Wintec Te Pūkenga receives Rainbow tick for commitment to diversity and inclusion

From left: Wintec and Toi Ohomai Transitional executive lead Leon Fourie, Wintec Kaiārahi Pacific Maluseu Monise and Te Pūkenga business division lead Dave Christiansen celebrate the new achievement. Photo / Michael Bradley

Wintec Te Pūkenga achieved another win for diversity and inclusion, after being awarded the Rainbow Tick certification.

The Rainbow Tick acknowledges an organisation’s commitment to embracing the diversity of sexual and gender identities and is the certification that this organisation is progressive, inclusive and reflects the communities it is based in.

Wintec’s people and culture executive director, Katrina Van de Ven, says she is proud that Wintec Te Pūkenga encourages kaimahi (staff) to bring their “whole selves” to work.

“A supportive work environment that is accepting of people’s differences and where everyone is treated with respect and dignity, benefits everybody in the organisation.”

“Obtaining the Rainbow Tick accreditation demonstrates our commitment to strengthen diversity and inclusion in the workplace,” Van de Ven says.

The Rainbow Tick achievement comes as Wintec embedded rainbow inclusion and safety as part of its company strategies and policies launching a dedicated Āniwaniwa Rainbow policy in April 2022.

As part of this, Wintec also appointed a Rainbow coordinator, Hazel Whitley, who is responsible for promoting diversity and inclusion at Wintec, leads the organisation’s dedicated rainbow group Āniwaniwa Alliance, organises rainbow events and provides guidance on policies.

Wintec’s Rainbow co-ordinator is the first paid position of this kind within New Zealand’s Institutes of Technology or Polytechs (ITP) network.

Pounamu Wharekawa's mural, A Joyful Meeting, promotes rainbow diversity. Photo / Wintec

Van de Ven says Wintec is taking its commitment to rainbow inclusion beyond the workplace as well.

“We actively worked with our ākonga to create a mural promoting rainbow diversity... The mural, A Joyful Meeting, by takatāpui student artist Pounamu Wharekawa, is proudly on display at Centre Place, the local shopping mall.”

The Rainbow Tick 2023 Accreditation Report particularly commended the Āniwaniwa Alliance.

“The contribution of the Āniwaniwa Alliance in promoting rainbow visibility and supporting the rainbow community at Wintec should be celebrated,” the report reads.

Wintec joins fellow Te Pūkenga business division Otago Polytechnic as the two first ITP to achieve the Rainbow Tick.

The Rainbow Tick achievement comes hot on the heels of Wintec’s certification with the Gender Tick last year, accrediting excellence as an employer and commitment to equity.

Wintec was also the first tertiary organisation to announce its gender and ethnicity pay gap information on the Pay Gap Registry, and this year has made progress in reducing its gender and ethnicity pay gaps, placing its pay gaps far below the national figures.