Introduce Denise Kingsmill lecture on pay equity in UK

Women's Affairs Minister Ruth Dyson
Introductory Comments: Denise Kingsmill Lecture on Pay Equity Experience in UK
Grand Hall, Parliament Buildings
5pm Wednesday, 18 February

Tënä kotou katoa

Good evening.

It is both a privilege and my great pleasure to welcome Denise Kingsmill to Parliament tonight and on behalf of the government to formally welcome her home to New Zealand.

I bring apologies from Labour Minister Margaret Wilson who is unable to be with us this evening.

I would also like to acknowledge our EEO Commissioner Judy McGregor’s work and the Human Rights Commission’s part in hosting this event tonight.

Denise’s visit is both timely and appropriate. I am sure many of you will be familiar with her work and its relevance to wider discussion about pay and employment equity issues in New Zealand.

Denise was, in fact, born in New Zealand and grew up in South Wales. She is a lawyer, specialising in industrial relations, employment law and corporate governance. She is also an Honorary Fellow of the University of Wales, Cardiff and holds an Honorary Doctorate of Laws.

Throughout her career, Denise has been involved in a wide range of issues. She has conducted market investigations into matters as diverse as milk, underwriting, cars and proposed mergers such as that between Lloyds TSB and Abbey National. She also chaired a UK Government Taskforce - “Accounting for People”.

However, Denise’s work relating to employment equity is the reason why we are here tonight. In 2001 she was appointed to head an independent review of Women’s Pay and Employment in the UK. She was tasked with reporting on possible non-legislative and cost-effective proposals to deliver improvements in women's employment prospects and participation in the labour market. This work was an extensive exercise involving consultation with the management of 100 UK leading private and public sector organisations.

Denise summed up her report when it was released in 2001. I am going to quote directly from her because her comments have a great deal of relevance our own thinking about these issues in New Zealand. She said:
“The Report highlights the demand for better human capital management in the UK. The overwhelming business case for the effective use of the talents and abilities of women offers the greatest potential for reducing the pay gap. My recommendations are aimed at helping organisations to achieve their strategic objectives and develop best practice processes which best serve their needs.”

She identified that the imperatives for making the most use of human capital are clear. Future pressures on the labour market influenced by decreasing fertility rates and increasing life expectancy, make it essential that employers harness the contribution of under-utilised parts of the labour force. The contribution of women is critical to this, and to ensuring businesses optimise their productivity and competitiveness. We know the same pressures are faced here.

Like the UK, New Zealand women make up close to half of the labour force. Women’s growing participation in education and work and the changing role of women in families has tracked a similar course in both countries. It is not surprising, given these similarities, that elements of Denise’s Report resonate in a New Zealand context.

In this country the imperatives for pay and employment equity not only stem from our commitments as a member of the United Nations and the ILO as a signatory to human rights standards or our sense of social justice. We must also be mindful of future pressures on the labour market as the population ages, and the business imperatives for making the most of our workforce.

Solutions in any event, need to be underpinned by a supportive framework promoting fair and productive employment relationships which the Labour-led Government has been systematically introducing in New Zealand.

Without further ado let me now introduce Denise Kingsmill. Denise spoke yesterday at a breakfast hosted by the Human Rights Commission and tonight she will speak about pay equity experiences in the United Kingdom.

I am confident her reflections on experiences in the United Kingdom will be of great interest to you and will contribute to wider discussions taking place here.