Human Resources - Winter 2022 (Vol 27 No 2) - Bicultural HR

New Zealand’s Magazine for Human Resources Professionals

Bicultural HR The future of the Māori workforce is now Wellbeing of the Māori health workforce HRNZ's journey to bicultural HR practices

Winter 2022

Transforming HRM in Aotearoa Develop culturally responsive and equitable HRM practice to improve the employee experience for Māori in the workplace.

Nā tō rourou, nā taku rourou, Ka ora ai te iwi.

With your basket of knowledge, and my basket of knowledge, the people shall prosper.

3 day wānanga in Wellington 2 – 4 November Wharewaka Function Centre

BOOK NOW!

Earlybird Rates available now – save $$$ This wānanga aims to provide HR practitioners with an opportunity to develop their HR practice in a way that directly and intentionally benefits Māori employees, recognising Māori as Tāngata Whenua o Aotearoa and Treaty partners.

MANAGING EDITOR Kathy Catton Ph: 021 0650 959 Email: kathy.catton@hrnz.org.nz

From the editor I

’ve been editor of the Human Resources magazine for almost three years this winter, and it’s fair to say I’ve had the steepest learning curve producing this issue. Coming from a Western lens of HR, and working for over 10 years in HR in the UK, I have a new appreciation for Aotearoa: our country, our people and our uniqueness.

The Human Resources magazine’s theme for winter 2022 is bicultural HR. Research shows that organisations that incorporate Māori language and culture into their workplace benefit from improved cultural satisfaction and increased job satisfaction. More than that, with the transformation of HR practice in Aotearoa, we start to see workplaces that enhance the quality of life and wellbeing for all people. Humanising our work environment, whether that’s for Māori or non-Māori, has to be a good thing.

We look at the importance of the Māori workforce both now and in the future, and we investigate what two organisations have done on a practical level to integrate bicultural HR into their businesses. HRNZ is, of course, integral to this kōrero on bicultural HR transformation, so we look at what our organisation is doing by way of guiding principles for its members, and what support the organisation provides for those starting on this journey.

We also celebrate our HR superstars, with coverage of the HRNZ Awards, which took place on 17 May. A new addition to the Awards is the Mana Tāngata awards, which celebrate the emerging Māori leaders within organisations throughout Aotearoa.

I hope you get as much learning from these articles as I did in producing this magazine. Now, more than ever, is a time to celebrate our people.

He tāngata, he tāngata, he tāngata!

Warm wishes to you all!

Kathy Catton Managing Editor Kathy.Catton@hrnz.org.nz

ADVERTISING & SPONSORSHIP Steve Sheppard Ph: (04) 802 3954 Email: steve.sheppard@hrnz.org.nz DESIGN Selena Henry, Crux Design Ph: 022 417 6622 PROOFREADER Jenny Heine Email: jenny@heine.co.nz SUBSCRIPTION ENQUIRIES Email: comms@hrnz.org.nz

PUBLISHER Human Resources is published quarterly

by Human Resources New Zealand PO Box 11-450, Wellington Ph: 0800 247 469 comms@hrnz.org.nz hrnz.org.nz nz.linkedin.com/company/hrnz instagram.com/hrnzphotos The views expressed in Human Resources are not necessarily those of Human Resources New Zealand, nor does the advertisement of any product or service in this magazine imply endorsement of it by Human Resources New Zealand.

Copyright © Human Resources New Zealand Inc. Vol 27 No: 2

ISSN 1173–7522

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HRNZ Members can access

Free Tax & Legal Advice HRNZ understands that it’s not always easy to access professional advice when you need it.

To make life easier for our Members, Perks provides a complimentary Tax and Legal Advice Service for HRNZ members.

The service: • covers all areas of both personal and business matters • is supported by a nationwide network of lawyers and accountants • provides a reply within one working day.

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FROM THE HRNZ CHIEF EXECUTIVE

Top of mind T

his edition of the Human Resources magazine is dedicated to the topic of developing a bicultural approach to HR practice in Aotearoa New Zealand.

It’s a stream of work that HRNZ embarked on at the beginning of 2021 when we introduced a new professional development course entitled ‘Transforming HRM in Aotearoa’. This course, led by now Board member Karli Te Aotonga, is designed to create a collective movement around the incorporation of Māori cultural values into our practice of HR. Many New Zealand organisations are interested in taking this journey.

We’ve seen great examples of initiatives being taken in the submissions we’ve seen for our newly introduced Mana Tāngata Awards.

HRNZ is committed to supporting its members with this mahi and aims to provide tools, resources and case studies that can educate and inform.

In this edition of the magazine, you’ll find an explanation of the framework we’ve developed to guide our work in this area. The framework itself can be used by any organisation when thinking about its own path to greater biculturalism in the workplace.

What we know is that these days you can’t rely on looking over the fence and adopting someone else’s best

practice approach. We all have to take our own journey and be guided by appropriate principles to arrive at a bespoke solution that works for us and our people. What we also know is that it’s the quality of the journey and the way in which relationships are valued that ultimately affect the outcomes that are achieved.

Of course, this is true of any organisational development initiative.

better realising the potential of their Māori workforce.

Nick McKissack Chief Executive HRNZ Nick.McKissack@hrnz.org.nz

HRNZ is keen to see a greater representation of Māori in the HR profession. This will be critical to the evolution of HR practice in Aotearoa.

We’ve been fortunate to have the support of Te Puni Kōkiri throughout our journey to date, enabling us to offer sponsored placements on the Transforming HRM in Aotearoa programme. Employment is a key theme for Te Puni Kōkiri, as set out in its strategic intentions for 2020–24 – He Takunetanga Rautaki.

This includes a goal of “Influencing partner agencies to maintain labour market attachment and get more Māori into higher skilled jobs”.

HR professionals can be key enablers in achieving this goal within their respective organisations.

We hope this edition of the magazine provides inspiration for our members that supports their journey towards achieving more equitable outcomes for Māori in the workplace and

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In this issue 12

The future of the Māori workforce is now Jarrod Haar, Professor of HRM at AUT, asks what role the Māori economy plays, both now and in the future

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Wellbeing of the Māori health workforce Editor Kathy Catton summarises Karli Te Aotonga’s research and asks ‘where to from here?’

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Whakataukī guiding HRNZ journey towards bicultural HR practices Editor Kathy Catton investigates what HRNZ is doing to support the transformation to bicultural HR

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Whanaungatanga – community and connectivity Case studies on how two organisations are integrating tikanga Māori into their workplace

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Shaping the profession 1

From the Editor Kathy Catton

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Top of Mind Nick McKissack CEO HRNZ

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News Roundup The latest news to keep you up to date

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Sustainability A framework far from perfect – Bridget Williams, from Bead and Proceed, looks at how we can weave our own unique biculturalism into the UN Sustainability Development Goals

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Employment Law Update Pay equity does not address Pacific Pay Gap – Sianatu Lotoaso, Dundas Street Employment Lawyers, examines the pay disparities that exist for Pacific Islanders and asks what we can do about it

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HR Technology Technology at the forefront of meaningful change – Brian Donn, from Ceridian, looks at the data on DEI and asks what is needed to create purposeful change

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Diversity and Inclusion Understanding the DEI landscape – Aubrey Blanche, from Culture Amp, lays out the six global trends in the DEI space

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Immigration Law Update A tough road ahead – Rachael Mason, Lane Neave, looks at the likely brutal impact of the upcoming Accredited Employer Work Visa reset

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Case Law Review Far-reaching impacts – David Burton, from Cullen Law, highlights the growing recognition that tikanga Māori requires across our institutions and practices

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Research Update Creating a culturally safe workplace – Anna Earl and Jarrod Haar ask how we can grow a genuine sense of cultural safety, wellbeing and identity for the Māori workforce

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Am I Managing?

Natalie Barker, Southern Cross Health Insurance, shares her heart-warming insights into being a manager

People Powered Success 8

Books to inform and inspire Ruth Garside

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HRNZ Member profile Wiremu Tamaki shares his career highlights

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HRNZ Awards A night to celebrate – HR professionals gathered to celebrate the NZ HR Awards 2022

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Professional Development Spotlight Transforming HRM in Aotearoa Chris Stewart outlines how she’s integrated the learnings from this course into the workplace

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NEWS ROUNDUP

Introducing HRNZ's new President and Vice President

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RNZ’s National President and National Vice President – Denise Hartley-Wilkins and Lisa Oakley – have recently stepped down from the HRNZ Board. We thank them both for their amazing contribution to HRNZ and the profession. The Board has recently elected the people who have taken on these roles following last month's Awards ceremony. We’d like to thank and introduce Kavita Khanna, National President and Elena Calvert, National Vice President.

Kavita Khanna, CFHRNZ, has over two decades of experience in leadership roles,

having worked in professional services, construction and technology sectors in New Zealand and India.

In her current role as the Executive Leader, People + Workplace at Tonkin & Taylor, she is responsible for shaping the people strategy, looking after a range of functions, including People Technology, HR and HSW and leading complex, transformational projects for the business.

Elena Calvert, CMHRNZ, brings a valuable mix of experience from across the public, private and notfor-profit sectors, combining HR consulting, generalist and specialist

HR functions. She is currently the Recruitment Manager at the University of Otago, after spending time with Deloitte NZ and Mitre 10 MEGA Dunedin. Elena is a long-term member of the HRNZ Otago Branch committee and is passionate about delivering value to HRNZ members, no matter what part of the country they are based in. She has also been a strong advocate of continually investing in our engagement with students.

HRNZ member recognised in Insurance Business Elite Women 2022 list

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he inaugural Insurance Business Elite Women 2022 list has been released, and HRNZ Member and Southern Cross Health Society leader Vicki Caisley has been selected.

The list recognises the role that some of the industry’s top professionals have played in changing the status quo of a sector where men still dominate in many of the leadership roles.

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Vicki Caisley is the Chief People and Strategy Officer for Southern Cross Health Society and has led the organisation’s people and strategic planning function for nearly a decade.

Vicki says she’s proud to have her work featured in the Insurance Business Elite Women 2022 list.

“My job is all about ensuring we have the right operating model and culture to deliver on our strategy and that we’re with our employees in support of them living their healthiest lives,

so I’m very proud to be recognised in a list that celebrates those who are shaping a future for an insurance industry that’s more diverse,” she said.

The Insurance Business Elite Women 2022 list invited insurance professionals from around Aotearoa to nominate their exceptional female leaders. Those nominations included their standout professional achievements over the past year, as well as their contributions to diversity and inclusion in the insurance industry.

Matariki Public Holiday Bill has been passed

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he government has created a new public holiday for Aotearoa by passing the Te Ture mō te Hararei Tūmatanui o Te Kāhui o Matariki/Te Kāhui o Matariki Public Holiday Act. The Bill, Te Pire mō te Hararei Tūmatanui o Te Kāhui o Matariki/Te Kāhui o Matariki Public Holiday Bill, was only the fifth dual-language Bill to be introduced to our Parliament.

The first public holiday to celebrate Matariki will be on Friday 24 June 2022.

The government has committed to ensuring mātauranga Māori is at the heart of celebrations of the Matariki public holiday, and it will be a time for:

• remembrance – honouring those we have lost since the last rising of Matariki • celebrating the present – gathering together to give thanks for what we have • looking to the future – looking forward to the promise of a new year.

Government introduces fair pay agreement legislation into Parliament

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he Fair Pay Agreement system will bring together employers and unions within a sector to bargain for minimum terms and conditions for all employees in that industry or occupation.

The Bill proposes that employers and employees will be represented by bargaining parties: unions will represent employees, and employers will be represented by incorporated

societies, such as employer representative organisations.

This won’t require employees or employers to join those organisations to have a voice; non-members must be given opportunities to feed into bargaining strategies.

The proposed system will offer support for bargaining sides to help them navigate the bargaining process and reach an outcome, as well as

guidance and processes to resolve disputes and ensure compliance.

New Zealanders will soon have an opportunity to make submissions to comment on the Bill during the select committee process.

The Fair Pay Agreement system is expected to start shortly after the Bill has passed, which is anticipated to be at the end of 2022.

Support for SME teams on wellbeing

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hange and uncertainty can take their toll on a business and its people. Business.govt.nz, in association with Employment New Zealand and the Health Promotion Agency, has published a range of tools to help managers support their people.

The tools and resources can be found on business.govt.nz and cover topics such as ‘boss burnout’, how to support staff through personal challenges and the Five Ways to Wellbeing, as provided by the Mental Health Foundation.

The web page also lists practical tips and ideas for wellbeing practices to help team members find balance and boost wellbeing. Links are also included to managing workplace wellbeing during COVID-19 and minimising and managing workplace stress.

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BOOK REVIEW RUTH GARSIDE

Books to inform and inspire Help is at hand with timely resources for HR practitioners navigating transformational change initiatives and uncertainty. These three books provide valuable guidance.

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Hillman, H (2021) EM-PA-THY: The Human Side of Leadership.

Auckland, New Zealand: Bateman Books.

arold Hillman (Managing Director of Sigmoid Curve Consulting Group), based in Auckland, is a clinical psychologist and educator who coaches business leaders and executive teams.

In EM-PA-THY, Harold advances the case for a strong correlation between empathetic work cultures and tangible business outcomes with a focus on employee and customer engagement. His work builds on Daniel Goleman’s ‘Emotional Intelligence’ (EQ) model (1995), in which empathy is a core component.

