Diversity Works New Zealand is set to transition to a new legal entity in 2025, designed to strengthen our mission of driving workplace inclusion and accelerating change across Aotearoa.
Registered as the Centre for Workplace Inclusion, the new organisation will be called Te Uru Tāngata.
Chief Executive Maretha Smit says as workplaces mature in their approach to workplace inclusion, the role of the national body has also evolved.
“Over time, we have realised that the Trust Deed governing our mahi no longer aligns with modern thinking about diversity and inclusion and, in fact, has become increasingly limiting in terms of how we can adapt and respond to the changing needs of our community.
“After a thorough review, the Board has decided to establish a new trust to give us the platform we need to better support our members and the wider inclusion eco-system.”
The shift to Te Uru Tāngata will be the culmination of all the work the organisation has done over the past years to build a collaborative community, growing stronger together and thriving as a united rōpū.
The new organisation’s name, chosen in collaboration with our Māori advisors and reviewed by the Cultural advisory committee to the Ngāti Whātua Ōrākei Trust Board, reflects the whakataukī “Kahikātea tū i te uru (strength in numbers)”.
It’s an exciting new chapter in the 32-year history of the organisation.
The Equal Employment Opportunity Trust was founded in 1992, in a unique partnership between private and public sector employers.
It became an essential source of education and inspiration for companies to examine their employment practices.
In 2016, the EEO Trust changed its name to Diversity Works New Zealand, reflecting the broader focus for the organisation across a wider range of diversity dimensions and the increased emphasis on the importance of inclusion in the workplace.
Now, Te Uru Tāngata will continue the mahi that has been done to be the glue that binds the people and the organisations that are the heart of workplace inclusion mahi in Aotearoa
Maretha Smit says significant work needs to be done in the first half of 2025 to bring the new organisation to life.
“But we are very excited about what the future holds and how we can work towards workplace inclusion within a much more contemporary structure.”
