How to Recruit a Diverse Workforce

You do have to invest. I’ve been in recruitment for 18 years, and I’ve specialized in diversity recruitment for the last eight. When you’re doing this kind of work, it takes time. It requires added investment, extra effort, and it can be harder. There may be smaller talent pools, and candidates may not naturally come to your organization.

I think it’s really about getting out into the community as well. For example, we’ve added a lot more Te Reo Māori on our career site to better appeal to the Māori community. But beyond that, we actively get into the community. We’ve been involved in a recent hikoi down Queen Street, to be physically present and visible.

We’re also going out to events like the Big Gay Out, where we’ll have an employment stand so people see us and start to think about us differently. It’s about being more visible and sending clear signals to those communities that, yes - we support you.