He suggests that ‘empathy’ is “the ability to put yourself in another person’s shoes to understand why they think and feel the way they do” (p 4) and that where people believe they have been heard, they are more likely to follow, even if the management decision differs from what they preferred.

Readers may identify with scenarios in the ‘case stories’, which prompt 8

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the question, “Can empathy be learned?”. Harold believes it’s possible and explores various approaches in depth, from the complex to simple, for those looking for guidance in ‘Building your empathy toolkit’.

Alilovic, J (2021) Homeforce: Building a connected, engaged homebased team. Perth, Western Australia: 3D HR Legal Pty Ltd. Jo Alilovic (Director and founder of 3D HR Legal) is an employment lawyer who successfully built her own fully distributed ‘homeforce’ well before others were forced to work remotely due to COVID-19 lockdowns. Many business leaders who experienced tangible benefits from moving office-based work to remote work are now wondering if a transition could be effective long term and, if so, how it can best be achieved.

This timely e-guide considers the advantages and challenges in depth, underpinned by recent research. Jo points out that, while not all jobs can be home-based, some people cannot function effectively from home.

Solutions are suggested for challenges, and a framework for successful implementation is clearly identified, including the details of a ‘homeforce’ employment policy that covers a range of important factors.

Heazlewood, F (2022) Resilience

Recipes: Making space for wellbeing that works. Melbourne, Australia: Major Street Publishing.

Author Fleur Heazlewood delivers successful organisational culture transformations and employee wellbeing programmes as a corporate leader, educator, trainer and coach, based in Australia.

This short e-book provides easy to read, practical, evidence-based guidance that takes the reader on a self-paced journey to wellbeing.

It is packed with useful strategies to develop resilience skills aimed at increasing and sustaining wellbeing, particularly relevant in an environment of endless busyness and rising stress levels.

Three main ingredients: emotional agility, mental adaptability, optimising energy, are fully explored.

Fleur encourages active learning through guided reflection exercises to achieve the goal to “take back your control, prioritise self-care, plug the energy drains and boost the spring in your step with resilience” (p 166).

Ruth Garside, CFHRNZ, is passionate about HR, after a long career in HR and I/O psychology in the United Kingdom and New Zealand as a practitioner, OD consultant, lecturer and researcher. Although retired, she still keeps up to date with employment law and HR initiatives relevant to today’s work environment.

ENQUIRE NOW! Steve Mooney Membership Manager steve.mooney@hrnz.org.nz

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HRNZ MEMBER PROFILE WIREMU TAMAKI

HRNZ member profile Human Resources magazine caught up with Wiremu Tamaki, Acting HR Manager for Te Rūnanga o Toa Rangatira, the mandated iwi authority for Ngāti Toa Rangatira and the administrative body of iwi estates and assets. We asked him about his career and his thoughts on the role of HR in Aotearoa today.

What are the highlights of your career to date?

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y career at the moment is all about enhancing the mana, wellbeing and prosperity of Ngāti Toa Rangatira and its 8,430 registered iwi members. We aim to give our best services to the communities we serve, so I guess everything has been a highlight for me! It’s very enriching to work in this space and for an organisation that is focused in this way. It’s heart-warming knowing you’re making an impact on someone’s life. I have also worked in HR for Stats NZ and, more recently, at Te Taura Whiri i te Reo Māori (Māori Language Commission).

I’ve been doing HR roles for over 25 years, and I see the role of HR being all about serving the people who serve the people. Supporting and unlocking the potential of our kaimahi (staff) to be at their best to support and serve others.

What inspires and motivates you in your career and why?

Making an impact in someone’s life to realise their potential. Sounds 10

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cliché, but, in the spaces I move in, it’s a reality and that inspires and motivates me in my career. Here at the Rūnanga our kaimahi serve our communities to enhance the mana, wellbeing and prosperity of our people. The organisation provides a wide range of services from education, employment, housing, social and health services to support these. I get the opportunity to wrap around my team to unleash their potential and others’ so that they can unleash the potential in the community. That inspires me every day.

What do you see as the challenges facing the industry right now?

When you mention HR, you get that, “ahh, you’re in HR” and you might get that awkward look! Then you get that, okay, HR! You’re not sure if the other fella is with you or not!

Anyhow, historically, HR has been viewed as being about compliance.

However, we’re much more than that. I think the challenge will be to ensure that, as an HR practitioner, we not only understand our business but the wider environment we operate in. Here at the Rūnanga, many of the people we work with are also our whānau, hapū and iwi. So, our relationship extends beyond clocking out at the end of the day from our mahi. Our relationship extends to our homes, our marae, our pā. And, as such, it has to be tight. This isn’t a 24/7 operation. It’s everyday life linked by whakapapa and ancestral history. So, again, the challenge is to understand our wider environment

and ensure that whatever we do, we don’t whakaiti the mana of those in our spaces or bring disrespect or hurt into these spaces. We use our shared understanding of our tikanga to ensure we’re pono and tika to one another and keep our relationships tight. If the relationships are not going so well, we refer to our tikanga and work it through.

How has HRNZ membership helped you fast-track your career?

I’ve only recently joined me and my whole team up to HRNZ. Three of my team have already attended the HR Foundations course, and they absolutely loved it. It was great for them to get a solid overview of the many parts of human resources and to be able to bring that back to our whare.

Anything else you think our readers would find interesting?

I’ve learned all that I know from our ancestors and, in my HR career, from some very wise people with great wisdom. When I was at the Te Taura Whiri i te Reo Māori (Māori Language Commission), we had the goal of wanting 1 million people speaking te reo Māori by 2040, and the uptake of the language has been huge. It is great to see this groundswell of change happening in Aotearoa. I’m hopeful we can see a similar transformation in the integration of Māori values into other workplaces in the coming years. The possibilities are endless.

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TIKANGA MĀORI AND HRM JARROD HAAR

The future of the Māori workforce is now What will the Aotearoa New Zealand workforce be like in the future? What role does the Māori economy play? And, specifically, what employment and HR approaches can help the Māori workforce? Professor Jarrod Haar from Auckland University of Technology seeks to provide some answers.

He aha te mea nui o te Ao? He tāngata, he tāngata, he tāngata.

What is the most important thing in the world? It is people, it is people, it is people.

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he above whakatauki (or proverb) highlights the importance, the critical and central role of people to te ao Māori (Māori worldview).

This whakatoki is more complex than simply referring to the importance of people or employees (in our HR context). It highlights the importance of organisations and leaders in their role of sheltering people until they grow and become strong. That is

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a useful analogy to Māori in the workforce of Aotearoa.

It must be acknowledged that serious issues still exist around discrimination and racism in the workplace.

Work for Māori

In Aotearoa, Māori presently make up over 17 per cent of the population, although only 14 per cent of the workforce. Māori, and other minority groups like Pacific peoples, have a higher birth rate than New Zealand Europeans, and population growth in Aotearoa will include more Māori. Indeed, as we move into the middle of the 21st century, the Māori workforce will grow considerably.

We have empirical evidence showing that Māori experiences from work can be radically different from non-Māori. Indeed, some of these effects, including the beneficial nature of self-esteem built from work, are impressively higher than for New Zealand Europeans. This includes job satisfaction, which is a strong predictor of retention and job performance.

So, why might Māori have different effects from their work experiences? Well, unique cultural values might account for some of these differences, including a more collectivistic ideology (‘we’ versus ‘I’), the role of whānau and the importance of whakapapa (genealogy). However, not all workplace challenges for Māori are positive.

Challenges to a successful and fruitful future

It must be acknowledged that serious issues still exist around discrimination and racism in the workplace.

Managers and organisations are encouraged to explore these and take remedial steps. Such experiences do drive Māori from the workplace.

Beyond being a good employer and meeting HR law, the retention of skilled and rare workers is important and valuable for both employee and employer. But there are specific cultural challenges too. Aronga takirua refers to the cultural doubleshift, and while the original study focused on a Māori scientist doing a double duty in their work roles, these findings resonated with other groups, including media and lawyers.

So, Māori in the workplace might be under unique pressures to provide cultural guidance while also performing their 9 to 5 job!

Returning to the whakatoki above, organisations in Aotearoa need to support these cultural pressures far better. This might include greater job sizing of cultural roles and paying extra for the cultural skills of Māori staff, especially when these roles might occur outside their normal jobs.

Case for improvement

So, why do managers and organisations need to do better for Māori? Well, there are equity and equality obligations from Te Tiriti o Waitangi (the Treaty of Waitangi), and we know Māori suffer wellbeing deficiencies, such as poorer mental health. HR law highlights the importance of addressing stressful workplace factors (eg, discrimination, aronga takirua), and so there is legislative encouragement to address these challenges.

Māori are also more likely to be low skilled, and when they are highly skilled, they are less likely to be paid as well and promoted, including in leadership positions. Even in the context of Aotearoa having the lowest unemployment rate in history and

a tight labour market, Māori are disadvantaged. For example, the unemployment rate for the quarter ending March 2022 is 3.0 per cent for New Zealand Europeans but 6.3 per cent for Māori. This should be of particular concern to HR managers in Aotearoa. To contextualise, despite making up 14 per cent of the workforce, Māori represent only 5 per cent of the research, science and innovation workforce. This highlights a critical issue that will require a multigenerational focus to address. If we want Māori to be a genuine partner in the Aotearoa workplace, then organisations will have to make a greater effort.

Solutions

So, how can we get the best out of the labour market that creates equality for the Māori workforce?

One suggestion was the steps taken by an Auckland district health board around the recruitment of Māori (and Pacific) employees, where they automatically interviewed candidates who had the required set of skills. They provided feedback to unsuccessful candidates, including insight into their CV and interview techniques to help their development.

This approach led to a significant increase in Māori and Pacific employees gaining employment.

This provides a true way that he tāngata, he tāngata, he tāngata can be facilitated and realised in Aotearoa. Like most HR approaches, this is an additional requirement, but organisations wanting to play a vital role in the development of Aotearoa and the future workforce are strongly encouraged to embrace a more positive approach to the Māori workforce. Such actions are also likely to make these employers more desirable to work for.

Benefit to all

This is important because the Māori economy has provided growing interest and support for Māori development. While a recent valuation puts the Māori economy asset base at $68.7 billion, it is important to acknowledge that, while this is positive, as a proportion of assets in all Aotearoa, this is less than the 17 per cent that Māori make up in the Aotearoa population and still less than the 14 per cent of Māori in the workplace.

So, while currently a great achievement, this represents a much lower proportion than that held by New Zealand Europeans. Universally, WINTER 2022

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we must understand that when the situation of minority groups is improved, then this benefits the whole of society.

Finally, recent research has shown that some Aotearoa organisations are beginning to provide culturally aligned HR practices. These were found to help both wellbeing and work outcomes, including retention.

Embracing a more te ao Māori approach to work and culture in the workplace is likely to improve the recruitment and retention of Aotearoa organisations and the Māori workforce.

The research found that these HR practices that target Māori employees and their cultural beliefs are simply more aligned to Māori cultural values. Specifically, the practices identified, and a useful starting place for organisations, are as follows.

• Recognising the contribution of employees’ whānau in the workplace. Bringing whānau into the workplace reiterates a

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wider collective nature, which can cement important ties between the employee, their whānau and the organisation.

• Encouraging manākitanga (caring, support) between Māori staff and customers. Encouraging interactions between Māori staff and customers or clients is likely to provide a more culturally appropriate work experience for Māori staff but also a more valued experience for customers.

• Encouraging Māori staff to develop strong relationships (whakawhanaungatanga).

Organisations are encouraged to help Māori staff to get a chance to know their organisational workmates and co-workers more.

This might help break down barriers and benefit all staff. But for Māori, the cultural importance of whakawhanaungatanga is critical and should be encouraged.

• Using te reo Māori (Māori language) in the workplace should be encouraged. Other research has shown this benefits Māori employees’ perceptions of their organisation but similarly for non-Māori. As an official language of Aotearoa, it also makes sense to normalise and encourage te reo.

• Appropriately using tikanga Māori (Māori customs), which is related to use of te reo Māori, is also encouraged. This might include appropriate blessings (karakia), powhiri (welcoming ceremony) and so on. Related to the earlier warnings around aronga takirua, it is important that Māori staff are simply not ‘shoulder tapped’ to run such activities. They are likely to want to be involved but may suggest more appropriate expertise, such as a kaumatua (elder). Providing appropriate koha (gift) also reinforces a tikanga Māori approach.

• Applying work and associated recognition in a more collective sense. Aligned with the collectivistic values of Māori, organisations might want to apply work and associated recognition in a more collective sense, such as teamwork over individual work.

That said, high-performance teams are typically more beneficial for all workers, so, again, this shouldn’t be viewed as ‘only for Māori staff’. This might appeal to many workers.

• Developing tino rangatiratanga (self-determination). Finally, organisations might use their HR practices to develop tino rangatiratanga of Māori staff.

This might include selecting work projects – especially those with Māori – but also around the use of te reo Māori and tikanga Māori in the organisation. It might include engaging Māori staff for career advice, promotion and recruitment ideas.

…the unemployment rate for the quarter ending March 2022 is 3.0 per cent for New Zealand Europeans but 6.3 per cent for Māori. This should be of particular concern to HR managers in Aotearoa.

Organisations in Aotearoa are encouraged to recognise that these Māori-centric approaches to HR, while likely to benefit Māori employees, might also apply beneficially to other people in the workforce. Pacific employees are more likely to be similarly collectivistic, and evidence shows elements of te reo and tikanga can be positively received by non-Māori.

