27 June 2005

Mayor to launch new board game highlighting diversity issues

A board game aimed to raise awareness of diversity and employment issues is being launched in Christchurch tomorrow at a breakfast in the Christchurch City Council chambers by Christchurch Mayor Garry Moore.

The Diversity Game is an international award-winning board game adapted to New Zealand context with the help of the Equal Employment Opportunities (EEO) Trust, Human Rights Commission and law firm Simpson Grierson. The City Council is hosting the EEO launch of the game at the breakfast.

“The Diversity Game is a participative tool which creates a forum for discussing the issues we all face at work – how to choose the best person for a job, how to enable people to reach their potential at work and how to ensure we don’t discriminate,” says EEO Trust Chief Executive Philippa Reed.

Mr Moore says the New Zealand skills shortage is putting pressure on employers to deal with diversity issues and make the most of available talent, and the Christchurch City Council is no different.

“The Council has launched a new recruitment drive that aims to provide greater diversity in staffing not only in culture but in experience and age. This game is an outstanding tool to help convince senior leaders to take diversity seriously,” Mr Moore says.

Carter Holt Harvey had used the game in its Australian businesses, later urging the EEO Trust to work on developing a New Zealand version. The game includes 97 playing cards grouped in various categories dealing with issues such as discrimination, harassment, multi-culturalism, ethnicity, age, disability, religion and more. Each playing card presents a scenario with multiple choice answers which often prompt fierce debate and discussion by the competing teams about diversity issues – how best to deal with them and best practice solutions.

ENDS

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