IAG commended for cultural diversity initiative

Insurance giant IAG New Zealand has been lauded for its employee-led initiative encouraging the use of te reo Māori within the company at the 2019 Diversity Awards NZ™.

The Te Reo Talk programme received a highly commended from the judges in the Cultural Celebration category of the awards programme.

The initiative is the brainchild of IAG’s Māori Employee Network Resource Group (ENRG), which wanted to encourage the use of te reo in a fun and interactive way, making it accessible to everyone.

Video clips are filmed by staff members in the IAG offices and shared on the company’s internal social network. Over two years, more than 26 videos have been created and they are typically viewed more than 550 times.

Judging convener Neil Porteous says that by taking an educational approach and creating a strong impetus to normalise the use of te reo Māori throughout the organisation, IAG New Zealand has embodied its values. “The staff is very proud of what they have achieved and have made a significant change to the culture of organisation.”

The 2019 Diversity Awards NZ™, celebrating excellence in workplace diversity and inclusion, were presented this evening at a gala dinner in Auckland. The event was attended by more than 600 business representatives from the public and private sector and the Hon Iain Lees-Galloway, Minister for Workplace Relations and Safety.

Here is a list of all winners

Supreme Award
Vector Limited

Cultural Celebration Award
Air New Zealand - Te rōpū Te Ara Nui

Highly commended
IAG New Zealand

Walk the Talk Award – joint winners

Catherine Smith, Auckland Museum
Craig Hudson, Xero

Skills Highway Award
Simcro Limited

Diversability Award
Vector Limited

Empowerment Award
Vector Limited

Highly Commended
Fisher & Paykel Healthcare

Small Organisation Excellence Award in Empowerment
She Sharp

Tomorrow's Workforce Award
Constellation Brands New Zealand

Work Life Balance Award
Sharesies

Highly Commended
Department of Internal Affairs

Emerging Diversity and Inclusion Award
Yellow NZ Ltd

Positive Inclusion Award
MediaWorks

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