Conservation Minister on DOC Workforce Diversity Survey and the department's response

Conservation Minister Sandra Lee said she was "seriously concerned" by a Department of Conservation Workforce Diversity Survey report released today that suggests individual cases of bad behaviour occurred.

Ms Lee said the government believed there was no excuse for and there should be zero tolerance of bad workplace behaviour and practices in the state sector.

"The results of the Workforce survey are disappointing but they have enabled the Department of Conservation to gauge for the first time the extent of attitudes within DOC on discrimination and harassment," Ms Lee said.

"It is clear that changes in the work culture need to take place within DOC to improve the personal work environment and career outcomes for groups that include women, Maori and people with disabilities.

"More reports like DOC's Workforce Diversity Survey will be crucial if we are to effectively influence outcomes.

"I commend the Department of Conservation for initiating this survey," she said. "I also welcome as a starting point a strategy developed by DOC to address the issues raised in the Workplace survey."

Also released today was DOC's response to the survey, a document entitled "People Diversity Strategy".

"I will be holding the Director-General of Conservation to close account for the promotion of positive initiatives to address the issues raised," she said.

Ends

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Gordon Campbell: On the Sony cyber attack

Given the layers of meta-irony involved, the saga of the Sony cyber attack seemed at the outset more like a snarky European art film than a popcorn entry at the multiplex.

Yet now with (a) President Barack Obama weighing in on the side of artistic freedom and calling for the US to make a ‘proportionate response’quickly followed by (b) North Korea’s entire Internet service going down, and with both these events being followed by (c) Sony deciding to backtrack and release The Interview film that had made it a target for the dastardly North Koreans in the first place, then ay caramba…the whole world will now be watching how this affair pans out. More>>