News & Media

“Grow great people around you” and “be present wherever you are” were some of the words of wisdom shared by Lorraine Mapu and Faylene Tunui at the inaugural event of our Women in Leadership Series for 2024 in Whakatāne. With great humility and candour, these two wāhine toa beautifully showcased the power of wāhine sharing their stories for our communities and rangatahi to connect, grow, and be stronger together.  

Our hosts, the Bay of Plenty Regional Council, warmly welcomed in a full house through waiata, setting the tone for an intimate evening of generous and nourishing kōrero. Lorraine and Faylene were candid and open, speaking of community, family, and belonging to their multigenerational audience. As ANZ’s Managing Director for Business and Mayor of Kawerau respectively, Lorraine and Faylene acknowledged how Whakatāne and Kawerau have woven a community around their wāhine leaders. Each spoke about the importance of their roots and where they had come from, and of continuing to contribute back to the places, and people, that grew them. 

In addressing the importance of whānau, Lorraine and Faylene took a moment to acknowledge and celebrate grandmothers as strong role-models for young women. Faylene shared the wisdom of her grandmother and namesake, and Lorraine reminded the audience of the value in “taking time to smell the roses.” Another pearl of wisdom to arise through kōrero around family and familial principles and values was “do not be afraid to be your authentic self.” This thread was carried into a discussion of the importance of caring for future generations, not only in our communities but also in our workplaces. Lorraine and Faylene spoke of preparing jobs that will suit those that follow: “We are custodians of the organisations we are in, and our job is to prepare the organisation for the generations after us.”  

This focus on caring for past, present, and future generations was woven throughout the kōrero of the night. Each speaker spoke with wisdom, grace, and humility, embodying a generosity of spirit that is characteristic of the women leaders who present as part of our Women in Leadership series. Last year, at our first Whakatāne event, Kirsti Luke spoke to the whakataukī “Kāore te kūmara e kōrero mō tōna ake reka – the kūmara does not speak of its own sweetness.” Often women struggle with taking up space and speaking their stories, preferring forms of servant leadership that keep them out of the spotlight. Our speakers this year also drew on this whakataukī, addressing the discomfort often felt and the importance of speaking through it to share their stories for future generations. 

The insight emerged that, in sharing their stories, wisdom, and success, women leaders are proactively helping our daughters, the rangatahi on their journey, to better prepare one another. It is not about the kūmara speaking of how sweet it is, but about how we can weave together the strands we each have—especially if your strand does not fit. Together we can create a beautiful welcome mat that welcomes those that follow us to the whare. If we can help many women, Aotearoa New Zealand can be prosperous, and we will know we have done a good job: “You are a caretaker and your purpose is to grow the seedlings for the next generation. They will do more than you could imagine.”  

Lorraine and Faylene concluded their kōrero with words of wisdom for women at any stage of their leadership journey, encouraging the cultivation of grit and determination, and emphasising the importance of bringing all the gifts you have with you as a leader. It was a very special evening, bringing together and inspiring women leaders in the community.  

Thanks to our partnering hosts ANZ and Bay of Plenty Regional Council, to our speakers Lorraine Mapu and Faylene Tunui, and to our facilitator Cassandra Crowley.  

Missed our International Women’s Day event? Not to worry, we have a recording for your viewing. We hope you enjoy the kōrero among our talented and inspiring panel.

With the motherhood penalty continuing to be a leading cause of gender inequity in senior leadership, expert leadership consultant Dr Amanda Sterling has released a new report on the experiences of mothers in leadership.  

“The report highlights what is holding mothers in leadership back, the ways this can be addressed, and the possibilities in doing so,” shares Amanda.  

Published through the University of Auckland’s Business School, the report summarises Amanda’s groundbreaking doctoral research into the experiences of 48 women with children under five in the workplace.  

Coming from a range of prominent corporations, community-based organisations, and innovative start-ups throughout Aotearoa New Zealand, each woman shared their experiences of pregnancy, childbirth, nursing, and caring for young children. The participants all either held leadership roles or were on a path to leadership. 

