More women on boards

The Government recognises and supports the benefits of improved gender balance on boards.

Government's state sector goal  

The Government has committed to increasing women’s participation to 50 percent on state sector boards and committees. As at 20 December 2017,  45.7 percent of ministerial appointees to state sector boards were women.

Monitoring progress

The Ministry monitors the gender of appointees to state sector boards and committees.  A report is prepared annually.  The data is available by responsible adminstering department and the name of the board or committee. 

Government's private sector goal 

The Government's goal is for an increase in women's participation on private boads and leadership. Despite a strong and growing body of evidence to suggest that gender diversity is of direct benefit to business performance, women are under-represented in senior management and on boards.  In 2015 women's participation on private sector boards was 17 percent. Women held 20 percent of senior management positions.

Increasing momentum for gender diversity

Gender diversity is being actively championed in the private sector by many organisations including, the Institute of Directors in New Zealand, the New Zealand Shareholders Association, Global Women, and NZX.

NZX operates New Zealand’s stock market. NZX revised its gender diversity listing rule, approved by the Financial Markets Authority, in 2016. It now requires all NZX-listed companies to have a gender diversity ruling, with measurable objectives, and report against this annually.