As the workforce of Aotearoa grows, it would be wonderful to see organisations embracing a te ao Māori approach to work, to the workforce and to the planet. The

future will see more and more Māori in the workplace, with that 14 per cent rate growing rapidly. Workplaces that support he tāngata – and especially Māori – are likely to help create a prosperous Aotearoa society that will benefit all.

Jarrod Haar (PhD) is a Professor of Human Resource Management in the Department of Management at Auckland University of Technology, and has tribal affiliations of Ngati Maniapoto and Ngati Mahuta.

His research approach spans a wide range of management topics, but with a strong focus on human resource management and organisational behaviour. In particular: (1) how employees manage their work, family and life roles such as work–life balance; (2) the role of cultural factors in the workplace (especially for Māori) and mātauranga Māori in business; (3) team functioning and its influence on team member wellbeing and job outcomes; (4) leadership and its influence on followers; and (5) innovation and entrepreneurship.

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HRNZ AWARDS

A night to celebrate Over 400 leading HR professionals gathered at the 2022 NZ HR Awards in May to celebrate the outstanding Human Resources professionals and organisations leading meaningful change and best practice across Aotearoa. We profile the winners here.

N

ow in its 23rd year, the NZ HR Awards, organised by Human Resources New Zealand, in association with Principal Partner MAS, recognise excellence and outstanding achievement within New Zealand’s HR community.

Congratulations to all those who submitted entries and to all our finalists and Award winners.

Māori welcome performed by Haka the Legend

Finalists, sponsors, fellow HR professionals and their guests experienced a fantastic night of networking and celebration, reconnecting after the lockdowns and restrictions that made the past year so challenging.

As part of HRNZ’s commitment to championing bicultural HR best practice, two Mana Tāngata Māori Awards were launched. These awards recognise the important work going on around the country with integrating tikanga Māori and te reo Māori in workplaces.

Opening Speech – Huma Houghton, MAS 16

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HRNZ thanks valued sponsors MAS (Principal Partner), Aims Global,

Alex Hagan, Complete Learning Solutions, MyHR, Open Polytechnic, Southern Cross and Strategic Pay. HRNZ Chief Executive Nick McKissack summarised the special feeling on the night, saying, “2021 was another challenging year, where HR professionals were once again at the forefront of compliance and change activities, as we navigated the various COVID-19 restrictions.

Tonight was a celebration of the people and organisations making a real difference championing everything from wellbeing to inclusivity to strategic leadership.”

HR Person of the Year

The HR Person of the Year Award is selected from one of the individual award winners, based on the most impactful contribution to the HR industry in Aotearoa.

HR Person of the Year – Melissa Crawford, Vector

Supreme Award – Bank of New Zealand

It was a special night for Melissa Crawford, from Vector, who won the Leadership Award and was awarded the supreme HR Person of the Year award (which is selected from the individual award winners).

Melissa brings a culture of kindness, growth and valuing people, making their working experience easier through the use of effective technologies.

She is described as a ‘new guard’ thinker who respects and evolves ‘old guard’ skills and experience to ensure success for individuals, teams and the business.

Supreme Winner

The Bank of New Zealand’s (BNZ’s) Te Hōkaitanga won the inaugural HRNZ Supreme Award for showing the greatest overall leadership in human resources practice. The programme, Lifetime Achievement Award – Paul Toulson

which focuses on exploring and evolving leadership capability through a Māori lens, produced many quick wins. While originally thought to be a longer-term goal, BNZ has been able to rapidly accelerate career progression, organisational transformation and culture change through strategic and thoughtful programme design.

Lifetime Achievement Award

The Lifetime Achievement Award was presented to Associate Professor Paul Toulson DistFHRNZ. A registered psychologist by training, Assoc Prof Toulson has worked as an HRM academic for over 36 years at Massey University. Paul was HRNZ National President from 1997 to 1999, is a long-standing member of the HRNZ Academic Branch, and has been involved with the Manawatū Branch Committee. Paul was also the founding Editor of the New Zealand Journal of Human Resources Management, which he continues to contribute to as an Editorial Review Board Member. A true gentleman

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in every sense of the word, Paul’s contribution to the HR industry across Aotearoa is simply exceptional.

Individual Award Winners

The Individual Awards recognise the contributions of leading HR professionals across Aotearoa, making a meaningful difference, championing change and leading HR best practice. Congratulations to all the deserving winners and finalists.

As well as being academically exceptional, HR Student of the Year Award winner Amy Raine (University of Auckland) is already making a meaningful impact, mentoring fellow HR students, and serving as a student representative while studying. Amy worked part-time while studying, as HR Coordinator for The Strand Veterinarian, where she recently got promoted to Practice Manager.

Having left school at 15, Emerging HR Practitioner of the Year winner Abbigail Surridge (Blue River Dairy) spent the past three years learning the foundation and fundamentals of HR: self-taught by reading, watching videos and podcasts and reflecting.

Abbigail was a vital member of the team that helped Blue River Dairy achieve Visa Accreditation through immigration. Then, in September last year, Abbigail gained Chartered Member accreditation, a great achievement that demonstrates her passion for and total commitment to the human resources profession.

HR Professional of the Year, Danni Williams (PwC) is a career HR professional, with expertise in the future of work, strategic and operational HR practice, employment relations, and change. Following an impressive employment history in strategic HR roles across government, health and the recruitment industry, Danni accepted a role as Director, People and Organisation Consulting with PwC. As well as ‘market and client’ work, Danni has made a huge contribution to the HR industry with her consulting about people and organisation practice development and people development. A staunch advocate of remote working, Danni is a pragmatic and enthusiastic HR professional who sees opportunity and acts.

Leadership Award winner Melissa Crawford (Vector) has held senior leadership roles over the past 18 years at leading organisations across Aotearoa, including Air New Zealand, BNZ, Fonterra, The Warehouse Group, Countdown, Auckland University of Technology, ASB Bank and Vector.

Melissa has had remarkable success leading the development of Vector’s highly effective Employee Experience Agile workstream, while providing leadership on strategies to prepare the workforce for the future of work by optimising future tech and human potential. A strong advocate for human-centred design and people development, Melissa is a staunch

Mana Tāngata Emerging Māori HR Award – Alexis Cameron, Te Toka Tumai 18

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promoter of kindness, caring and fun in the workplace.

Mana Tāngata Award Winners

The new Mana Tāngata Māori HR Awards recognise individuals or organisations starting the journey to incorporate bicultural HR practices (Emerging Awards) and those demonstrating excellence in the enactment of tikanga Māori-based HR practice (Leadership Award).

Alexis Cameron (Te Toka Tumai – Auckland District Health Board) took out the inaugural Emerging Māori HR Award.

Alexis (Ngāti Porou, Ngati Hāmoa), a physiotherapist by profession, works tirelessly across the health and education sectors to dismantle institutional racism, eliminate inequities and build culturally safe practices. Their Rangatahi Māori and Pacific workforce development programme was effectively designed and implemented to promote health careers to secondary school students, in a bid to increase the number of Māori and Pacific health professionals, to better reflect the communities they serve.

Downer New Zealand took out the inaugural Leadership Māori HR Award on the back of its Te Ara Whanake leadership programme.

In 2014, Downer recognised that, while Māori made up 24 per cent of its workforce, representation in

Mana Tāngata Leader Māori HR Award – Downer New Zealand

leadership roles was poor. So, it deliberately set out to change this by creating an environment where Māori culture is recognised and celebrated. Their Te Ara Whanake has resulted in nine out of the fifteen pilot participants being promoted within six months of completing the programme.

Organisational Award Winners

The Organisational Awards recognise the contributions of leading HR teams and organisations across Aotearoa, making a meaningful difference, championing change and leading HR best practice.

Congratulations to all the deserving winners and finalists.

Within a short amount of time, Diversity and Inclusion Award winner, the Bank of New Zealand has been able to achieve significant outcomes through Te Hōkaitanga, BNZ’s Māori leadership programme. This programme was created with the intent to accelerate the development and representation of Māori in leadership positions and build a strong pipeline of Māori talent to live their mātāpono (values), honour Te Tiriti o Waitangi and futureproof BNZ as an employer and achieve its strategic ambition of being ‘The Bank for Māori’.

Far North District Council won the new Future of Work Award.

A wellbeing pulse check during the first 2020 COVID-19 lockdown was the ‘pebble-in-the-pond’ that led to changing their entire operating model, moving from a heavy commuter and highly officebased organisation to a smart and digitally enabled workforce where employees choose the workplace that fits their personal and domestic circumstances. A staff survey one year later (in June 2021) showed a profound improvement in the wellbeing and resilience of their people, with seven times as many

people reporting improved wellbeing for everyone reporting a decline.

NZ Health Partnerships (NZHP) took out the HR Innovation Award for its bespoke ‘Package by Design’ employee reward and remuneration package system. By offering Package by Design, NZHP has been successful in appointing senior leaders and subject matter experts and specialists.

These appointments would have been almost impossible due to competitive rates and commission structures characteristic of these roles in the private sector.

Mitre 10 New Zealand Limited (Mitre 10) was awarded the Learning and Development Capability Award for its ‘with our people’ focus to its new brand promise, “With you all the way”. In the past, they delivered customer service programmes for their people and to their people. This time it needed to be with their people. This culture shift created a programme that stores could own and drive, to build both a capability uplift and cultural shift across the business.

Southern Cross Health Insurance won the Organisational Change and Development Award for its ‘Enabling our organisational agility’ initiative. They embarked on an eightweek journey, immediately employing agile principles by working in short bursts of four x two-week sprints to create a roadmap for improving organisational agility. By December 2020, they had completely remodelled the entire organisation to enable organisational agility.

Throughout the process, they fostered cultural conditions that would ensure their operating model supported their people to deliver the outcomes they work so passionately to achieve.

Ryman Healthcare’s ‘Pioneers Wanted’ programme won it the Talent Acquisition Award. Talent shortages meant Ryman Healthcare’s talent attraction methods needed

to cut through the noise of a busy market and highlight Ryman as an employer of choice. The ‘Pioneers Wanted’ programme resulted in their attractiveness and awareness both increasing, compared with the year before, in results of the Randstad Employer Brand Research in 2021.

The HR Technology Award was awarded to McDonald’s Restaurants NZ Ltd (McDonald’s) for their use of Maxtel Software to create a seamless experience for employees at all levels. The Maxtel WorkBuddy app, SmartClock and Shift Management apps enabled shift managers to focus on what is happening in the restaurant and collaborate with the team to run a successful shift to ensure consistently high-quality food and service is experienced by their customers, rather than focusing on timekeeping and records admin.

FirstGas Limited took out the Wellness Programme Award for its TIGER (Together, Integrity, Grow, Empower, Respect) programme. This initiative has given staff confidence that FirstGas is a place where people care for one another and where wellbeing is a priority, and they have observed a real groundswell of pride in the organisation because of the programme. Their continuous listening survey showed an average 8.4/10 employee score for wellbeing.

This included 9.4/10 rating for ‘I feel safe at work’ and a 9.2/10 rating for ‘Someone at work cares about my wellbeing’.

The HRNZ Branch of the Year was awarded to the Otago Branch.

This award recognises the HRNZ Branch that has contributed the most to championing the HR profession in their region, through networking and learning and development opportunities. Judging criteria were based on several factors, including membership growth, event growth and number of average events per month. Weighing all these factors, Otago Branch has deservedly won the HRNZ Branch of the Year Award.

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TIKANGA MĀORI AND HRM

Whakataukī guiding HRNZ journey towards bicultural HR practices The need and desire are growing to create change to embrace more bicultural HR practices in Aotearoa. Kathy Catton investigates what HRNZ is doing to support this transformation with Māori for their members and organisations.

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esearch has shown that organisations that include tikanga Māori and te reo Māori in their workplace benefit from improved cultural satisfaction and increased job satisfaction. But we also know barriers exist for many organisations wanting to integrate te reo me ngā tikanga Māori into their daily business.

HRNZ, as the professional body for HR practitioners, wants to support its members by highlighting the importance of this work. With its members, HRNZ is seeking to codesign solutions to help remove the barriers that prevent the necessary shift in behaviour and culture within businesses. It is committed to supporting the development of culturally responsive and equitable practices and tools and resources that inspire better workplaces for Māori and all Aotearoa.

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So the organisation set about looking to understand the current state of bicultural HR practices. What do they look like in practice today and what do we want them to look like in the future? What is working well and who is doing it?

Working together

HRNZ knew it needed to partner with Māori to shape and deliver this work.

Karli Te Aotonga, CMHRNZ, was integral to this work. Karli sits on the HRNZ Board and is committed to the kaupapa of transformational change and culture within all workplaces of Aotearoa, with the intent to enhance

the quality of life and wellbeing for all people.

HRNZ is committed to the kaupapa of transformational change and culture within all workplaces of Aotearoa, with the intent to enhance the quality of life and wellbeing for all people.

Lorna Goodwin (Rongowhakaata), Project Manager, was engaged by HRNZ to support this significant piece of work. Lorna has worked for over 20 years in the Māori space; with

and for whānau Māori in various programmes of work. Amy Clarke, HRNZ’s Manager of Professional Standards and Development, and Nick McKissack, Chief Executive of HRNZ, are also heavily involved in this work.