The research revealed that mothers feel pressure to meet leadership norms that are modelled on the experiences of men or women without children, regardless of what is happening within their body or at home. Mothers in positions of leadership experience these pressures to a higher intensity than others, due to the high visibility and responsibility of their roles.  

While the report’s findings provide clarity around the challenges faced by mothers in leadership, they also highlight how organisations can better support inclusive, impactful leadership for women whose experiences do not fit into current leadership models.  

“The research shows that a focused approach to supporting women in leadership could lead to better outcomes for women as well as the organisations that employ them,” says Amanda. 

The research’s findings challenge normalised workplace assumptions around leadership and reveal the ways participants were able to enact a more inclusive, vulnerable form of leadership. 

Participants shared how connecting with their embodied experiences as mothers enabled them to step into their leadership, creating both structural and cultural shifts within the workplace.  

Amanda says the report reveals how organisations have an opportunity to better recognise and support the experiences of pregnant women and mothers, and to build capability for vulnerability and connection into their leadership.  

From this research, Amanda has developed three pathways to support organisations in realising their leadership and gender equity goals. 

Dr Amanda Sterling’s full report, Rebirthing New Life to Leadership, is available to read here. 

For our International Women’s Day panel event, hosted in partnership with PwC, we were graced with the wisdom of six inspiring women from very different walks of life.

Our very own Global Women member Juliet Tainui-Hernandez facilitated an invigorating kōrero with five guest panellists, Judy O’Brien, Caren Doran, Mea Motu, Victoria Baldwin, and Dr Marcia Walker.

Focusing in on this year’s IWD theme of #InspireInclusion, the speakers together unpacked how we can better enact inclusivity in the workplace and our lives. The kōrero shared was funny, insightful, and at times deeply moving, with each woman sharing her personal experiences of equity, inclusion, and exclusion, in both life and work.

Over the course of the night, our speakers highlighted the importance of amplifying the voices of women who are often absent from decision-making spaces. They highlighted the need to ensure that voices are representative, but not tokenistic, and asserted the importance of maintaining inclusion and equity gains for underrepresented groups.

The speakers also addressed the need for all voices to be part of the conversation, laying down the challenge to diversify the audiences of future IWD events by encouraging more men to be in attendance. The importance of allyship and inclusivity in equity practice was acknowledged, as well as the need to alleviate the fear of displacement for those who already have a seat at the table.

It was a night of stimulating discussion and connection, during which we were also able to celebrate and honour the tenure of Mark Averill, PwC’s departing CEO and long-time supporter of Global Women.

With supporting waiata tautoko from Auckland Girls Grammar’s Kahurangi group, we were able to express our gratitude to Mark through mihi and the gift of a tāonga, representative of his humility, generosity, and power as a leader.

It was a beautiful opportunity to acknowledge Mark’s steadfast integrity and immense support over the course of his partnership with Global Women.

In response to Aotearoa’s rising population of people living alone, Global Women Chair and Member Theresa Gattung’s latest venture aims to inspire and empower those underserved by mainstream dating services.  

In an interview with Stuff’s Virginia Fallon, Theresa sheds light on the creation of Compatico, a matchmaking service for New Zealanders over 40. 

“A lot of women start a business to solve a problem, and I believe this is a problem I can solve,” says Theresa, who founded the service following her own experiences of mid-life dating. 

Research conducted by Compatico reveals that New Zealand women are less likely to use dating apps compared to men, and that single New Zealanders over the age of 45 are more likely to give up on dating apps altogether. While New Zealanders are often demoralised by current dating options, they have not given up on finding companionship. 

Women are disproportionately represented amongst Aotearoa’s population of single individuals over 45, with this gender disparity increasing in our older population. Amongst individuals over 65, the number of single women is double that of single men. These numbers are predicted to rise, with Stats NZ projecting a nearly 20% increase in the number of one-person households between 2018 and 2043. 

Compatico addresses this growing problem by providing a matchmaking service for mature singles that is private, secure, and personal.  

