Releases

The Minister for Women Louise Upston has today welcomed the selection of the first Future Directors participant since the expansion to the state sector. Ruth Smithers will join the WorkSafe New Zealand board early in the New Year, following the expansion of the Future Directors programme to include state sector boards and committees in June this year. ...

Minister for Women Louise Upston has today announced changes to the National Advisory Council on the Employment of Women to strengthen its focus on breaking down barriers facing women in work. “The aim of the Council is to drive genuine and sustainable change for women in the workplace, and ensure their skills are fully utilised. To achieve this, I have asked the Council to focus on five critical areas preventing women from reaching their potential at work. ...

The Government will update the Equal Pay Act and amend the Employment Relations Act to implement recommendations of the Joint Working Group on Pay Equity. This will make it easier for women to file pay equity claims with their employers, rather than having to go through the courts. It will also assist employers in addressing those claims. “The Government has accepted the recommendations of the Joint Working Group, which set out principles for raising and resolving pay equity claims through bargaining,” State Services Minister Paula Bennett says. ...

The 2016 Enterprising Rural Women Awards have been announced overnight, with the winners displaying dynamic, resourceful and successful entrepreneurship and business acumen, the Minister for Women Louise Upston says. Rotorua’s Amy Dibley, Founder and Director of Physio Direct was named the supreme winner of the annual awards, which are run by Rural Women New Zealand to showcase successful rural business women. ...

Louise Upston, Minister for Women, has congratulated the winners of the 2016 YWCA Equal Pay Awards. The awards recognise best practice among business leaders actively tackling equal pay within their organisations. “I am proud to support this initiative which celebrates employers that are committed to this very important work,” Ms Upston told the audience of business and state sector leaders. ANZ was named Supreme winner. Trophy winners also included Simpson Grierson, Youthtown Inc and Guardians of New Zealand Superannuation winning. ...