“It’s a journey. We needed a starting point, so we decided to look internally at the work HRNZ is doing and then share this externally,” says Lorna. “We needed to create some guiding principles to support ourselves and others while on this journey. So we used whakataukī to ground this mahi. There was a huge element of discovery in this work, and we needed a test for all the strands of mahi, making sure we were staying on the right pathway.”

HRNZ acknowledges that some HR practices are not fit for purpose for Māori. HRNZ also believes that, to advance this mahi, identifying and designing meaningful solutions must be led by, with and for Māori, to retain cultural integrity and authenticity.

What emerged were three guiding principles, grounded in whakataukī, that continue to inform continuous strands of work the organisation is committed to. HRNZ partnered with a Māori graphic designer, Māui Taewa, to help enrich the story and kōrero.

Our guiding principles for the journey

Here are the whakataukī that have been applied.

“This is about acknowledging that some of our current or old HR practices no longer serve our people,” says Lorna. “In any change, we need to take an honest look at what works and what doesn’t and be courageous in letting this stuff go to move forward to a better place.”

“The two panels represent change likened to a day’s cycle, day and night – the tides that come in and go back out to the sea,” explains Māui.

“The koru patterns depicted shows movement but also references to the ururoa or the hammerhead shark, known for its ability to be powerful and sharp. The spirals represent the waves of the sea, forever moving and changing. I have used two colours to help reflect change, alternating so one is different from the other.”

Principle 1:

Tūngia te ururoa kia tupu whakaritorito te tutū o te harakeke.

• •

Set the overgrown bush alight, and the new flax shoots will spring up.

Clear the undergrowth so that the new shoots can grow.

To change, we will need to leave some ways behind.

Principle 2:

Ehara taku toa i te toa takitahi, ēngari he toa takitini.

• •

My strength is not as an individual, but as a collective!

Mahi Tahi me te Kotahitanga.

Uniting our collective vision and approach as HR professionals.

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“This principle is about collectivism,” explains Lorna. “It’s about collectivising, as this is not the work of one individual. It’s about building a mass of people and uniting us in that collective vision.”

“This pattern represents leadership and its followers,” says Māui. “The centre pattern with the colour red is the mangopare motif representing the hammerhead shark. Briefly explained earlier, the hammerhead shark is considered to depict strength, power, a fighter hence the word toa used in the proverb. Toa is a warrior or chief and likened to the hammerhead for its ability to not give up and also to lead his people. The supporting patterns are also mangopare but only showing half, perhaps the people supporting their leader, their kaitiaki and manaakitanga.”

“A lot of our HR practices are based on Eurocentric practices that don’t necessarily fit here in Aotearoa,” says Lorna. “There is an immediate benefit for Māori, and there is a bigger benefit for all of Aotearoa in doing this mahi.”

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Principle 3:

Whiria te tangata.

•

Weave the people together.

Embrace our uniqueness and weave them together for the benefit of Aotearoa.

“Based on the stories around Tāne Mahuta, the god of the forests and birds, this design depicts the story about Tāne when he climbed the heavens to obtain ngā kete o te wānanga – kete tuauri, kete tuatea, kete aronui. He was met by his jealous brother, Whiro who made his ascent difficult and challenging,” says Māui. “So, by using the weave design, this could depict the kete and the three strands. The two interlocking spirals represent the parents Ranginui, the sky father and Papatūānuku, the earth mother.

Although Tāne eventually separated his parents, we still remember the origins, the genesis where they were once together.”

It’s about people and their wellbeing. We’re doing this for our people.

Developing the next steps

HRNZ knows the HR profession is currently predominantly represented by non-Māori women, and few Māori hold leadership positions within the HR profession. This is not reflective of the overall population or the workforce within Aotearoa. So scope exists for increasing the presence of Māori in the profession and in HRNZ membership. The desire is for more Māori working in the industry and more Māori members within HRNZ.

HRNZ also recognises this is a complex space and doesn’t underestimate the changes and shifts that need to be undertaken by businesses and organisations.

As Lorna states, “An organisation’s mindset, environment and ‘maturity’ are highly influential in how it can transform into a bicultural space.

It is critical that HRNZ works with organisations to develop bespoke solutions that are in keeping with their organisation and their journey to achieving biculturalism; whatever that looks like for them.”

While this programme of work is still in its early stages, suggested actions for HRNZ are:

Transforming HRM actions HRNZ is committed to continuing this work and the various actions and tasks to progress it. For example, mapping out the whole employee experience and highlighting the pain points where intervention is required, running focus groups to understand who is already transforming, telling more stories, and capturing narratives to seek to change hearts and minds.

The overarching emphasis is to humanise the HR profession, whether that’s for Māori or tauiwi. “It’s about people and their wellbeing.

We’re doing this for our people,” says Lorna.

Tuakana–Teina model for HRNZ mentoring programme: The move to a more horizontal model is more in keeping with Māori values. This is, both parties have something to give and both parties have something to benefit from. In a learning environment, the tuakana–teina roles may be reversed at any time. HRNZ mentoring programme

Transforming HRM in Aotearoa programme: Now in its third year of delivery, this wānanga focuses on how HR professionals can develop their HR practices in a way that directly and intentionally benefits Māori employees, recognising Māori as tangata whenua o Aotearoa and Treaty partners. Upcoming workshops are happening in Wellington from 6 to 8 July and 2 to 4 November.

For more information on this course, click here Transforming HRM in Aotearoa HRNZ or read more in PD Spotlight

HRNZ’s HR guides: The 26 HR guides are currently being reviewed and refreshed to ensure the material is culturally appropriate and affirming for all of our members.

Watch this space because they are to be relaunched soon.

Lorna’s advice to HR professionals thinking about embarking on this journey towards achieving bicultural HR: • It’s a journey, and it’s okay to just be at the start of the journey.

• We can’t do the work alone.

Lean on other people to share learnings, knowledge and stories of what works well.

• Be courageous and tenacious.

• Challenge your HR processes and tasks. Ask why you do, what we do, when we do them.

• Remember that moving toward a more inclusive and bicultural HRM practice will have massive benefits.

Pai tū, pai hinga. Nawai ra ka oti.

It’s good to stand, It’s ok to fall. Continue on and eventually the mahi will be completed.

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SUSTAINABILITY BRIDGET WILLIAMS

A framework far from perfect Bridget Williams from Bead & Proceed looks at how we can weave our own unique biculturalism into the UN Sustainable Development Goals.

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t’s hard not to love the 17 UN Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). However, this framework is far from perfect. At a glance, you’ll see a coherent numbered grid of bright colours and ambitious targets but look a little closer, and you’ll notice next to no mention is made of indigenous and first-nation perspectives, despite sustainability being a founding and fundamental practice by indigenous cultures.

The closest mention is under SDG 11, target 11.4 “Strengthen efforts to protect and safeguard the world’s cultural and natural heritage”. Several arguments exist for this lack of mention concerning indigenous culture.

1. Because the SDGs are a global framework, it needs to be applied and spread across all UN member states. This universal application may not be appropriate when each state has unique and different first-nation cultures, or different cultures in general. For example, how would it be appropriate for Geneva to 24

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decide how te ao Māori should action sustainability?

2. The SDGs speak a global language, so it takes a highlevel international view. The accountability to localise the SDGs lies on each state, organisation, business, government and individual, because the SDGs are owned by everyone.

3. Some argue SDG 10: Reduced Inequalities captures the collective of all perfectives, indigenous or otherwise, because target 10.2 states, “By 2030, empower and promote the social, economic and political inclusion of all, irrespective of age, sex, disability, race, ethnicity, religion or economic or other status”.

4. It’s up to each state to authentically practice SDG 17: Partnerships for the Goals and partner with the indigenous people to action the framework.

For Aotearoa New Zealand, this is recognising we are a bicultural nation and are weaving the principles of Te Tiriti o Waitangi throughout the SDGs. Partnering with tangata whenua is fundamental to ensuring we build in mātauranga Māori, encouraging inclusive, sustainable practices and, as Agenda 2030 highlights, “to leave no one behind”.

I do believe there is power in singling out a global issue and making it a stand-alone goal. For example, SDG 5: Gender Equality was an extension of SDG 10: Reduced Inequalities, for this very reason.

By making gender equality an isolated goal, it underscores the need to action it. I believe the same thinking should be applied to the inclusion, celebration and protection of those who are indigenous and first-nation.

As humans, we’re constantly learning and evolving and so too are the frameworks we create. For example, the SDGs were born out of the learnings from the Millennium Development Goals, so I’m sure we will see another framework post2030, one that will take into account the lessons learnt throughout this 15-year undertaking.

Bridget Williams is the founder of the social enterprise, Bead & Proceed, which exists to educate people about the 17 UN SDGs and inspire action towards them. Her passion for sustainability and using creativity as a tool for innovation has made her a recognised SDGs expert, assisting organisations with sustainable strategy and SDG reporting. Bridget is a selected World Economic Forum Global Shaper and member of the Asia New Zealand Foundation Leadership Network, which has led her to become a creditable global change maker. Her efforts have been recognised and endorsed by the Rt Hon Helen Clark and the JCI Osaka Outstanding Young Person’s Programme.

Gain Recognition as a Leading HR Professional

HRNZ is committed to promoting the highest levels of professionalism in Human Resources practice, through professional accreditation.

Benefits of Professional Accreditation • • •

Professional accreditation demonstrates your commitment to professional, ethical practice. It positions you as a leading HR Professional. It is an ideal way to showcase professional achievements and career-long development.

HRNZ supports HR Professionals in New Zealand to achieve recognised standards of excellence and competence in HR practice through accreditation.

Support your HR team members to develop their capabilities and achieve a portable and nationally recognised standard of competence in HR.

Which accreditation is right for you Early career HR professionals – HRNZ’s new Emerging Professional Member accreditation is the ideal accreditation for you right now. It signals to employers and your colleagues that you are committed to pursuing HR as a career. For more information and how to apply, please visit hrnz.org.nz/emerging.

Experienced HR professionals – gain the recognition you deserve for your competency and professionalism with Chartered Membership accreditation. Chartered Members are champions of the HR profession in New Zealand. Download the Chartered Membership information booklet and for more information please visit hrnz.org.nz/getchartered.

Recently Accredited Members Emerging Professional Members 2022 Hannah Cosgrove

Auckland

17 March 2023

Amanda Haynes

Queenstown

9 March 2022

Chartered Members 2022 Sarah Tong

Auckland

16 May 2022

Celena Harry

Auckland

3 May 2022

Meredith MacKenzie

Waikato

19 April 2022

Thomas Dodd

Auckland

12 April 2022

Deidra O’Shea

Canterbury

28 March 2022

Nicole Ross

Otago

24 March 2022

Melissa Wood

Taranaki

24 March 2022

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TIKANGA MĀORI AND HRM

Wellbeing of the Māori health workforce Karli Te Aotonga completed her Master’s research in 2020, asking, “How does HRM impact the wellbeing of the Māori health workforce?”.

Human Resources magazine summarises her findings and discusses where to go from here.

A

s HR professionals, we are becoming increasingly aware that different cultural contexts are at play within the organisations we serve. These cultural contexts, including te reo Māori and tikanga Māori, intersect with a predominantly Western-centric view of employment law, policy and procedures on a daily basis in Aotearoa New Zealand.

Making a difference

Karli Te Aotonga was interested in providing evidence of how this Western-based HRM service and delivery affects the Māori workforce within the health sector.

In addition, Karli wanted to address how HR practitioners can support the wellbeing of the Māori health workforce of Aotearoa, within a Māori cultural context, and so improve the experience of all Māori accessing health services across the country.

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Her research included a literature review that looked at the Māori worldview. For example, the work of Spiller, Craze, Dell and Mudford (2017) discussed the five touchstones of whakapapa (genealogy), wairua (non-physical spirit and part), mana (prestige/influence), mauri (life force) and hau (vitality of a person), and how, together with ancestral leadership strengths and narratives, they can nourish multiple life energies and revitalise relationships. Spiller et al (2017) described this as a means to support an organisation to thrive. The work is published as a Guide to help managers, leaders and HR practitioners with their decision making, management and leadership practice.

Tā Mason Durie provided us with a Māori model of wellbeing in the form of Te Whare Tapa Whā, whereby optimum wellbeing for Māori can be achieved by finding a balance within the four dimensions of the model: taha tinana (the body and the physical state), taha hinengaro (the mental and emotional state), taha wairua (the spiritual state) and taha whānau (the family and socially connected state). Durie outlined that the non-Māori ideal is about being able to stand alone and independently as individuals,

yet this is an unhealthy position within te ao Māori, where collective identity, responsibility and reciprocity underpin notions of cultural wellbeing and health.

Karli’s work extended to her creating a HRM model.

The model opposite shows how exercising good faith through HRM in the workplace could raise the status of te ao Māori and elevate the wellbeing of the Māori workforce by: 1. centring wellbeing through Te Whare Tapa Whā 2. uplifting the mana of Māori and place through the touchstones of the tangible and intangible 3. providing a korowai (cloak) of protection, grounding Māori truth, values and knowledge (mātauranga Māori) through a three-dimensional worldview of Māori 4. the white void surrounding represents the boundless aroha for all things and everlasting mātauranga acquisition.

Findings

Karli researched each of the elements of human resources and conducted her own research by drawing on the voices and experiences of Māori professionals in the field. What

HR practices and te Ao Māori,” says Karli.