“Dating, and mid-life dating in particular, isn’t elegant and yet we like to have elegance in other parts of our lives – certainly feeling safe at a minimum,” says Theresa. 

The focus on client safety and comfort is woven throughout Compatico’s service. Clients are required to complete a detailed application form and undertake Ministry of Justice security checks before becoming members. An expert matchmaker then meets with the client to craft a unique personal profile for Compatico’s private database, accessible only to the matchmakers. 

Clients can choose between two membership tiers. Platinum members are assigned an expert matchmaker who actively looks for matches, provides feedback and suggestions, while Gold members are able to be approached by matchmakers about potential matches within the community. Each membership tier grants access to events, experiences, and services, carefully curated to inspire clients and build their confidence.

“What we’re doing is a personalised, professional and mediated version of your friends setting you up,” says Theresa. 

“If we can bring just a little bit more love into the world then surely that’s a good thing? Especially now when there really isn’t enough.” 

Read the full interview over on Stuff.co.nz  

#EightPercentMatters

Today we are calling on all New Zealanders to reflect on the role they can play in closing the gender pay gap with our “Eight Percent Matters” campaign.

Year on year, New Zealand’s gender gap has decreased by 0.6%, moving from 9.2% in 2022, to 8.6% this year. This is a positive shift, but it has only decreased the pay gap by 52 hours and 32 minutes in real terms.

This inequality is even worse for women of colour, with the pay gap between all men and Wāhine Māori, and between all men and Pasifika women sitting substantially higher at 14.2% and 15.2% respectively. This equates to Wāhine Māori having been “working for free” from November Thursday November 9th and Pasifika women from November 6th.

Although the year-on-year trends point to New Zealand making progress in closing its gender pay gap, the “Eight Percent Matters” campaign serves as a reminder to New Zealand society that although the pay gap figures may be seemingly small, they still have a significant impact on women’s lives.

“The year-on-year figures show positive signs that our gender pay gaps are closing. However, we can’t become complacent, as the gap won’t continue to close without sustained, intentional action, notes Theresa Gattung, Chair of Global Women.

“As a country we have come a long way in recognising the latent value of a diverse, equitable and inclusive workforce; however, the existence of the pay gap means more needs to be done.

“We want New Zealanders to use this day to talk about topics like pay equity and pay transparency with those around them – whether it’s asking HR about your organisations pay gap to revisiting your DE&I strategy in a leadership meeting. We need to keep challenging ourselves to do better until there is no pay gap to talk about.”

VISIT OUR CAMPAIGN PAGE FOR MORE

This #NoPayDay, we want to encourage organisations and individuals to:

1. Report and monitor their organisations pay gap: Unless organisations are aware of their current pay parity status – when it comes to both gender and ethnicity – they can’t fully understand the changes that need to be made. Organisations need to make a commitment to scrutinise and monitor any existing pay gaps and then make a plan to correct them.

2. Be transparent from day one: If salaries are kept secret this will often result with people being remunerated different amounts for the same job, in turn stifling social mobility and fuelling systemic inequalities. A progressive step to take here is to state a salary when recruiting. By advertising a role with a clear salary band this helps break the cycle on both gender and ethnic pay gaps – it will also stop you inheriting a pay gap from a candidate’s previous employer.

3. Join our movement and set your out of office: To drive conversation on the day we will be encouraging our members and networks to mark the day by setting their out of office message in line with our campaign. See here for a text template you can use. 

Calculating dates and times:

To calculate the dates and times official gender pay gap figures as sourced from Statistics New Zealand and overlaid them with the days of the year.

• 8.6% of 365 (how many days in the year) is 31.39 days
• 365 – 31.39 days is 333.61 days. This means the last day the average women is paid compared to men is the 333nd day of the year – which is November 29th.
• Which means some time through the 334th day of the year – Thurs Nov 30th , women are working for free when compared to their male counterparts
• Specifically – this means that at 61% through the 334th day of the year as women are only paid for 333.61 of the year women begin working for free from 2:38pm on Thursday 30th of November

Find reference data on the Ministry of Women’s website:

• Gender pay gap: https://women.govt.nz/women-and-work/gender-pay-gap
• Wahine Māori pay gap: https://women.govt.nz/tools/whats-my-gender-pay-gap/ethnicity/report-wahine-maori-and-gender-pay-gap
• Pasifika pay gap: https://women.govt.nz/tools/whats-my-gender-pay-gap/ethnicity/report-pacific-women-and-gender-pay-gap

Global Women member Pip Greenwood adds an incredible new feather to her cap: Chair of The a2 Milk Company, as of this month. 

