Robust policies and procedures have been developed to prevent harassment, encourage flexible work, leave practices, and develop talent.

“We are looking at women’s representation in leadership roles, and the issues of equal pay,” Mr Jurkovich said.

Assessor Dr Kaisa Wilson, Director – Gender Tick said that they were impressed with Kiwibank’s work on ensuring they eliminate any gender pay gap in their organisation.

“They are a great example of how a strong commitment to equality at all levels of the organisation means swift and decisive action can be taken to ensure women are paid the same as men for the same work – as it should be in all workplaces,” Dr Wilson said.

With the Kiwibank executive team currently consisting of three women and 10 men, Mr Jurkovich acknowledged there was still some work to do, including at the top table.

“We have made a commitment and our Board is fully behind our goal to have a workforce and board made up of 40 percent female and 40 percent male. The final 20 percent includes those who don’t identify as binary in terms of gender and also allows flexibility, meaning it doesn’t limit us to 50 percent female either.

“As an organisation this goal means we need to leave behind stereotypes and acknowledge unconscious biases. We’ve already got training in place including leadership coaching and recruitment processes to support and challenge our people in this space.

“This announcement makes me very proud. It’s great to be part of an inclusive, progressive and safe workplace,” Mr Jurkovich concluded.

The Gender Tick accreditation was developed for businesses to demonstrate their commitment to gender equality in their workplace.

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