ANZ's Antonia Watson with Michael Stevens from the Rainbow Tick programme. The list of major New Zealand corporates getting in line for the Rainbow Tick continues to grow, with bank ANZ committing to the certification programme. The innovative Rainbow Tick tests whether a workplace values and welcomes sexual and gender diversity and the LGBTI community through auditing, focus groups, training and action plans. ANZ New Zealand’s Chief Financial Officer Antonia Watson says the Rainbow Tick is a demonstration that ANZ welcomes diversity and inclusiveness and valued the contribution of its talented LGBTI staff to the success of the bank. "Banking is about relationships, being in tune with the needs of our customers and having a deep understanding of their lives and what they want to achieve," says Watson, who is also Patron of the NZ Chapter of the ANZ Pride Network. "Our customers are incredibly diverse, and a wide range of ideas and perspectives - to which our LGBTI staff make an invaluable contribution - is an important strength of our business." For the past six years ANZ has been visible in its support of the Big Gay Out and has taken part in the Auckland Pride Parade. It’s also provided various community grants through the ANZ Staff Foundation to organisations such as OUTLine, The New Zealand Aids Foundation and Rainbow Youth. In 2011 the ANZ Staff Foundation was on hand to muck in with a working bee at the Mangawhai Heads home of a lesbian couple which had been vandalised and torched in a homophobic hate crime. "The Rainbow Tick formalises our support for our LGBTI staff, and provides a framework for us to ensure we remain welcoming of skilled people, regardless of their sexual orientation or gender identity," Watson says. The leader of the ANZ’s Pride Network in New Zealand is Business Development Manager Craig Bonnington, who is strongly involved in Auckland’s LGBTI community. He says his employer’s ongoing support for the LGBTI community is something he’s really proud of. "It’s great to be a part of a company where diversity is more than a buzzword and inclusiveness is part of the culture," he says.
Credit: GayNZ.com Daily News staff
First published: Saturday, 9th August 2014 - 9:04am