“With a proven track record and a wealth of experience as a Director in New Zealand, we are confident in her ability to lead a2MC into the next chapter of our journey,” notes The a2 Milk Company as Pip begins. 

“We are confident in her ability to lead a2MC into the next chapter of our journey.”

This comes a year after the announcement where Pip—an Independent director of The A2 Milk Company, Chair the Nomination Committee and member of the Remuneration Committee—was voted as Chairperson elect succeeding David Hearn. 

“Pip brings extensive commercial and board experience to The a2 Milk Company Board, shares The A2 Milk Company on their website. “A leader in the field of corporate law and in the New Zealand business community, she is the recipient of numerous industry awards including being named New Zealand ‘Dealmaker of the Year’ at the Australasian Law Awards 2018, an accolade she has won five times; and she has twice been recognised as a finalist at the Women of Influence Awards.” 

Also in Pip’s leadership kete are a number of impressive directorships—for many Global Women partner organisations, no less.

Also in Pip’s leadership kete are a number of impressive directorships—for many Global Women partner organisations, no less. Pip is the Chair of Westpac New Zealand, as well as on the boards of Fisher & Paykel Healthcare, Spark New Zealand. She previously was a senior partner at law firm Russell McVeagh, notably on the Board for ten years, was the Chair, as well as an interim CEO and Head of Corporate Advisory.

We have no doubt that Pip make great strides with and for The a2 Milk Company and we can’t wait to see what the future holds for our member.

¼ women feel like their work capacity was halved during menopause. On the contrary, most employers, 98% to be precise, noted that they have no concerns about women’s performance during this time. 

It’s this—plus some—that was explored by 1 News from the research we shared in The Silent Transition Report, with ANZ and NZIER. 

“This is the first-ever in depth look at how menopause can affect Kiwi women’s economic engagement” — Theresa Gattung

Team members from Global Women Partners ANZ, Fiona Mackenzie, from Funds Management as well as Virginia Stracey-Clitherow, from ANZ Transformation, speak candidly about not just their experiences — but do so in the spirit of sharing how these chats can help colleagues navigate symptoms. 

Global Women Chair Theresa Gattung also speaks to this issue. “This is the first-ever in depth look at how menopause can affect Kiwi women’s economic engagement, allowing us to identify how employers can better support their wellbeing and productivity through the menopause transition.”

“I encourage all employers to look at ways to normalise menopause, identify ways to support their female employees, and provide guidance for managers so they can support their staff” —  Michelle Russell

“The cry here is to normalise conversations around menopause in the workplace,” notes Theresa to the camera.  

She is echoed by Global Women Michelle Russell, ANZ’s general manager of talent & culture who shares that “This research shows us the diverse nature of work in New Zealand presents some challenges. “But I encourage all employers to look at ways to normalise menopause, identify ways to support their female employees, and provide guidance for managers so they can support their staff.”

Watch the full news feature and kõrero from Fiona Mackenzie, Virginia Stracey-Clitherow and Theresa Gattung on 1news.co.nz here.

As part of our advocacy to get transparent about Menopause, our Chair, Theresa Gattung, gets candid alongside member Michelle Russell (of Global Women partner organisation ANZ)  in an interview with Cherie Howie of NZHerald.co.nz. 

We’re on a mission to normalise talking about this transition in the workplace. Alongside our report on the state of menopause conversations and workplace experiences in New Zealand, we’re firm believers that the success of this mahi involves walking the talk.

“Wild horses wouldn’t have dragged that word from my mouth” — Theresa Gattung. 

