Orion gets the Gender Tick

8 March 2023 at 1:08 pm

Orion New Zealand Ltd. has received GenderTick Accreditation, paving the way for further work to eliminate gender inequity.

The GenderTick was created in 2018 as an accreditation programme for businesses to demonstrate their commitment to gender equity. The programme covers everything from equal pay and pay transparency through to leadership representation and gender safe and inclusive workplaces.

A Stats NZ report from August 2022 showed the gender pay gap in Aotearoa New Zealand sits at 9.2% and is even higher for Māori and Pasifika women.

Orion GM Purpose & Performance Alice van den Hout says the accreditation is a step in the right direction for the organisation.

“We want to be a role model for gender balance in our industry. Getting our GenderTick shows we’re committed to better equality and being transparent about that commitment, as well as where there’s room for us to improve.”

Areas where Orion is performing well include actions to remedy gender pay disparity, a time-bound target of at least 40% female representation across the organisation, including senior leadership and parental leave and flexible working arrangements.

“We’re working to make the energy industry more attractive to women. This is through everything from improving how we appeal to female candidates, promoting our flexible working offerings and developing education to work pathways.”

Alice says getting the GenderTick is a great achievement but there’s more work to do.

“We’re thrilled to have the GenderTick, but we know we’re on a journey towards reducing the gender imbalance and we’re certainly not patting ourselves on the back just yet. In an ever-changing world, we’re conscious we need to be better than we are today, and that means this mahi is ongoing for Orion.”