· 52.5% of people on public boards are women

· Greatest ever percentage of women

· Improved collection of ethnicity data

“Women’s representation on public sector boards and committees is now 52.5 percent, the highest ever level. The facts prove that diverse boards bring a wider range of knowledge, expertise and skill. Which of course can only be of benefit to the organisation the board is governing,” Minister for Women Jan Tinetti announced today, reporting on the statistics on membership of public sector boards and committees as at 31 December 2021.

“This Government is taking action to make Aotearoa a more equal society for all. Ensuring women’s voices are around the board tables of our public organisations is a crucial component. It also paves the way for more women to follow.

“Over 2021, I am pleased to see that 54.6% of new appointments were women.

“We have also received ethnicity data for 98.9 percent of board members, the highest number of ethnicity data that we’ve ever been able to collect.

“The results show gradual improvement in the diversity of our board members.

“Minister for Pacific Peoples Aupito William Sio and Minister for Diversity, Inclusion and Ethnic Communities Priyanca Radhakrishnan and I are committed to increasing ethnic diversity across all public sector boards and committees.

“Ensuring our organisations are representative of the communities they serve is critical to developing organisations to be the best they can be,” said Minister Tinetti.

“I’m heartened to see an increase in the ethnic diversity on boards and better collection of ethnicity data, and note that increasing the representation of people from our diverse ethnic communities remains a priority,” said Priyanca Radhakrishnan.

“We are one of the most ethnically diverse countries in the world and that diversity is a strength. We must ensure that our public sector boards are able to better serve the needs and aspirations of our ethnic communities that make up close to 20 percent of our total population.”

The stocktake of public sector boards and committees is undertaken annually by Manatū Wāhine Ministry for Women, as at 31 December each year. More than 2,600 appointed members serve on public sector boards. These include large SOEs, conservation boards, and community trusts.

The Stocktake of Gender, Māori, Pacific and Ethnic Diversity on public sector boards and committees, and access to the Ministry’s nominations service, can be found at www.women.govt.nz

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