Women Continue To Make Up Over 50 Per Cent On Public Sector Boards
Hon Louise
Upston
Acting Minister for Women
Women’s representation on public sector boards and committees has reached 50 per cent or above for the fourth consecutive year, with women holding 53.9 per cent of public sector board roles, Acting Minister for Women Louise Upston says.
“This is a fantastic achievement, but the work is not done. To maintain similar levels of women representation at public board and committee level, deliberate action is needed across government, business, and organisations for years to come.
“There has been a steady increase of women representation on public sector boards, increasing from 41.1 per cent in 2012. I want to see women continue to be appointed to government boards and committees, especially through the Ministry for Women’s nominations service.
“Women are also better
represented at the board chair level, which is a sign of
good progress reaching 46.2 per cent, a significant increase
from 41.9 per cent in 2022.
“It shows us there are many talented leaders ready to step into a governance role and take up the challenge of a chairing position and I welcome this wholeheartedly.
“Māori and ethnic
diversity of public sector boards has also continued to
increase since data collection for ethnicities on boards
began in 2019. I am thrilled to see many women from ethnic
backgrounds take it in their stride, and step into
governance roles.
“We know the positive impact that greater representation of women has on social outcomes, decision making, and financial performance.
“Our focus is now on ensuring this pipeline is strengthened and that we see more diverse representation in private sector leadership and governance.”
Notes to editors
The 2023 data shows that Māori board members now hold 27.5% of board roles (up from 26.8% in 2022), Pacific board members 7% (up from 6.1% in 2022) and Asian board members 6.1% (no change from 2022).