Diversity Awards NZ open for entries

Entries are now open for the 2022 Diversity Awards NZ™, which mark the 25th anniversary of this prestigious national awards programme.

Diversity Works New Zealand CEO Maretha Smit (pictured below) expects many public and private sector organisations throughout Aotearoa will want the opportunity to showcase the innovative people initiatives and mahi they are doing to build inclusive workplaces by entering this year’s commemorative awards programme.

“Last year we introduced some significant changes to the Diversity Awards NZ™ programme to align with our maturity framework and to celebrate excellence in respect of the specific organisational competencies required to build inclusivity in leaders and teams,” she says.

“The new categories were well received across the motu and we were pleased to see the quality of entries that reflected a more mature approach to workplace diversity, equity and inclusion.”

After reviewing the new format, a few minor tweaks to the programme were made based on the learnings from 2021. One of the main changes this year is that there will be an emphasis on initiatives implemented, as opposed to strategies formulated.

“We found that the strongest entries last year were those who could show strategic alignment, yet clearly demonstrated how specific initiatives resulted in improved performance on diversity, equity and inclusion (DEI) metrics for the organisation in selected categories.”

The Ngā Ahuatanga o te Tiriti Tohu replaces the Mātauranga Māori Award of last year. This award will focus specifically on how organisations define their position in relation to the Treaty of Waitangi, and how they equip their workforce to contribute constructively within a bi-cultural work context.

It is one of four categories open to entries from the public and private sector – the others are the Leadership Award, the Diverse Talent Award and the Inclusive Workplace Award.

Judges can again recognise large organisations with more than 100 employees and small to medium organisations with fewer than 100 employees in each of these four categories. This allows the programme to acknowledge the differences in available resources and approach towards diversity and inclusion based on organisation size. All winners in these categories will be eligible for the Supreme Award.

The Impact Award is again open to private sector and charitable organisations whose core business it is to facilitate the provision of more equitable workplace opportunities.

Entries close 3pm, Tuesday, 3 May 2022 .For more information on changes to the programme, category definitions, judging criteria and to enter, visit diversityworksnz.org.nz