Wellbeing: Te Whare Tapa Whā – Taha Tinana, Taha wairua, Taha whānau, Taha hinengaro

Touchstones: Whakapapa, Wairua, Mana, Mauri, Hau 3-dimensional: Kauae ki runga, Kauae ki raro, Te Kore, Te Pō, Te Ao Mārama

Karli found was alarming. She found that current HR practices in the health sector can marginalise Māori and seriously affect their physical, emotional, social and cultural wellbeing.

“Current HR practices in the health sector are in direct conflict with the Māori view of the world and are leaving Māori employees feeling isolated, alone, hurt, oppressed, angry, misunderstood and disrespected in their work,” says Karli.

Karli reinforced that HR must change the narrative, addressing this through a tikanga-led approach to move

away from using only a ‘traditional and contemporary’ Westernled HRM.

Where to from here?

The data gathered has allowed Karli to make recommendations and provide a strong case to evolve HRM practice within the health workplace context, so as to offer more support for Māori and their wellbeing.

“This research shows that organisational changes are needed in Aotearoa to develop genuine bicultural workplaces, which incorporate the best of western

Recommendations

Karli’s research led to various recommendations under each area of human resources. Although these recommendations were targeted at the health sector, she believes they are equally relevant to all workplaces.

Talent, attraction and recruitment

Karli suggests checking the content of job advertisements. If you are using te reo Māori, make sure it is used correctly. Karli recommends engaging with Māori HR consultants or a local marae or other Māori organisations for guidance. If asking for help internally, consider asking those with strong cultural competency and make sure the person wants to be involved in that way. They may prefer to refer you somewhere else. Her advice is to always ensure you are compensating people for their services as you would for any other non-cultural service.

“Think about where you advertise.

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you ask if there are any special requirements throughout the recruitment process?” asks Karli.

Karli’s research also recommends that all HR teams have culturally confident practitioners who can accurately implement biculturally appropriate recruitment processes, for instance, with the appropriate use of te reo Māori and tikanga Māori.

“It’s all about having a mixed (bicultural) model of traditional HR techniques and tikanga Māori activated within your recruitment processes,” says Karli.

Onboarding or induction

It’s critical to recognise the unique Aotearoa culture, the awareness of the lifeforce of the organisation and how HR can practice family centric values, embrace the wholeness of the person, and speak to their wider environment and relationships. “A pōwhiri or mihi whakatau may be appropriate on day one, so that children and whānau are welcome in the workplace,” says Karli. “This forges the relationship between employer and employee. It might be just about encouraging a sharing and exchange of cultures through shared kai at the welcoming event,” says Karli.

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“In addition, it’s about honouring the network of relationships that each person brings with them to an organisation and ensuring correct process is implemented to welcome new recruits and their whānau into the organisation,” says Karli. That means designing systems and processes that support whakawhanaungatanga (relationship building). It’s helpful to seek the guidance of local and tribal communities to support the induction of a new recruit into the organisation.

Diversity and inclusion

From a Māori perspective, it’s crucial to develop and implement policies and strategies that uplift the status of the Māori language and tikanga and the principle (and article) of tino rangatiratanga (self-determination).

“You could establish working groups that represent the rich diversity of all employees, including Māori, to develop and steer diversity and inclusion. It’s worthwhile dedicating time to regularly bring people together to celebrate the diversity of cultures within an organisation, including Māori,” says Karli. The ultimate moemoeā (aspiration) for Karli is that Māori are not a diversity and inclusion portfolio, because she considers Māori should not be a minority, given they are the

first nations people of Aotearoa, therefore, they should be the majority (not based on population, rather on status or mana) from that perspective.

For Māori, it’s important to acknowledge significant events in a meaningful way, such as the passing of loved ones, health challenges, graduation and birthdays.

Performance development

In the words of Tā Mason Durie, “Diverse realities require diverse solutions”. Those in the Māori workforce may not be comfortable speaking of their own successes when it comes to a performance review.

“Instead of asking ‘what’s gone well?’, change the language and ask instead ‘what project have you enjoyed working on, what else can you do, what else would you like to contribute?’,” says Karli.

You may also need to develop and implement a process that allows employees to bring whānau tautoko (support people) to the performance review meeting.

Learning and development

Sharing, growing and developing in areas together is a great way to engage everyone. Encourage employees to think diversely. And don’t assume every Māori employee

wants the same thing. Learning and development for Māori could also include wānanga (higher learning), marae and community-based development activity.

Remuneration or reward

Consider the cultural capability of people in your remuneration and reward strategies, including job sizing and position descriptions.

“I would suggest that all people managers engage in cultural development initiatives and that this is embedded into their individual development plans and key performance indicators, and that a strategy is developed to develop cultural competency across the total workforce,” says Karli.

People challenges in the workforce

Most importantly, when people challenges occur in the workforce, it’s about seeking to achieve a restorative outcome before the issue grows. If the matter requires an alternative, more culturally appropriate resolve, consider and be open to moving the case to the marae (where formal greetings and discussions occur), involve Māori leaders on request, or apply tikanga and other culturally friendly processes with the support of Māori cultural advisors.

“Encourage pono (truth) in the workplace and allow people to express themselves openly, encouraging reciprocal respect and kindness,” says Karli.

End of employment

A culture of respect needs to be championed through HRM, campaigning that, although someone has left the work-family, they have not left the community and it is unacceptable to speak poorly of them. “It’s a good idea to develop and implement a guideline for farewelling exiting staff, including a poroporoaki (farewell) or morning tea to wish them and their whānau well for the future,” says Karli.

Karli Te Aotonga and Bentham Ohia

Final thoughts

To improve the retention and wellbeing rates of the Māori health workforce, Karli recommends that a complete overhaul of existing HRM practices is required. This overhaul has already started, with Karli leading a Transforming HRM in Aotearoa programme for HRNZ. This threeday workshop is now in its third cohort. Upcoming workshops are happening from 6 to 8 July and 2 to 4 November in Wellington. For an insight into this course from a student’s perspective, turn to PD Spotlight This is an exciting time to be an HR professional in New Zealand. Human resources is the core function that drives workplace wellbeing. Karli’s work reveals the huge amount of work that is needed to transform organisations into values-led organisations that uplift tikanga Māori and bicultural HRM. “New Zealand is leading in this space globally,” says Karli.

indigenous community development.

It was life-changing and building these global indigenous networks, the opportunities and potential feel limitless.”

Karli is now focused on her doctoral research, which focuses on tikanga Māori and restorative people processes through employee relations in the public service. She is drawing her inspiration from the legacy of Moana Jackson’s work in restorative justice, as well as the tikanga of her iwi; Ngāti Awa, Te Arawa (Ngāti Kea Ngāti Tuara and Ngāti Whakaue) and Ngāti Tāwharetoa ki Kawerau.

Ehara taku toa i te toa takitahi, engari, he toa takatini My strength is not as an individual, but as a collective.

Karli also acknowledges her friends from other indigenous communities and the mahi they continue to do to advance positive outcomes for their communities, saying, “I was blessed to have spent time with indigenous communities in Canada and North America during my Masters research and learn and share about

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EMPLOYMENT LAW UPDATE SIANATU LOTOASO

Pay equity does not address (biggest) Pacific Pay Gap Serious disparities in pay exist in New Zealand. Among these disparities, Pacific Islanders are the largest systemically undervalued group in New Zealand. Sianatu Lotoaso explores the Pacific Pay Gap and what we can do about it.

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hen it comes to undervaluation in pay, the government has tried to address this in the Equal Pay Act 1972 (EPA) by providing a framework to raise equal pay and pay equity claims. But the EPA is based on sex. For example, equal pay is about women and men receiving the same pay for doing the same job; and pay equity is about women and men receiving the same pay for doing jobs that are different but of equal value. Therefore, the existing legislation does not consider the biggest and most persistent pay equality and equity disparities in New Zealand, which is the pay gap between Pākehā and Pacific Island people (the Pacific Pay Gap).

Under the Human Rights Act 1990 (HRA) and Employment Relations Act 2000 (ERA), discrimination in employment on the basis of race and ethnicity is unlawful. Even if Pasifika chose to pursue an unlawful discrimination claim in the human 30

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rights or employment jurisdictions, the difficulties they would face are significant if not insurmountable.

This means no real legal recourse is available to Pasifika to remedy these disparities.

make recommendations, including on legislation. The Inquiry estimates that, if the gap “were to continue closing at its current rate, it would take 110 years before the Pacific Pay Gap was closed”. Pacific Pay Gap

What is the Pacific Pay Gap? What are the causes of the Given the persistence of the Pacific Pay Gap? Pacific Pay Gap, the Human Rights Commission (HRC) is currently conducting the Pacific Pay Gap Inquiry (Inquiry) to better understand why the Pacific Pay Gap exists and how it can be closed.

The factors causing these disparities in pay are complex. For example, the concentration of Pacific workers in certain occupations that are undervalued is relevant, but it does not explain everything.

According to the Inquiry, in 2020, the gap in average hourly wages for Pacific men was 24 per cent, and Pacific women was 27 per cent when compared with Pākehā men. Pacific Pay Gap HRC faqs

In 2018, Treasury examined the Pacific–Pākehā pay gap and concluded that (like the Māori– Pākehā pay gap) educational level and occupation had the largest impact on the pay disparities experienced by Pacific people.

The Treasury (2018) Statistical Analysis of Ethnic Wage Gaps

In other words, for every dollar a Pākehā man makes, a Pacific man makes 76 cents, and a Pacific woman makes 73 cents. Pacific women are the most underpaid demographic in New Zealand. The gaps are substantial and have not changed significantly for more than 10 years.

A reference group was convened by the Equal Employment Opportunities Commissioner, Saunoamaali’i Dr Karanina Sumeo, to help the Inquiry. Following the Inquiry, the HRC will then consider whether to

However, the majority of the Pacific Pay Gap cannot be explained by these two factors. For example, according to the Treasury analysis: • differences in highest qualification account for 19–22 per cent of the pay gap for Pacific men and 20–22 per cent of the pay gap for Pacific women; and • differences in occupation account for 31–33 per cent of the pay gap for Pacific men and

29–33 per cent of the pay gap for Pacific women.

As such, a large portion of the pay gap remains unexplained and could be caused by certain factors, including ethnic group differences in skills, differences in preferences for different jobs because of their non-wage characteristics, and discrimination. Treasury advised that further research was required.

The Law

The EPA is intended to remove and prevent discrimination on the basis of sex.

The Pacific Pay Gap, however, is not based on sex. Therefore, Pasifika cannot rely on the EPA to seek relief.

Discrimination in employment

Pasifika could legally rely on unlawful discrimination provisions in the HRA and ERA. Discrimination in employment is prohibited under the HRA and ERA. This includes discrimination on the basis of race and ethnicity.

• Discrimination in employment includes where an employer does not provide an employee with the same terms of employment, work conditions, superannuation or fringe benefits, opportunities for training, promotion, and transfer as other employees:

• with more or less the same qualifications, experience, or skills, or • who are employed in the same or substantially similar circumstances.

By definition, this would include situations where employers provide Pasifika employees with lower rates of pay than are provided to employees of the same or substantially similar capabilities employed in the same or substantially similar circumstances on work of that description (ie, Pākehā who perform the same or substantially similar work).

Difficult to progress an unlawful discrimination claim

An employee who claims to have been unlawfully discriminated against can choose to bring a claim under the HRA or ERA, but not both.

Generally, employees will bring their claim under the ERA because it means other non-discrimination claims can be included. It is also typically a quicker process.

Despite the legal pathway available to Pacific people to address their pay disparities under the human rights or employment jurisdictions, it comes with significant difficulty and is not often pursued, as evidenced by the lack of case law. First, the financial

burden on an already lowly paid ethnic group means Pacific people will be unlikely to pursue legal action.

When deciding how to pay for rent or food is a primary concern, pursuing legal action is unlikely to be a realistic option.

Second, it is extremely difficult for an individual to establish unlawful discrimination in relation to pay when the undervaluation of work is systemic and historical. Currently, individual claims are the only way to respond to systemic undervaluation.

Unlike the EPA, the HRA and ERA do not provide a collective approach to undervaluation. For Pasifika, therefore, unlawful discrimination claims must be on an individual basis, rather than being able to approach a systemic issue from a broader perspective.

While Pasifika are individually affected by being underpaid, this is because they belong to an ethnic group who are collectively underpaid.

So, a Pasifika individual making an unlawful discrimination claim is fronting a systemic and historical undervaluation of Pasifika collectively.

The systemic undervaluation of Pacific Islanders’ work is an ongoing consequence of New Zealand importing Pacific Islanders since 1860 as cheap labour. How does a Pacific Islander individually prove that the current market rate for their work WINTER 2022

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is fixed arbitrarily at a significantly lower rate than other ethnic groups?

It would be with significant difficulty under the current legal framework.

The fact that Parliament legislated a separate pay equity framework to help women in establishing pay equity claims based on industry and occupation is indicative of the insurmountable difficulty facing Pasifika from pursuing these sorts of claims, under the current legal frameworks. Yet, they are excluded in the current pay frameworks.

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No easy fix

The Inquiry is reviewing all the factors that contribute to the pay gaps experienced by Pasifika in New Zealand, to provide the HRC with more clarity around this problem. The Inquiry hopes its recommendations will contribute to the Pacific Pay Gap, and the ethnic pay gap overall, being closed in a much shorter timeframe than 100 years.

Of late, there appears to be a willingness to address unfairness and inequities around pay. Recently, it was reported that, by forcing

employers to report on gender pay gaps, unexplained differences in pay could be slashed by up to 40 per cent.11 This solution to pay concerns is not new, collective employment agreements already publish salary scales for roles so pay is clear and consistent. However, pay transparency on its own may not be sufficient to bridge the significant Pacific Pay Gap. The proposed fair pay agreements framework, if implemented, may further help with pay transparency.

