Air New Zealand wins cultural diversity award

Air New Zealand’s commitment to making our cultural identity a pivotal part of the journey for cabin crew joining the airline has won the Cultural Celebration category of the 2019 Diversity Awards NZ™.

The Te Ara Nui (The Great Path) initiative began when a group of cabin crew and trainers created The Story of the Koru, a learning module for all new cabin crew trainees that included face-to-face and online learning modules about the history of the airline’s koru symbol and what it represents.

Te Ara Nui Rōpū also created a business case to trial hosting a cabin crew graduation ceremony on a marae.

“We wanted our employees to experience the culture that sits behind the koru, experiencing the carvings and mātauranga within the marae,” says Cabin Crew Manager Regan Close.

“We wanted them to share their excitement of joining an iconic brand with their loved ones and provide their whānau with an opportunity to share and embrace their own cultural identity in a welcoming environment.”

The cultural graduation ceremony is now a permanent part of the airline’s New Intake Training Programme.

Judging convener Neil Porteous says that this initiative showed true excellence in celebrating New Zealand’s indigenous culture and using the koru to connect Air New Zealand’s employees to that culture. “This was a grassroots action, with senior management support through visibly taking a back seat and allowing the engagement to be driven from within the company.”

The 2019 Diversity Awards NZ™, celebrating excellence in workplace diversity and inclusion, were presented this evening at a gala dinner in Auckland. The event was attended by more than 600 business representatives from the public and private sector and the Hon Iain Lees-Galloway, Minister for Workplace Relations and Safety.

Here is a list of all winners

Supreme Award
Vector Limited

Cultural Celebration Award
Air New Zealand - Te rōpū Te Ara Nui

Highly commended
IAG New Zealand

Walk the Talk Award – joint winners

Catherine Smith, Auckland Museum
Craig Hudson, Xero

Skills Highway Award
Simcro Limited

Diversability Award
Vector Limited

Empowerment Award
Vector Limited

Highly Commended
Fisher & Paykel Healthcare

Small Organisation Excellence Award in Empowerment
She Sharp

Tomorrow's Workforce Award
Constellation Brands New Zealand

Work Life Balance Award
Sharesies

Highly Commended
Department of Internal Affairs

Emerging Diversity and Inclusion Award
Yellow NZ Ltd

Positive Inclusion Award
MediaWorks

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