“Wild horses wouldn’t have dragged that word from my mouth”, notes Theresa, who was the CEO of Telecom at the time. 

“That’s a shift I think we’ve seen in the last couple of decades. Now, if I was a CEO going through menopause, I’d talk about it.”

“We’re not talking about menopause in our workplaces … the most important thing is that all of us normalise the conversation around menopause,” Theresa shares. 

“It’s a win for employers and it’s a win for the country, because we can’t afford to have people not contribute” — Michelle Russell

Michelle Russell, ANZ’s talent and culture general manager, notes the big picture—benefiting individuals, organisations and our nation alike—of this effort. “Keeping women my age in the workforce, who want to be in the workforce, it’s a win for employers and it’s a win for the country, because we can’t afford to have people not contribute,” she notes in terms of retention and wider equality and inclusion strategies. 

For ANZ, they note that menopause among the inclusions of their flexible working and sick leave policy, which allows for moments where staff either mentally or physically don’t feel fit to work. 

“The diverse nature of work in New Zealand presents some challenges, but I encourage all employers to look at ways to normalise menopause, identify ways to support their female employees, and provide guidance for managers so they can support their staff,” shares Michelle with Cherie Howie. 

Read the full interview over on NZHerald.co.nz. 

The current Australian Government has backed a motion for a Senate inquiry into the effects on menopause. 

More specifically—yet also, broadly—the inquiry would encompass both perimenopause and  menopause, in a bid to look at how those who menstruate are impacted by the biological stages of life. 

People’s health and financial impacts would be under the spotlight, as well as the effects on the broader Australian economy.

“People experiencing physically and mentally debilitating menopause and perimenopause symptoms have for too long been forced to suffer in silence,” says Senator Larissa Waters, who is the Greens leader (the party that motioned this bid) in the Senate and the spokesperson for women.

This is fresh off the back of last week’s New South Wales’ Perimenopause and Menopause Toolkit launch. A free resource, which is designed to address the issues that women face by raising awareness in culturally and linguistically diverse communities.

This toolkit is part of a $37.3 million, four-year campaign designed to support people experiencing severe symptoms of menopause.

“People experiencing physically and mentally debilitating menopause and perimenopause symptoms have for too long been forced to suffer in silence,” Senator Larissa Waters.

“Women are sick of being invisible and their health needs neglected. We need good policy to address the economic, social and health impacts of peri and menopause,” says Senator Larissa Waters, who will move to establish the inquiry next week. 

The findings included in communications around the inquiry, published on Women’s Agenda, also painted a picture of the state of menopause’ effects on Australians and the nation. “Menopause costs female workers more than $17 billion each year in lost salary and superannuation and can cost Australian businesses more than $10 billion annually, according to the Macquarie Business School,” writes Olivia Cleal of Women’s Agenda. 

“Around 32 per cent of women in Australia are currently experiencing symptoms they attribute to menopause, which severely affects day-to-day life for at least one quarter of Australian women aged between 45-64, according to data from Jean Hailes,” notes Women’s Agenda.

“Menopause costs female workers more than $17 billion each year in lost salary and superannuation.”

The inquiry is designed to pick up on the momentum that’s out there from various bodies: Australian unions campaigns, and boosting awareness by GPs and patients of the system, and making treatments more affordable. 

It’s brilliant to see nations and governmental groups taking such immediate strides to make understanding—and action—for menopause. 

Locally, last month’s World Menopause Day is when we launched a campaign and custom-commissioned report to make workplace menopausal conversations transparent in a step to better the world, and workplace, for everyone. 

The inquiry is designed to pick up on the momentum that’s out there from various bodies: Australian unions campaigns, and boosting awareness by GPs and patients of the system, and making treatments more affordable. 

The Silent Transition was born out of a collaboration between Global Women Partners ANZ and NZIER, to understand the impacts on working women. Just like the movements in Australia, we hope that our communities can move to a place where no-one is left behind based on biology’s inevitable. 

We, like Australia’s Senator Waters hope this movement broadens the playing field for all. That, “similar to the family and domestic violence leave policy,” creates a baseline of equity. 