The pay equity framework could be used as an initial blueprint to allow Pasifika, and others, to bring

a collective-based ethnic and racial claim for systemic undervaluation.

population will be Māori, Pacific and Asian. Specifically, Pacific people are projected to make up nearly 11 per cent of New Zealand’s population. As such, the growing Pacific population in New Zealand, will affect New Zealand’s workforce and, in turn, could affect New Zealand’s employment laws.

No easy fix exists to the Pacific Pay Gap, and the current gap in legal recourse available to Pasifika is not sustainable. Based on current statistics, it is estimated that by 2043 most of New Zealand’s

Sianatu Lotoaso is an Associate at Dundas Street Employment Lawyers.

Sianatu provides advice on all aspects of employment law and the employment relationship. Sianatu regularly provides advice to a range of clients in the public and private sectors.

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HR TECHNOLOGY BRIAN DONN

Technology at the forefront of meaningful change Brian Donn, Managing Director, Australia and New Zealand, Ceridian, looks at the data on diversity, equity and inclusion (DEI) and asks what is needed to create meaningful change.

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EI has become a strategic priority for organisations around the world. Now, more than ever, employees want to work for companies that share their values.

Not only do they want to be treated fairly, they also want to be a part of an organisation they believe will have a positive effect on their life and the broader community.

As McKinsey’s latest research shows, DEI directly affects a company’s bottom line: diverse companies are likely to outperform less diverse peers in terms of profitability. And executives are clearly taking note. In its analysis of S&P 500 earnings calls, Harvard Business Review found that, since 2018, the frequency with which CEOs talk about equity, fairness and inclusion has increased by 658 per cent.

Despite these trends, Ceridian’s 2022 Pulse of Talent Report reveals only 13 per cent of surveyed workers in New Zealand consider their organisation a leader in DEI. Furthermore, 27 per cent suggest, 34

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despite often hearing about their organisation’s DEI strategy, they don’t see results reflected in workforce culture.

So, the question remains, what does it take to create meaningful change?

Building a DEI culture that can withstand constant change requires more than a mission statement.

To go beyond lip service, business and HR leaders need to abandon outdated processes and leverage technologies that use the latest advances in machine learning, data analysis and artificial intelligence to produce real, actionable results.

This will help create equitable and efficient outcomes, and make their organisation more human, agile and innovative.

Here are three ways you can get started.

Building a DEI culture that can withstand constant change requires more than a mission statement.

Harness employee feedback to drive change

Creating an equitable and diverse workplace culture in line with a holistic employee experience requires constant feedback. As most know, cultural shifts take time.

Organisations should set benchmarks

to track progress and assess how their efforts are moving the needle.

To truly consider all perspectives, creating mechanisms for employees to anonymously share feedback is critical.

Despite these trends, Ceridian’s 2022 Pulse of Talent Report reveals only 13 per cent of surveyed workers in New Zealand consider their organisation a leader in DEI. For example, deploying companywide pulse surveys will arm leaders with the information needed to make smarter decisions and help reduce patterns of discrimination or bias within a particular area of the business. Anonymous feedback via an employee pulse survey can help substantiate the need for immediate action on smaller, more pressing issues as well as inform long-term strategies. HR leaders and managers can encourage employees to use engagement and check-in tools to facilitate conversations and transparently communicate how they’re feeling.

Leverage innovative HR software

Technology can help workplaces make significant strides to

gather and assess data for more informed decision making. A few ways businesses can implement technology include: • predictive analytics during the talent screening and acquisition process • conversational artificial intelligence (AI) for more comprehensive workforce engagement using text messages, chatbots and other channels • intelligent aggregation of ‘people data’ across the organisation, to unlock actionable insights, such as improved opportunity matching • AI-powered applicant tracking systems that can help dramatically reduce bias in the hiring process.

As remote and hybrid work continues to blur the lines between professional and personal life, the time is now for employers to make proactive efforts to support workers both in and out of the workplace. This is only possible when organisations have access to data that provides holistic insights into the current state of their workforce.

Tailor training

Diversity training can go a long way in helping employees understand how cultural differences can influence

the way people work and interact with one another. However, a lot of the training models aren’t relevant to the specific organisation or align with broader diversity, equity and inclusion initiatives that the business already has in place.

Companies should focus on training that aligns with the organisation.

On top of this, it is critical leaders communicate on why training is taking place, problems that need to be solved and what comes next. This transparency will ensure employees are motivated and can see how learnings tie back to broader company goals.

Harvard Business Review found that, since 2018, the frequency with which CEOs talk about equity, fairness and inclusion has increased by 658 per cent.

The integration of HR technology with DEI processes will help companies integrate a forward-thinking approach to create meaningful and long-term change across the organisation.

The time to act as HR and business leaders is now.

Brian Donn is the Managing Director of Ceridian in Australia and New Zealand.

With more than 20 years of market experience, Brian has held leadership positions across the Asia-Pacific region, including Oracle, Verint Systems Inc, KANA Software and Sword Group.

At Ceridian, Brian is focused on empowering customers with the digital transformation of their people processes in a constantly changing world of work.

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DIVERSITY AND INCLUSION AUBREY BLANCHE

Understanding the DEI landscape Now, more than ever, organisations are beginning to recognise the urgency of advancing diversity, equity and inclusion (DEI). This article lays out the six key global trends in the DEI space and shares where companies could be investing in order to drive true, structural change.

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he urgency for advancing DEI has never been greater: the workforce of the future will be more diverse than ever, and Gen Z is heavily prioritising company values in their employment decisions. So the question becomes: what should companies be doing to accomplish more effective and measurable change? While the challenges to building a representative workforce and an equitable culture are complex, they are not insurmountable. Culture Amp’s latest research shows while many companies are making commitments, they are often not collecting data on these issues, strategically investing in programmes that actually make a difference, or holding their leaders accountable for change.

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Global trends still relevant in Aotearoa 1. Companies ‘value’ DEI, but aren’t investing at the right levels to drive change In Culture Amp’s survey of HR and DEI practitioners, 81 per cent report that they believe DEI initiatives are beneficial to their organisations.

Yet, only 34 per cent of respondents reported having enough resources to support their DEI initiatives.

Surprisingly, despite lacking resources to drive change, the overwhelming majority (85 per cent) of respondents agreed that their organisation is building a diverse and inclusive culture. While this might reflect that companies are getting ‘credit’ for high-visibility actions like making diversity commitments, the low level of investment means change

is unlikely to be substantial or sustainable without additional resource allocations.

2. Though organisations are making commitments to DEI, they aren’t necessarily making it a strategic priority While 63 per cent of companies reported hosting events and DEIrelated discussions, only 50 per cent of surveyed companies reported having a DEI mission statement – a crucial part of creating the organisational alignment necessary to create change – and only 49 per cent have a strategic diversity plan in place. This suggests that, while company leaders may be responding to employee interest in DEI, they largely aren’t yet prioritising this work at the highest level.

3. Fortunately, more organisations are investing in DEI staffing and specialists Though nearly 60 per cent of companies reported not having any DEI specialist role, 40 per cent said they are investing in increasing the specialised expertise needed to build successful equity and inclusion programmes. These roles also tend to be new: 80 per cent of DEI roles have been hired in the past 18 months, meaning most companies are at the beginning of their change journeys, and we may yet see additional progress.

4. Companies haven’t done enough to support working parents and caregivers.

This survey found that companies weren’t investing enough into helping caregivers and working parents during the COVID-19 pandemic. Culture Amp’s data shows these investments would have been especially beneficial to women, because women reported a 3 percentage point decrease in agreement to “My workload right now feels reasonable for my role” and a 7 percentage point decrease in agreement to “I am able to manage

any caring responsibilities while transitioning back to work”.

5. The study found that the greatest drivers of a more diverse workforce are: having a diversity policy, implementing a strategic plan, and using DEI data to make decisions.

Despite these activities being nearly identical to what’s required to drive other types of organisational priorities, Culture Amp found that less than half (49 per cent) of companies have a strategic diversity plan and only 34 per cent share DEI data with all department leaders. To make progress on representation, companies need to collect more data on the demographics and experience of their workforce and use it transparently to help drive leader awareness and action, as well as provide accountability to their employees.

6. To create a diverse and inclusive workplace, companies need to build fair, equitable processes.

The data shows that improving the transparency and consistency of core

organisational processes is the best way to drive equity. The following initiatives are particularly effective at driving equitable outcomes: • implementing employee recognition programmes • having a formal mentorship or sponsorship programme • creating transparent advancement processes • explicitly sourcing underrepresented candidates.

Greater investment in the above areas will better set companies up for achieving the change they’ve committed to.

With an increased focus on DEI from employees, candidates and the broader public, now is the time to make investments to drive change. The 2022 Workplace DEI Report gives science-backed information on where resources can be deployed for the greatest impact, and which initiatives drive certain components of diversity, equity and inclusion. These insights, although globally focused, will help HR practitioners transform their organisations as they progress in the journey to building a better world of work for all.

Aubrey Blanche is The Mathpath (Math Nerd + Empath), Senior Director of Equitable Design, Product and People at Culture Amp, and a start-up investor and advisor. Through all her work, she seeks to question, reimagine and redesign systems and practices to ensure all people can access equitable opportunities and build a better world. Her work is underpinned by her training in social scientific methods and grounded in the fundamental dignity and value of every person. Her professional expertise covers a range of equitable enterprise operations, from talent lifecycle programmes to event design and communications and media. The full report on DEI trends and findings can be found here and Aubrey can be contact on LinkedIn.

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IMMIGRATION LAW UPDATE RACHAEL MASON

A tough road ahead Rachael Mason from Lane Neave explains that, with the pending go-live of the new Accredited Employer Work Visa (AEWV) system, the government’s ‘Immigration Rebalance’ is upon us. For some employers, it will be brutal.

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n 4 July, the new AEWV system will go live. The finer details have now been released. The new system is based on government objectives to reduce exploitation of migrant workers and to address a perceived over-reliance by employers on migrant workers to fill low-skilled and low-paid positions that should be able to be filled by Kiwis.

High minimum income requirement

The most significant and challenging component of the new system for many employers will be the minimum income requirements. Employers will only be able to sponsor migrant workers who are paid at least the appropriate minimum pay rate for that role. For most roles, the pay rate will be set at the median wage ($27.76 per hour, or $57,750 per year based on a 40-hour week).

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available where lower minimum pay rates will apply: • certain roles in tourism and hospitality, and construction and infrastructure industries: $25 per hour • certain roles in the care industry: $25.39 per hour.

The lower pay rate for these sectors is a temporary measure only and is in place until April 2023. New sector agreements will also be in place later in 2022, allowing for temporary reduced minimum pay rate levels for work visas issued in the care, tourism and hospitality, meat and seafood processing, construction and infrastructure, seasonal snow and adventure tourism sectors. This will support the transition to the new system for employers in these sectors where, traditionally, it has been difficult to recruit New Zealanders and employers have relied heavily on migrants. The intent is to allow these employers time to improve working conditions and put significant effort into recruiting, training and upskilling New Zealanders.

The new minimum pay rates will pose significant challenges for many employers, even those who have been the beneficiaries of the socalled ‘concessions’. If an employer needs to access migrant workers to

plug gaps in its workforce, the only way to do that will be to pay that worker the relevant minimum income for that role. Put simply, no minimum pay rate = no work visa.

For many employers, paying $27.76 per hour is not a viable option. Even the lower $25 per hour rate for some sectors will not be a realistic possibility in many cases. Employers will also need to be careful to ensure consistency across job roles, for migrants and Kiwis alike. Hiking pay rates to these levels will be a dealbreaker for many businesses that rely on migrant workers in their hard-tofill roles.

As things currently stand, there is a lot of pain ahead for employers who have roles that pay below the minimum income threshold and who have been struggling to find enough staff to fill them.

Working holiday visa hopes

The government has reopened working holidaymakers visa programmes, with the expectation that this group may be able to help fill workforce shortages for these lower-paid roles. These visa holders

sit outside the new system, so the minimum pay rates don’t apply. They just need to be paid market rates for the work they do, making them a valid alternative source of labour. In pre-COVID-19 times up to 50,000 working holidaymakers came to New Zealand annually. However, at the time of writing, only a smattering of working holidaymakers have actually travelled into the country, leaving an increasingly growing gap in the labour market.

As things currently stand, there is a lot of pain ahead for employers who have roles that pay below the minimum pay rates and who have been struggling to find enough staff to fill them. There are no easy answers here.

It will be essential for HR professionals to have a good understanding of the new rules and their likely impact on their organisation.

Get informed early

Even for employers who are fortunate enough to operate in more highly paid industries where the pay rates sit above the minimum levels, the costs of employing migrant workers will be fairly significant in terms of the application fees, but, more

importantly, in the time and effort that will need to be invested in managing the process. The new process is likely to be complex, at least initially, until it is bedded down. As well as fees to become ‘accredited’, employers will now be required to pay for a component of each migrant’s visa process (the ‘job check’), with a cost of $610. Depending on the number of migrants in your business, it’s not hard to imagine how these costs will quickly add up.

Put simply, no minimum pay rate = no work visa.

