Using this guidance

Throughout this guidance, the content your plan should include is marked in bold font.

There are no new requirements. Although, if your agency has not published its D&I plan before, the requirement to publish your integrated plan (or D&I plan, should you choose to keep separate plans) is new.

Where the different elements of Papa Pounamu and Kia Toipoto fit under DEI

We’ve suggested where the elements of Papa Pounamu and Kia Toipoto will correspond most closely to diversity, equity and inclusion. You can choose where in your plans to include the different elements. For example, your work on ‘Effective career and leadership development’ could easily sit under diversity or equity.

How much detail to include

There is flexibility about the amount of detail in your plan, while providing a comprehensive picture of your DEI progress and plans. Small and large agencies’ plans should reflect the size and the complexity of their workforces.

You may wish to refer to related work, such as Whāinga Amorangi, or recognition and awards.

It’s important to include requested information

Your DEI plans are a key source of information for the Public Service Commission to understand progress and report to stakeholders including Ministers. Therefore, please respond to every section marked in blue, or note why you are unable to. For example, there may be data constraints, especially for small agencies.

Your published plan(s) support the high-level data and information you provide in your annual reports. From 2024, you will be asked for a link to your published DEI plan (OR to your published Kia Toipoto and D&I plans) in your annual reports.

Reflect your greatest challenges and include as many groups as possible

Throughout your plan, include how you will improve workplace outcomes for those most affected by inequity, bias and discrimination in your agency, noting that across the Public Service:

• Pacific women have the lowest average pay of any ethnic gender combination
• Disabled public servants and members of Rainbow communities reported lower inclusion than non-disabled and non-Rainbow public servants in Te Tauanki 2021
• Pacific, Asian and MELAA public servants have the lowest proportional representation in leadership

and that across agencies there are gaps in:

• career progression initiatives for members of ethnic communities
• wider cultural competence initiatives.

Where there are small numbers of employees in different groups, use qualitative information and aggregated data to talk about challenges and solutions where there are small numbers of employees in different groups.

Including disabled people and members of Rainbow communities

You may not have data on your disabled employees and members of Rainbow communities. Progress can still be made. In each section of your plan include your progress and plans to improve DEI for these groups, and include any related data you have.