Women's Affairs Minister Pansy Wong says the launch of tonight's Women On Boards business case is an example of government and business working together to boost gender diversity in Kiwi boardrooms.

Prime Minister John Key will tonight launch the joint initiative between the Ministry of Women's Affairs, Business NZ and the Institute of Directors, to promote the economic benefits of having more women on boards.

Research shows that less than nine percent of directors in New Zealand's top 100 listed companies are women, with 45 women holding 54 directorships out of a total of 624 positions. There is a determined effort between government, Business NZ and the Institute of Directors to dramatically improve these figures by putting forward the business case for gender diversity in the boardroom.

"We are working together as partners to put the abysmal record of women's low representation in leadership behind us. This partnership will see women and men standing shoulder to shoulder in the boardroom to lift company performance for the benefit of the country," Mrs Wong says.

"New Zealand was the first country where women were able to vote and we now have the opportunity to lead the way in utilising the skills and talents of our women in the boardroom."

International studies - outlined in the business case - show that businesses with greater gender diversity in the boardroom tend to perform better because they have a wider range of ideas, which often equates to better profit margins.

"There is strong evidence out there that companies can gain a competitive edge through being more gender diverse in their boardrooms. For New Zealand to continue to move forward we must utilise the skills of all our people - including the 51 percent who are female."