Valuing People – Creating Value

When I arrived here tonight I had one of those moments of panic when you think you have come to the wrong hui.   And then I started thinking, maybe I need to be planning a More Maori Opportunities hui - MMO.

It is a real pleasure to be here tonight.

There is a particular pace of life in a Minister's office which might be best described as frantic. 

Messengers arrive with urgent papers to sign for; the fax machine is constantly hot; the phone lines regularly competing for priority.

The reception area is often overflowing with officials and with outside groups, as they wait for their time on the agenda.  Quick conversations are held by the photocopier, or enroute to another meeting, as we all endeavour to keep up with the developments of the day.

In the middle of chaos one person may suddenly cause all the bustle to stop - that person is frequently less than two years old.

For no matter how hectic our schedules, if one of our beautiful babies come into the office - our mokopuna can instantly make our day as we busy ourselves trying to coax a smile or sneak a quick cuddle.

Those babies represent to me, all that we mean by work life balance.

We should never forget that while we have a lifetime to work, children are only young once.

How often do we say that money isn't everything, that the greatest thing on earth is our relationships with each other, the connections we make as humans.

It shouldn't be a gigantic leap to incorporate that thought into our working lives, to help our employees achieve a balance between their responsibilities at work and in their personal lives.

I am delighted to be here tonight, to be in the company of heroes and champions; those companies and organisations that actively demonstrate that people do matter.

People matter not just for the milestones they help to achieve for the annual report; for the output they can deliver on; for the contribution they make to the work environment.

People matter because they do.

I remember someone once saying to me, "To the world you may be just somebody, but to somebody you may just be the world".

Whether you are a MP, a manager, an analyst, an accounts clerk or a messenger means little to the person waiting at home to show Dad her story; to share dinner with a loved one; to fall into your arms as the world collapses around them.

Every single person in our workplace has connections to others outside of the office.  Those connections are often a vital source of motivation for their work - and more importantly for their life. 

This year, the theme of the EEO Trust Work and Life Awards is valuing people - creating value.

It seems particularly timely to share the results of a London-based think tank, the Legatum Institute, which assessed 104 countries in an international study of wealth and happiness.

The results concluded that the most prosperous nations in the world are not necessarily those that have only a high GDP;  but are those that also have happy, healthy and free citizens.

It was a wonderful surprise to learn that New Zealand was ranked the best in the world when it came to social capital - and I believe the 46 organisations of all sizes and sectors included in these awards tonight give every reason why we are ranked first.

As expatriate economist Robert Wade warns us of the likelihood of another plunge into global recession next year, it is timely to consider how organisations have responded to the fiscal crisis over these last twelve months.

Tonight is an opportunity to celebrate those employers who have stood by their core values on employee management and development regardless of economic conditions.

Amongst the 55 entries that have been received for this report, the ones that stood out were employers who know just how important it is to be innovative in training, engaging and motivating staff; not just in days of plenty but also in periods of uncertainty.

That is about valuing people and in the process creating value for the entire office environment.

For some there is a natural tendency that when times are hard, decisions are made to retrench and withdraw activities which may seem to ‘add value' rather than to be essential to core business.

I am pleased that what these awards remind us is that valuing people is our collective core business.  

We have no option but to work with the challenge of changing circumstances, while at the same time taking up the opportunity for creative thinking about how to make the difference.

Getting the best out of your workplace means enabling and believing in the best from your people.  It's about investing in respect, in relationships and in an honest and genuine commitment to one another.

I pay my tribute to the EEO Trust for the never-flinching approach you have to support employers with information, ideas and tools to get the very best out of a diverse workforce.   We can only be better for your efforts.