With all these changes and escalating costs, it will be essential for HR professionals to have a good understanding of the new rules and their likely impact on their organisation, to help manage the expectations of internal stakeholders and candidates when it comes to workforce planning. There are also opportunities to take steps before the new system comes in, to ease the transition and reduce the financial costs. Readers are encouraged to seek expert advice to ensure they make the most of these opportunities while they still can.

Rachael Mason is qualified in New Zealand, England and Wales, and has practised exclusively in the area of immigration law for several years. Rachael is a facilitator for HRNZ PD courses, virtual courses and webinars. Go to hrnz.org.nz/pd to see upcoming courses. She works with both multi-national corporate clients and smaller local employers across a range of industry sectors in managing their global and local migrant workforces and developing and maintaining compliance and legal right to work policies. Rachael is focused on providing highquality technical immigration advice that is both pragmatic and commercial.

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INSIGHTS KATHY CATTON

Whanaungatanga – community and connectivity Human Resources magazine takes a closer look at the work of two organisations seeking to ensure that the health and wellbeing of all its communities are front of mind for its people every day.

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approach of working with local iwi in a genuine Crown–iwi partnership to build a new 11.5 km highway over the Ruahine Range. The road is due for completion in December 2024 and provides work for up to 350 people at any one time. The outcome is not only to connect regions but also to honour sacred spaces and nurture communities.

s a profession, HR is all about people. And, for many people, their culture is an integral part of who they are. The adoption of te ao Māori values has been a focus for many organisations in recent years in an effort to invest in diversity and, therefore, in the growth of the bicultural heritage of Aotearoa New Zealand. Here, we look at the work of two of these organisations: Te Ahu a Turanga: Manawatū Tararua Highway Alliance and the Bank of New Zealand.

Five iwi have a connection to the project area. While a long history exists of inter-iwi connection, they had not sat around the project governance table together before.

Rangitāne o Manawatū, Rangitāne ki Tamaki nui-a-Rua, Ngāti Kahungunu ki Tāmaki nui-a-Rua, Te Runanga o Raukawa (Ngāti Raukawa and Nga Kaitiaki ō Ngāti Kauwhata) are part of the Alliance alongside Waka Kotahi NZ Transport Agency, HEB Construction, Fulton Hogan, Aurecon and WSP to rebuild the highway.

Te Ahu a Turanga: Manawatū Tararua Highway Alliance

“This project is more than a road,” said Dr Mark Long*, Manager – People, Safety and Culture for the Alliance, last year. “We have been very deliberate in how we look after our people. It’s been a valuesbased approach, and as a result, we have experienced far better and far broader positive outcomes for our people and their whānau.”

When a massive slip in the Manawatū gorge left the road impassable in April 2017, the impact on local communities and the wider region was huge, and a new route was urgently needed. Waka Kotahi NZ Transport Agency committed to a new

For example, part of the first-ofits-kind approach has been to ask people to reflect then rate themselves on an app based on Tā Mason Durie’s Te Whare Tapa Whā model of wellbeing. People score themselves from zero to ten on how they are feeling in terms of their emotional wellbeing (taha hinengaro), their spiritual wellbeing (taha wairua), their physical wellbeing (taha tinana) and their family wellbeing or connectedness to others (taha whānau). If any of the Alliance’s workers are rating themselves between zero and three, Hēmi Heta’s health and wellbeing team will contact them almost immediately, to ensure support and services are provided. The premise is to provide support responsively, based on the needs of the person.

“It’s important that every single person – along with their whānau – who works on the project has a sense of belonging, and the opportunity to be part of a holistic approach to health and wellbeing,” says Hēmi Heta, Wellbeing and Culture Manager for the project.

“A commitment to te ao Māori is at the heart of all decisions. The team wants to understand what is going on for the individuals, so that we can support them to feel better – the

*Mark is now Chief People Officer with Ara Poutama Aotearoa, the Department of Corrections, and says the kaupapa and people on the Alliance will forever hold a very special place in his heart.

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balanced result is “we ultimately do the mahi faster and safer,” says Mark.

“It’s all about doing the right thing and empowering people to enhance their own wellbeing,” says Hēmi.

“Health is now at the forefront of people’s minds and how they can enhance theirs and those around them.”

“With this level of nurturing and supporting of the individuals, the road construction, in a sense, takes care of itself – because people build roads, machinery is simply the (albeit very important) tool,” says Mark.

“We’ve had no major incidents on the project to date, and that’s almost unheard of for such a largescale project.”

“It’s about manaakitanga (decency and respect) for people, and that’s been a very powerful experience for us,” says Hēmi.

Another practical empowering tool the Alliance has used is appreciative inquiry. This organisational development tool looks at the good that is happening. By focusing on the positive things people are doing, workers can feel empowered in their work. This framework can then be taken back to their own whānau and communities, having a positive impact on the whole of Aotearoa as a result of this work.

By reconnecting communities through the gorge project, the Alliance can be incredibly proud of its approach to partnership, which holds people and culture at the very centre of what it does, within the broader environmental context.

Bank of New Zealand

With the intention of accelerating the development and representation of Māori in leadership positions and building a strong pipeline of Māori talent, BNZ has recently introduced Te Hōkaitanga – BNZ’s Māori leadership programme. Te Hōkaitanga also plays a critical role in honouring Te Tiriti o Waitangi, futureproofing the organisation, ensuring the makeup of BNZ colleagues is an accurate reflection of Aotearoa New Zealand’s demographics and achieving the ambition of being ‘The Bank for Māori’.

“We felt it wasn’t enough to have greater representation alone, but as well ensure our Māori colleagues feel comfortable and confident to incorporate and bring their Māoritanga to mahi and lead in

From left to right: Alannah Marriot, Denis Grennell, Emma Collins.

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Te Tapuwae – completion of Te Hōkaitanga with alumni, whānau and BNZ Executive Team in attendance.

a Māori way,” says Emma Collins, Leadership Lead.

“Te Hōkaitanga helps us create an inclusive and safe place to work, becoming an employer of choice to attract and retain Māori talent and ultimately be able to serve and understand our Māori customers effectively,” says Emma.

The name ‘Te Hōkaitanga’ references the size of the shift between where

Tauira during evening wānanga at Tuapō Marae.

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you are now and your next step: “te hokai nei o taku tapuwae” referencing “the span of my footstep”.

The 12-month programme comprises six kete (modules), each two-to-three days in length and all taking place on marae across the motu (country).

It was critical for BNZ to have a genuine partnership with external tāngata whenua providers, to ensure authenticity of content and

delivery. Internally led by BNZ’s Leadership Lead Emma Collins, BNZ partnered with Māori leadership and development specialists Alannah Marriot (Ngati Porou) and Denis Grennell (Maniapoto, Ngāti Toa) of SWITCH Consultants and Trainers Ltd to co-design and deliver the programme. This ensures the programme is focused on tikanga and has a Māori worldview.

Some of the team from the Te Ahu a Turanga: Manawatū Tararua Highway Alliance

Te Hōkaitanga also received funding and support from Te Puni Kōkiri.

Results of the programme are already starting to show, with one-third of Te Hōkaitanga alumni having had a change of role or career progression of at least one Hay level up. BNZ is working through some alumni roles being re-scoped to allow for one day a week of their time to be reallocated and dedicated to working on kaupapa Māori and supporting the Māori business and colleague strategies.

In addition, following the successful presentation of tauira (participant) projects to the Executive Team; three new Māori-focused roles will be created within the bank. Two focusing on Māori home ownership and addressing the current inequities faced – at present being scoped – and a Head of Māori Colleague Strategy role that has been created and recruited for. This role focuses on BNZ achieving the target of having 15 per cent of its workforce identifying as Māori by 2025. These roles are in addition to the existing role of GM Māori Business, meaning BNZ covers both internal and external kaupapa Māori.

Alongside Te Hōkaitanga, BNZ has also implemented Te Pūtaketanga – BNZ’s Māori cultural intelligence programme. Te Pūtaketanga is a oneday interactive workshop that aims to give all BNZ colleagues a base level understanding of Māori culture.

The workshop covers te reo Māori, Te Tiriti o Waitangi, tikanga and the Māori economy. Implementing Te Pūtaketanga alongside Te Hōkaitanga ensures BNZ has the right culture for the programme to be well received and embedded.

As the respected Māori psychiatrist Dr Hinemoa Elder writes in her book Aroha: Māori wisdom for a contented life lived in harmony with our planet, “We are born to connect. Born social. Strengthening our bonds with others is a central part of our lives”.

These sentiments and actions live on in both of these organisations.

Reflecting on what is critical to success when HR teams look to address biculturalism, Emma Collins shared her thoughts.

•

Māori representation within HR/People teams – often we focus on the wider business without first reflecting a mirror back on ourselves, and this is a common area of under-representation. Given HR teams form and drive policies and strategies relating to all things people and culture, it is critical to have a Māori perspective feeding into those, right from the start.

•

Genuine and authentic partnerships with Māori organisations and providers – these should be mutually aligned and beneficial in

both aspirations and values.

•

Understanding that cultural capability is a critical skill – one that

should be both resourced and remunerated appropriately and that does not create burnout and cultural tax with an expectation of colleagues to do mahi in this space off the side of their desk.

•

Creating the right organisational culture and building the cultural intelligence of your people – supporting the development

of your people to have a base level understanding of te ao Māori will ensure initiatives in this space and organisational change are well received and that customers – both internal and external – are understood and served well.

•

Ensure the organisation has the right people, systems and processes to support an authentic approach – ensuring mahi can

be delivered in a way that is reflective of Māori practices and values and with strong capability supporting it.

• Strong and clear ‘why’ – being honest about what’s driving work in this space and communication of this to the organisation. Bringing everyone along on the journey ensures clear understanding, buy-in and support, and sets clear expectations.

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EMPLOYMENT LAW – CASE LAW REVIEW DAVID BURTON

Far-reaching impacts David Burton of Mahoney Horner Lawyers looks at a foundational case concerning New Zealand’s biculturalism.

He highlights the growing recognition that tikanga Māori requires better implementation across our institutions and practices.

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he case of Takamore v Clarke is not well known in employment law circles. But, this Supreme Court decision has laid the foundation for greater implementation of tikanga Māori in New Zealand’s legal system.

The case concerned tensions between the application of the common law relating to burial and the application of tikanga Māori, but it is far reaching in its comments on the country’s legal development.

Takamore v Clarke is significant because it shows that tikanga Māori is an essential consideration for a court to consider, including in the employment jurisdiction.

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Claim for reinternment

The long-term partner of a deceased man sought an order for the recovery by her of his body. He had been buried in the Bay of Plenty without her consent by members of his Whakatohea and Tuhoe family in a family urupa in accordance with the tikanga observed by their hapū She and her adult children (of whom the deceased was their father) wanted him buried in Christchurch, where he had lived with them for 20 years.

A clash erupted between the hapū and family of the deceased, going all the way to the Supreme Court. The parties accepted that entitlement to bury someone who has died is not prescribed by any enactment and that the claims were to be decided according to the common law of New Zealand.

While the Court concluded that the partner of the deceased and her children were successful in their claim for reinternment, it was held that tikanga Māori and cultural identification were always an important consideration where it is raised, as are the preferences and practices that come with such identification, as affirmed in the New Zealand Bill of Rights Act 1990.

…the good faith and reasonableness standards that pervade employment law should include cultural awareness.

An important part of the legal framework

The Chief Justice noted that values and cultural precepts important in New Zealand society must be weighed in the common law according to how important they are in each case. She noted this was contemplated at the country’s legal conception in the English Laws Act 1858, which stated that the common law was introduced to New Zealand so far as applicable to its circumstances. This means that, while it has not previously been practised as such, tikanga Māori has been an important part of New Zealand’s legal framework since its inception.

The Court held that Māori custom or tikanga is a question of fact that requires the application of established traditions and values in the law, but is not to be subject to the same interpretation that the common law is. So long as the customs or values invoked are not contrary to the state or fundamental principles

and policies of the law, the Court must take care in identifying the customs or values truly relevant to its determination.

The Good Health Wanganui v Burberry case demonstrates that workplaces, and the HR professionals that support them, should be taking proactive steps to integrate bicultural practices into the workplace.

Application to the workplace

Takamore v Clarke is significant because it shows that tikanga Māori is an essential consideration for a court to consider, including in the employment jurisdiction.

Exploring how HR professionals can effectively implement biculturalism remains an area of development.

However, some instances have occurred that demonstrate what that could look like.

Judge Shaw, in the case of Good Health Wanganui v Burberry, noted that Māori matters should be integrated into the workplace, and

it is not for employees to assert their mana Māori or plead for cultural identity to be recognised. The case demonstrates that workplaces, and the HR professionals who support them, should be taking proactive steps to integrate bicultural practices into the workplace.

It is also likely to mean that governance and management will come under more scrutiny in the future as the need for better recognition of tikanga Māori in the workplace grows.

Recognition grows

In a speech in 2019, the Chief Judge of the Employment Court noted that the good faith and reasonableness standards that pervade employment law should include cultural awareness. While this view may have been expressed in a speech, it provides us with a good indication as to the likely views that could be expressed by the Court in an appropriate case in the future.

Takamore v Clarke is a foundational case concerning New Zealand’s biculturalism and how it is to be implemented. It showed that tikanga Māori principles must be actively considered. What this looks like in practice will continue to develop.

But this is likely to require active consideration of, and appropriate response to, cultural values and norms to ensure tikanga practices and values are present and integrated into workplaces through policies and practices.

