Contractor Bill defeated BusinessNZ supports the decision by parliament to defeat the Minimum Wage (Contractor Remuneration) Amendment Bill. The Bill would have imposed regulations www.engineeringnews.co.nz 13 Engineering needs to attract a more diverse pool of recruits The recent Diversity in Action summit shone a spotlight on engineering diversity, with keynote speakers including Australian of the Year Lieutenant General (retired) David Morrison. Institution of Professional Engineers New Zealand president Elena Trout says the summit was designed to help industry leaders take action on diversity. In New Zealand, only 13% of engineers are women. Only 6% are Māori, and only 2% Pasifika. About 13% are Asian. “Diversity isn’t just about gender and it’s not just a female issue. Diversity is everybody’s issue. Having a diverse and inclusive workforce is good for business,” Ms Trout says. According to global research by McKinsey, gender-diverse companies are 15% more likely to perform better than average, while ethnically diverse companies are 35% more likely. “We need to make sure we’re tapping the whole pool of people who could be engineers, not just those who look like the engineers of the past,” Ms Trout says. “New Zealand needs more engineers and we can’t afford to select from a limited talent pool.” IPENZ research suggests there are a number of barriers to increasing diversity, including non-inclusive workplace cultures, a lack of challenging part-time or flexible work and gender pay gaps. “IPENZ is proud to support and encourage a more diverse and inclusive engineering profession. “We’re working with groups and firms throughout the industry to share best practise and provide useful tools for those who need help.” Ms Trout announced at the summit that all assessors that IPENZ employs in-house will receive unconscious bias training. “The purpose of unconscious bias training is to develop awareness of biases that you don’t even know you have. It’s about creating a level playing field for everyone.” NZ Crane lends a much needed lift It may not be quite on the scale of the heavy lifts NZ Crane Hire has undertaken at the Waterview connection. But when the company delivered a Wendy House to Maungawhau Primary School in Mt Eden it was just as impressive – and exciting – for the students. The company has lent a hand to a fundraising project led by Harcourts Mt Eden that will see the Wendy House transformed into a work of art and then auctioned off to raise money for Te Puea Memorial Marae. NZ Crane unloaded the Wendy House in the schoolyard where a team of the school’s best artists will paint a specially designed mural on the house. The fundraising project is designed to create community support for the Mangere Bridge Marae which has been providing emergency accommodation and assistance to homeless families in need. Deane Manley, NZ Crane managing director, says the marae is doing such valuable work and when the company was approached to help out transporting the Wendy House they jumped at the chance. “It’s a great and worthy project. I’m sure the kids will do a great job of the art work and we hope the auction goes well and the money raised will help the marae carry on the great work they are doing in the community,” says Mr Manley. Miranda Wiseman, 11, of Room 24, is one of the young artists involved and is very excited to exhibit her work on the house. “The bottom layer is all about native bush, and the green landscape of New Zealand. There are flowers as well, and dots and patterns that will reach up to the top of the house. “We wanted to do something that both girls and boys would like. It’s so cool,” she says. on contracts for services, requiring those in contracting arrangements to be paid the equivalent of the minimum wage or higher. BusinessNZ chief executive Kirk Hope says the opposition by many in business to the Bill was not about any reluctance to pay the minimum wage, as business is supportive of appropriate pay and minimum wage regulation. “The concern was about the fact that the proposed legislation would have meant government effectively setting a minimum rate for contracts for services in order to address concerns about poor remuneration practice. “But there are already remedies for exploitation and breach of minimum wage obligations in situations where contractors might be better classified as employees. “Peter Dunne is to be congratulated for his recognition of this point, in voting down the Bill today. “While business did not support the Bill because we believe there are already remedies available, it does serve to remind us that we need to be vigilant about poor pay practice and its effect on workers. “BusinessNZ, EMA, Business Central, the Canterbury Employers Chamber of Commerce and Employers Otago Southland and our many business members are pleased at the responsiveness of our Members of Parliament to the issues contained in the Bill.”
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