Thank you to Global Women partners, KiwiRail, for sharing these stories with our community. This article was originally published in issue 385 of KiwiRail’s EXPRESS publication.

Engineering Civil Sector Manager Christina Hawk and National Resources Manager Racheal Fenton recently completed the prestigious Global Women – Activate Leadership programme. 

This is a course aimed at emerging women leaders from all different industries and backgrounds. They attended four full-day workshops in Auckland over the past four months. 

Christina says the course is about stepping up as a leader, what it takes to be a successful senior leader as a woman, the impact of authentic leadership, and how being clear on your personal purpose enhances your leadership impact. 

It also covers understanding how to build leadership influence, and determining how to use your ‘Executive Presence’ to enhance your impact to build a cohesive team. She says it was very flattering and exciting for her to be nominated to attend. 

“I have really enjoyed meeting other women professionals, and having meaningful, realworld discussions about our challenges and how to successfully work through them,” — Christina Hawk, KiwiRail

“I have really enjoyed meeting other women professionals, and having meaningful, realworld discussions about our challenges and how to successfully work through them.” 

Things she has learned range from practical office skills to taking the time to reflect on what leadership means to her, and how she can influence and impact others – “I’ve really learnt a lot.” 

When asked how this programme has helped in her work with KiwiRail, Christina says: “For a team to be productive and successful they need to feel like they are in a safe environment. There needs to be a level of trust and understanding, where opinions can be voiced, and constructive arguments are welcome. We are working to have that level of comfort for everyone within the team.” 

Racheal says she had a positive experience with the programme and gained valuable leadership skills, insights and tools, and a longterm supportive network of women leaders.

Racheal says she also enjoyed “creating a clear purpose and defining the difference you want to make; learning from leading business leaders and their experiences; and being part of a wider group of women leaders.” 

Racheal initially didn’t know about the programme until she received a congratulatory letter from Peter Reidy, informing her that she’d been awarded a place. “I was extremely grateful for the opportunity,” she says.

“I have loved being part of the programme and have taken so many things away that I can add to my ‘toolkit’ – a term they use.” 

Some of the benefits from the workshops included being inspired, challenged, and providing her with strategies and a best-practice leadership toolkit that will last a lifetime. Racheal says she also enjoyed “creating a clear purpose and defining the difference you want to make; learning from leading business leaders and their experiences; and being part of a wider group of women leaders.” 

She learned more about the incredible power of reflection – a powerful cognitive process that involves purposeful thinking, self-examination, and introspection. “It offers numerous benefits across various aspects of life, including personal development, learning, decision-making and great leadership.” 

Racheal also learned that being fiercely optimistic with a great attitude is a mindset that can have a profound impact on your life and the lives of those around you. “It involves maintaining a positive outlook and approaching challenges with enthusiasm and resilience.” 

‘When a light comes to your door, don’t blow it out’; ‘Get curious before you get furious’; and ‘There is nothing in nature that blossoms all the time’.” 

“Some key quotes from sessions were: ‘When a light comes to your door, don’t blow it out’; ‘Get curious before you get furious’; and ‘There is nothing in nature that blossoms all the time’,” — Racheal Fenton

“Some key quotes from sessions were: ‘When a light comes to your door, don’t blow it out’; ‘Get curious before you get furious’; and ‘There is nothing in nature that blossoms all the time’.”  

Racheal says prior to the first session they had prework, and that was to complete an Everything DiSC Agile EQ test. 

“This was a real eye-opener for me, not having done anything like this before. What it highlighted was the different mindsets of others, and that learning when and how to adopt each mindset will let us take an agile approach to our interactions with each other. It’s very powerful once you understand where, perhaps, your colleagues may reside within this dynamic cycle.” 

Racheal has always been a strong believer that trust is crucial in a team first and foremost, and that open and honest communication is important, as it forms the foundation upon which effective collaboration and great productivity are built. 

She is now eager to apply her newfound knowledge and share it with her team and the broader KiwiRail group, highlighting her enthusiasm for the journey ahead.