Sarah M
[FYI request #22408 email]
9 May 2023
Dear Sarah,
OIA 22-23-41: Diversity and Inclusion at NZTE
Thank you for your email of 6 April 2023 to New Zealand Trade and Enterprise (NZTE), making
a request under the Official Information Act 1982 (the Act). You requested the following
information:
1. Please provide a copy of your D&I policy at NZTE.
2. Who has ultimate oversight and responsibility for health, safety and wellbeing at NZTE?
3. Were the NZTE Characters (Ambition, Adventure, Honesty, Trust and Manaaki) signed off
by the Board?
4. What role does the board play in ensuring the characters and culture (including
Kaitiakitanga as referred to on the NZTE website) is followed within NZTE business units?
Answers to your questions are as below.
1. NZTE’s Diversity and Inclusion current focus areas are outlined in Appendix One.
2. The Board and Chief Executive, as PCBU*, hold the ultimate oversight and responsibility
for Health, Safety, and Wellbeing at NZTE. Lead Team members hold responsibility as
Officers. The day-to-day oversight of strategy implementation is held by the Director of
Safety and Wellbeing.
3. The Board engaged with an early draft of the NZTE characters, referred to then as the
“Culture Code” in September 2016. The Board agreed with the overall revised prototype of
the "Culture Code” (NZTE Characters) in October 2016 before they were launched.
4. NZTE’s leadership is responsible for ensuring that al NZTE people are reminded of the
role that the characters play in enabling our ONE Global Team, and that the characters are
modelled and reinforced across the organisation.
The NZTE Board has a governance role - it sets NZTE’s strategy and monitors
performance. The Board regularly engages with management on a range of issues relating
to culture and people strategy and practices at NZTE, of which the characters are a part.
This includes reporting to the Board on the findings from OurVoice (NZTE’s employee
engagement survey), which includes questions on our characters.
There is also a Board subcommittee, the Culture and People Committee, whose focus is
overseeing the design and implementation of our people strategy.
You have the right under section 28(3) of the Act to seek an investigation and review by the
Ombudsman. Information about how to make a complaint is available at:
www.ombudsman.parliament.govt.nz or freephone: 0800 802 602.
* A PCBU means a Person Conducting a Business or Undertaking. used throughout the Health and Safety at Work
Act 2015 to describe all types of modern working arrangements which are commonly referred to as businesses.
Yours sincerely
T: +64 4 816 8100
F: +64 4 816 8101
W: nzte.govt.nz
W: newzealand.com/business
Level 15, The Majestic Centre, 100 Willis Street, Wellington 6011, New Zealand, PO Box 2878, Wellington 6140, New Zealand
Melissa Trochon
Director – Board & Ministerial
