Minister of Women's Affairs Lianne Dalziel.

Ministry of Women's Affairs' stocktake shows success

The first stocktake of the membership of state sector statutory bodies completed by the Nominations Service of the Ministry of Women's Affairs shows that 41 per cent of government-appointed board members are women.

Women's Affairs Minister, Lianne Dalziel, said that this compared favourably with the private sector. Just 16 per cent of board members of NZAX companies and 5 per cent of NZX listed companies are women.

"This shows that the Nominations Service of the Ministry of Women's Affairs is making a difference by increasing the pool of talent from which potential board members are drawn. And, it shows that the government recognises that diversity on boards is an important attribute in itself," Lianne Dalziel said.

Lianne Dalziel said that international research is indicating a positive correlation between diversity in the boardroom, good corporate governance and strong company performance.

"I think one of the lessons of the recent failures in corporate governance is that the broad range of perspectives a diverse board can bring to bear on decision-making affords real protection to shareholder value. This is because it expands the view of the board both in terms of risks and opportunities. Increasing diversity at the governance level is good for business," Lianne Dalziel said.

ENDS

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