What's new: Latest EEO news and information
| Commission seeks public feedback on status of women's rights Poverty for women, violence against women and female representation in public life are three immediate challenges for New Zealand. They are identified as major issues in the first report on the status of women’s rights released today for public consultation by the Human Rights Commission. Read more |
| Health check tool for the gender pay gap A free “quick health” check is now available for employers and their staff in monitoring pay and employment equity in New Zealand business. The new self-assessment and monitoring tool launched today by the Human Rights Commission allows companies and organisations to work out whether they have a gender pay gap and what they can do about it. New Zealand has had a gender pay gap between men and women of about 12 per cent median hourly rates for the past decade. “We know that fair and transparent pay and progression systems leads to better staff morale, engagement and productivity of skilled workers and allows high-turnover sectors to retain the staff they need”, says Equal Employment Opportunities Commissioner Dr Judy McGregor. “This tool allows companies to judge for themselves whether they are being fair to all their employees. If your organisation has not undertaken a pay and employment equity review in the past this provides guidance about simple diagnosis and what adjustments may need to be made.” Read more |
| Bloke hunting for early childhood education What are the best strategies for boosting the number of male teachers? Russell Ballantyne thinks it is time for some strong affirmative action to get more men into early childhood education (ECE), for the good of children and society. But the passionate teacher and the President of the group that advocates for more men in ECE, ecmenz, sees a huge imbalance between what parents and children want, and what the education sector is prepared to provide. “Parents want male teachers, and children need them - especially since more and more have few men actively involved in their lives. But there are still only a tiny number of men in ECE, and at the bureaucratic level there’s very little action to change that. Parents tell us clearly that they want their children taught by both men and women. They want a balanced environment. But the official position of the NZ Teachers Council appears to be that gender doesn’t matter. That doesn’t fit with the reality,” Ballantyne says. Read more |
Waikato Regional Report - National Conversation about Work |
