The business of belonging: Why diversity will shape Aotearoa’s future success

Overview

While there is ongoing debate about Diversity, Equity and Inclusion (DEI), New Zealand’s demographic future makes one thing clear: diversity is not optional—it’s inevitable.

Paul will explore how the country’s rapidly evolving cultural and ethnic mix will reshape identity, influence business, and challenge governance in the coming decades. Already considered “superdiverse” by global standards, New Zealand’s diversity will intensify through the 2030s, particularly in regions where Māori will represent a significantly larger share of the population. This shift, coupled with the lasting effects of immigration over the past two decades, means that firms, managers, and boards must adapt to better serve and reflect their communities.

Paul will outline the implications for the future workforce, customers, and clients, and demonstrate why inclusive strategies aren’t just ethically sound—they’re commercially smart. Research shows that organisations that embrace diversity tend to outperform those that don’t. In this case, demography really is destiny.

Paul Spoonley

Paul was Pro Vice-Chancellor of the College of Humanities and Social Sciences at Massey University. He was then appointed as an advisor to the Commissioner of Police and in 2022, was appointed as the Co-Director of He Whenua Taurikura (National Centre for Countering Violent Extremism) by PM Jacinda Ardern. Paul is a Fellow of the Auckland Museum and a Board member, a Visiting Researcher at the Max Planck Institute for the Study of Religious and Ethnic Diversity, Göttingen and he was a Fulbright Senior

Scholar at the University of California Berkeley in 2010. He is also a Fellow of the Royal Society of New Zealand. Paul is the author or editor of 29 books, the most recent being The New New Zealand. Facing Demographic Disruption (2021) and Histories of Hate. The Radical Right in Aotearoa New Zealand (2023).

Additional information

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Branch event cancellation policy

Regrettably, registration fees cannot be refunded when cancellations are received within two working days prior to any branch event.  See our standard terms and conditions for more information.

Contact

Megan Beveridge
Waikato and Bay of Plenty Branch Manager

+64 21 358 772
megan.beveridge@iod.org.nz

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