Martin King Coca-Cola Amatil has already signed up to go through the Rainbow Tick certification process, and other major companies may be hot on its heels. The soft drink giant’s New Zealand HR General Manager Martin King told those gathered at the official launch of the initiative last night that he believes it’s going to “change the game for diversity in New Zealand”. “And we want to be first. We want to be part of this, be part of the pilot, and hopefully set the benchmark for other organisations to step up to.” King issued a challenge to other organisations to do the same. There were representatives from Bupa, IMB, Fletchers, Southern Cross, SkyCity, Air New Zealand and Fonterra at the launch at a downtown café. AUT, Unitec and Auckland University had a presence too, which Auckland’s Deputy Mayor Penny Hulse pledged to challenge the Council to sign up. The Rainbow Tick is a quality improvement cycle designed to make an organisation a safe, welcoming and inclusive place for people of diverse gender identity and sexual orientation. The initiative has come to life thanks to backing from Affinity Services, a charitable community mental health company based in Auckland. Businesses and organisations will be audited on inclusiveness and safety for the glbti community and if they stack up, they will be awarded a ‘Rainbow Tick’. If you want to sign up, find out more here
Credit: GayNZ.com Daily News staff
First published: Tuesday, 18th February 2014 - 1:48pm