This is the fourth benchmark report written and published by the New Zealand Human Rights Commission. It expands the coverage of women in public and professional life and for the first time adds women’s representation in accountancy, profiles achievers in agri-business, and reports on women’s status in teaching. Other new items include the status of women in senior management of the top 100 companies, a series of profiles of younger women as potential leaders, and a report on pay and employment equity in the public service which provides transparency about the gender pay gaps in individual departments.
The report includes the results of the 2010 local government elections and continues to report on the status of women on corporate boards, on government appointed statutory bodies, in law, in the judiciary, in media and public relations, in the police, in sport, in science, in trade unions, on school boards of trustees and on District Health Boards.
Data on the participation and representation of Māori and Pacific women is reported on where it is available. While it is improving, the identification, collection and verification of data by ethnicity remains a challenge for policy and population agencies and others.