An advanced tick for gender equality at Wintec

Wintec, which was the first tertiary provider in New Zealand to receive the GenderTick in 2020, has now taken yet another step in its gender equity journey, achieving Advanced GenderTick Accreditation.

To receive the GenderTick, Wintec had to demonstrate gender equity across five key areas: a gender inclusive culture, a safe workplace, flexible work and leave, leadership representation and equal pay.

The GenderTick assessment this year included new advanced criteria. Wintec achieved all 13 of the advanced criteria, for which it was awarded Advanced Accreditation.

Claire Stuart, GenderTick Manager says, “Wintec started their GenderTick journey with an initial assessment in early 2020. Wintec were the first tertiary provider in New Zealand to receive a GenderTick accreditation. Since the initial assessment Wintec have continued to progress gender initiatives in the workplace, including new advanced GenderTick criteria. We commend your dedication and focus with gender initiatives and are proud to have Wintec as part of the GenderTick whānau.”

Wintec Chief Executive, Dave Christiansen, says Wintec has been working hard over many years to ensure a gender equitable workplace. 

“We are extremely proud to have not only retained our GenderTick, but to have also been awarded the new Advanced Accreditation, an extra accolade for which assessments only began this year. Wintec has been leading the way for the tertiary sector in gender equity for many years and we are committed to continuously looking for ways we can improve equity for our ākonga and kaimahi.”

A significant step Wintec took this week around gender equity, was to be the first tertiary institution in Aotearoa to publicly announce its gender and ethnicity pay gap and its commitment to transparency around pay equity. Another initiative that shows Wintec’s leadership in the gender equity space is its Āniwaniwa alliance, founded in 2021, which supports and advocates for the LGBTTQIA+ community at Wintec.

The advanced GenderTick accreditation also follows a number of other acknowledgements, Wintec has had in the last year, of being an excellent employer. Wintec was proud to be a finalist of the prestigious Public Sector Workplace of the Year Award, at the 2022 HeadFit Awards. In 2021, Wintec was the first workplace in the Waikato to be awarded Gold Standard WorkWell Accreditation, having demonstrated all the successful components of a sustained health and wellbeing programme.

From 1 June, Wintec will become a division of Te Pūkenga, the new national vocational education organisation. Wintec’s leadership with regards to gender equity aligns strongly with Te Pūkenga and its commitment to equity for both ākonga and kaimahi, alongside honouring Te Tiriti o Waitangi in all areas of the organisation.

The Gender Tick programme was created by YWCA Auckland with the assessment managed by leading Diversity and Inclusion practitioner, Dr Kaisa Wilson.

The programme is accredited by YWCA Auckland, who are part of the world’s largest women’s organisation which leads social and economic change in over 100 countries worldwide