David Burton is the Director of Cullen – The Employment Law Firm. David has over 30 years of employment law experience in New Zealand and overseas. His expertise is recognised by his peers.

For six years, he was appointed to the Employment Law Committee of the New Zealand Law Society. Before that, he served on the Workplace Relations and Employment Law Sub-committee of the Law Institute of Victoria, Australia.

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PD SPOTLIGHT CHRIS STEWART

Transforming HRM in Aotearoa: The tauira perspective Last year, Chris Stewart attended the inaugural Transforming HRM in Aotearoa workshop; the HRNZ workshop aimed at developing culturally responsive and equitable HRM practices. What she learned and the impact she’s had on her workplaces have the potential to last a lifetime. Here she explains more.

He aha te mea nui o te Ao? He tāngata, he tāngata, he tāngata What is the most important thing in the world? it is people, it is people, it is people.

A

s a health and HR professional, I have long been passionate about achieving equitable outcomes for Māori, recognising that to achieve equity you cannot deliver a onesize-fits-all approach. I believe HR practitioners are well positioned through personal behaviour, leadership, policy and practices to lead and influence a move away from ‘traditional’ HR practices, many of which can marginalise 46

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Māori. In the words of Tā Mason Durie, “Diverse realities require diverse solutions”.

As an HR manager in a public sector organisation (Pharmac), I had a personal and professional commitment to do all that I could to ensure HR practices enabled the organisational commitment to upholding Te Tiriti o Waitangi. To deliver on a wider organisational strategy focused on delivering improved health outcomes for Māori, as is the purpose of Pharmac’s Te Whaioranga – Māori Responsive Strategy, I recognised it is important to start within the workplace and how we support our Māori (and nonMāori) employees to bring a fullness to work.

The experience

My lasting memory of this wānanga was how it made me feel. Not only was I taught the content, but I learned through the experience of all of those things, due to the way Karli Te Aotonga and Bentham Ohia facilitated the course. This was mātauranga Māori ‘by design’. We were also joined by Karli’s koro Timi; as a kaumatua, his presence allowed us to experience what is normal intergenerational contribution, and what a deep and enriching experience that was.

“We learnt about the mātauranga Māori values of: • mahi tahi – work together as a collective, share and tell stories, greater than one • whanaungatanga – everyone feeling valued and belonging • manaakitanga – raise the mana of others • kaitiakitanga – care and protection, sheltering, responsibility • tuakana teina – encourage relationships through mentoring • hūmārie – humility through experiencing them during the three days.”

By creating the safe space, through whakawhanaungatanga, waiata and karakia, the participants and facilitators built connections and shared experiences and learnings.

We were able to be vulnerable and ask questions that, in other situations, we might not have been able to do. The participants were a mix of Māori and non-Māori, and, as a non-Māori, I felt safe to ask how I could best be an ally to Māori in the workplace. We had healthy and respectful debate, and the content,

I believe, was uplifted due to the contribution of all participants who were supported and encouraged to share.

Karli’s technical and contemporary HR expertise, Bentham’s vast leadership experience, and Koro Timi’s life experience, under the korowai (cloak) of their collective Māori knowledge, made for the perfect combination.

As a collective, while guided by the current HRNZ competencies, we worked together to reimagine and rebuild what a truly bicultural approach to HRM practices in Aotearoa may look like. We learned about cultural safety and cultural wellbeing and how they can be applied to people practices in organisations.

Putting it into practice

As with attending any workshop, the challenge is what you do with what you learned: how do you take back the feeling and inspiration and make a difference? The three days did profoundly affect my mindset, and, from day one back at work, I viewed things very differently. I more than ever questioned “why do we do it this way, is this good for Māori?”. I also shared my experience with others, but I wanted to ensure that there

was something more, something that would outlast my presence in the organisation.

treated in a manner where they feel safe, and their experience with us is mana-enhancing.

So I incorporated the principles into an overarching HR policy development and review document to ensure all people policies and practices in the future were guided

by Te Tiriti o Waitangi. Through uplifting the heritage, values, culture, knowledge and identity of te ao Māori (the Māori worldview), tikanga Māori (Māori customary practices), te Reo Māori (the Māori language) and mātauranga Māori (Māori knowledge), I am confident we can create people practices that are fit for purpose in an Aotearoa context.

As a group of learners, we regularly connected after the course and shared our learnings and challenges and the resources we developed to begin the journey of challenging the profession to challenge their mindsets: how could we do this differently and get a better outcome for all.

I have since moved on to a new role, recently joining the team at Niche Recruitment, a proudly Māoriowned business with a vision to support more representative and inclusive workplaces. Jane Temel and Carl Church, the kaiwhakahaere (managing directors) at Niche Recruitment, were also on the course. Not only have I experienced first-hand as an employee people practices where everyone is welcomed and supported to bring their whole selves to work, I have also experienced an approach to recruiting where all candidates are

To quote Bentham, “It’s not what you do, it’s the way that you do it.”

Chris Stewart is an experienced senior leader with a varied and extensive career working in clinical, sales, human resources, quality, risk and legislative compliance roles within public and private health agencies.

Chris is passionate about people and inclusivity and is driven by an underlying purpose of making a difference so people can thrive; something she has been able to bring to the way she approaches recruitment in her new role at Niche Recruiting. Chris is currently enjoying learning te reo Māori and gaining a better understanding of te ao Māori.

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RESEARCH UPDATE ANNA EARL AND JARROD HAAR

Creating a culturally safe workplace Anna Earl and Jarrod Haar outline research and statistics on Māori employment and unemployment and ask how we can grow a genuine sense of cultural safety, wellbeing and identity for the Māori workforce.

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esearch on indigenous HR practices has highlighted the need for evaluation and exploration of tikanga Māori (Māori customs and beliefs) in the New Zealand workplace. This is important because while the Māori population accounted for nearly 17.1 per cent in 2021 (Stats NZ), the Māori workforce accounts for around 14 per cent. Despite Aotearoa New Zealand having strong employment data in 2022, Māori unemployment remains high (6.3 per cent) compared with New Zealand Europeans (3.0 per cent). While many factors are likely to explain this, it could be an indication of not having a safe workplace and culturally appropriate policies and practices in the workplace.

Recent studies provide interesting insights. The main findings suggest that New Zealand has made a

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lot of progress in providing and supporting Māori culture and language into organisational practices. However, these practices need to be aligned with tikanga Māori, to create a genuine sense of belonging and cultural identity for the Māori workforce. So the question we pose is: how can organisations integrate tikanga Māori and create a more culturally safe workplace environment?

For HR managers, it is important to understand the attitudes and beliefs of Māori workers to build a pathway for Māori employees to feel worthy and valued.

Cultural competence and identity in the workplace

From a Māori perspective, cultural competence can be built collectively through a value-based approach or training, which includes connecting people to Māori values and beliefs.

For HR managers, it is important to understand the attitudes and beliefs of Māori workers to build a pathway for Māori employees to feel worthy and valued. Having cultural aspects in the workplace can also help employees feel empowered

and enhance their mana. Intact mana is essential for the positive cultural identity of an individual and community. Building, enhancing and achieving these aspects are likely to raise the importance of the organisation to Māori workers and so improve their retention.

HR managers need to understand that Māori view the existing policies, practices and everyday behaviour as a product of individualistic values and customs, which is not the way Māori build their living and working environment. Indeed, collective thinking is crucial for Māori and should guide HR managers.

Research indicates that practising whanaungatanga (family centric values) by HR managers is crucial because it provides support and stability to employees. Creating family centric practices can also motivate people to unite and be more loyal to an organisation, as well as gaining greater reciprocity.

Reciprocity is crucial because it enhances wellbeing. Finally, a study of non-Māori found that leaders with a collectivistic orientation were viewed more positively, which also helped retention. So such an approach is not necessarily in conflict with other members of a workforce.

Cultural safety and wellbeing

The culture of reciprocity is crucial for cultural safety, because it helps to develop strong relationships among the employees. Health Quality and Safety Commission New Zealand defined cultural safety as: “Cultural safety is recognising and respecting the cultural identities of others, and safely meeting their needs, expectations and rights, contributing to the achievement of positive health outcomes and experiences.”

From a Māori perspective, this can be achieved by HR managers creating space and opportunities for employees to share, collaborate and cooperate. Developing and nurturing relationships requires time. So it is important that organisations allow time for building relationships. This can help ensure the wellbeing of employees is taken seriously.

Wellbeing, or mauri ora, of the Māori workplace incorporates health factors of physical, intellectual, spiritual and relational. The holistic approach can help employees to feel empowered.

Organisations with a strong mauri ora environment can be a powerful tool to discover talents and skills that Māori have but do not talk about, because it is not in their nature.

Having space for Māori employees to have mana-enhancing conversations is crucial because it allows for collective thinking and can enhance self-worth and cultural identity in the workplace. Lack of self-worth and identity can significantly affect individual and collective wellbeing.

So it is crucial that HR managers understand the aspects of a mauri ora workplace environment and weave these into the foundation of the workplace.

If in doubt, start by having a hui (meeting) with key Māori staff to get their feedback on how this might be developed.

References

Haar, J, WJ Martin, K Ruckstuhl, D Ruwhiu, U Daellenbach and A Ghafoor (2021) A study of Aotearoa New Zealand enterprises: How different are Indigenous enterprises?

Journal of Management & Organization 27(4): 736–750.

Spiller, C, G Craze, K Dell and M Mudford (2017) Kōkiri Whakamua: Fast tracking Māori Management: A short report on Human Resource Practice. Auckland: University of Auckland.

Wilson, D, E Moloney, JM Parr, C Aspinall and J Slark (2021) Creating an Indigenous Māori‐centred model

of relational health: A literature review of Māori models of health.

Journal of Clinical Nursing 30(23–24): 3539–3555.

Anna Earl (PhD) teaches advanced human resource management. Her main research interests revolve around the relationship between government and multinational enterprises, and the practices of qualitative researchers. Her current research interests are in emerging economies and stakeholder relationships, and, in particular, organisational change under complex institutional conditions, as well as the role of leadership styles and multinational enterprises.

Jarrod Haar (PhD) is a Professor of Human Resource Management in the Department of Management at Auckland University of Technology and has tribal affiliations of Ngati Maniapoto and Ngāti Mahuta.

His research approach spans a wide range of management topics, but with a strong focus on human resource management and organisational behaviour. In particular: (1) how employees manage their work, family and life roles such as work-life balance; (2) the role of cultural factors in the workplace (especially for Māori) and mātauranga Māori in business; (3) team functioning and its influence on team member wellbeing and job outcomes; (4) leadership and its influence on followers; and (5) innovation and entrepreneurship.

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AM I MANAGING? NATALIE BARKER

Create an equitable legacy Our regular columnist Natalie Barker, Head of Transformation at Southern Cross Health Insurance, shares why she, as a leader, is looking to create positive outcomes for all.

I

recently spent a week with my family in Russell/Kororāreka, in the Bay of Islands. Our house is across the street from the oldest surviving church building in New Zealand.

When the church was opened in 1836, our house would have been part of the vicarage garden.

Like Sophia, my daughter lives in a New Zealand that hasn’t yet achieved equal rights, protection and outcomes for all its people. We need only look at socio-economic and health outcomes to see the legacy of inequity.

None of us can change history to right past wrongs, but, as leaders, we can influence the present and future within our own organisations. In fact, I believe we have a duty to ensure our organisational systems don’t unwittingly perpetuate the advantage of some people over others.

My children’s great-great-greatgrandmother, Sophia, was born in Kororāreka. Her mother was from Taranaki (Ngāti Ruanui), and her father was a blacksmith from Aberdeen, Scotland. Sophia would have been four or five years old in 1836, when the church was built; my daughter and I like to imagine that she played in the garden that’s now our front yard.

At Southern Cross Health Insurance, we strive to be the healthiest workplace in New Zealand, taking a holistic approach to our people’s wellbeing and supporting them to be their best, at home and at work.

For us, this includes building our cultural competence, practices and appreciation of Māori values, so that we can improve outcomes for Māori across our workforce and our membership.

I’ve often wondered what it was like for Sophia, with a Māori mother and Scottish father, growing up in those times. I can’t help but compare her experience to my own daughter’s, 180 years later, who also has Māori and Pākehā parents. Although their childhoods would have been markedly different, both could identify as tangata whenua (people of the land) and tangata Tiriti (people of the Treaty, ie, those of us with nonMāori origins).

I’m privileged to work closely with our employee-led te ao Māori group, who formed to cultivate mātauranga Māori (Māori knowledge) and normalise use of te reo Māori in our workplace, in support of our cultural maturity. This amazing group of people also provide a voice for Māori to operate with safety and comfort in our organisation. They work closely with our people and wellbeing team, collaborating around – and often

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challenging – the experiences we design for our people.

I feel fortunate to be included in this group. I may not be Māori, but I do have a role in making sure our organisational systems are fair and equitable. It’s important that all our people are celebrated and elevated for their unique identity, and I’ve realised that means I need to step outside of my own worldview to see what’s not serving us.

As a leader, I can visibly and actively learn about perspectives that are different from mine, and to understand what it’s like to bring that experience to work. It’s my responsibility as a leader to champion change that ensures all our people have a pathway to success. As a leader, I’d like to help shape an organisation that I’d want my daughter to be a part of one day.

Natalie Barker is Head of Transformation at Southern Cross Health Insurance. She has been leading people for 15 years and believes that leveraging people’s strengths and passions is the best way to drive engagement and get stuff done.

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