Hon Louise Upston

Minister for Women
29 June 2016

State sector boards to benefit from Future Directors programme

Expanding the Institute of Directors’ Future Directors programme to state sector boards will have strong benefits for governance, Minister for Women Louise Upston announced today.

“New Zealand has a relatively small pool of directors and this programme will help us create a larger and more diverse pipeline of talent,” she said.

The Future Directors scheme was set up by the Institute of Directors in 2012. It identifies talented candidates with potential to succeed in governance roles, and provides them with opportunities to observe and participate in board discussions for 12 months.

“Diversity in governance is strongly linked to better performance by boards and the companies and institutions they govern.”

Ms Upston said the initiative would also improve gender balance in governance.

NZX figures show that just 17 percent of private sector board members are women, by comparison, women make up 43.4 percent of state sector boards which is the highest level ever.

“We are well on the way to reaching the Government’s goal of having women occupying 45 percent of positions on state sector boards and committees,” Ms Upston said. “It’s in the private sector that we need to see more rapid progress. This is something I will continue to focus on in the coming months.”

The Institute of Directors manages a database of board-ready Future Directors and will support the programme’s expansion into the state sector.

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