Diversity, Inclusion & Equal Employment Opportunity

The Manawatu District Council is committed to a culture that values diversity and inclusiveness. We believe that diversity within our workforce makes our Council stronger, more capable and more adaptive. With a diverse team we are better able to understand our broad-ranging customer and stakeholders needs and to respond effectively to them.

Consistent with our values, we will ensure that diversity and inclusion is central to our policies and practices throughout the Council. This will enable us to:

• recruit the right people based on merit from a diverse pool of talented candidates;
• make more informed and innovative decisions, drawing on the wide range of ideas, experiences, approaches and perspectives that employees from diverse backgrounds with differing skill sets bring to their roles; and
• better represent the diversity of our customers and stakeholders.

We seek to provide the same opportunities for all people in all areas of employment, regardless of their gender, marital status, religious belief, colour, race, ethnic or national origins, disability (physical, mental, learning), age, political opinion, employment status, family status, or sexual orientation.

The Council seeks also to engage employees and other staff on the basis of merit. This includes experience and personal qualities, as well as any formal qualifications that a position might require. In its recruitment activities, the Council seeks to provide access to a wide range of talent from which to make selections. It seeks to make selection decisions in ways which do not discriminate unlawfully or unreasonably against any person or group of people.

We seek to identify and eliminate any policies, programmes, procedures or practices which have the effect of putting any person or group of people at a disadvantage in any aspect of employment.