From agreement to appointments: Nicola Grigg on women in governance

Minister for Women Hon Nicola Grigg asked directors, recruiters and senior leaders to turn their support for women in governance into appointments.

Speaking at Shaping governance in Aotearoa New Zealand, hosted by Manatū Wāhine Ministry for Women and the Institute of Directors, Grigg said the country had no shortage of capable women. The challenge was making sure they could see, access and succeed in governance roles.

At the event 'Shaping governance in Aotearoa New Zealand'

“Equal representation on our boards won’t be delivered by one programme, or one new database, or one appointment, or one part of the system acting alone,” she said.

Her challenge to the audience was to move from agreement to action. For experienced governors, that meant opening networks, mentoring emerging leaders and challenging narrow ideas about what a suitable candidate looks like. For new and emerging leaders, her advice was equally direct: “Back yourself. Step up.”  

Grigg placed women’s representation within her wider priority of advancing women into well-paid roles. She linked those opportunities to women’s economic empowerment and personal wealth, as well as reducing the gender pay gap and the gap in retirement savings.

She pointed to women making up 46% of Parliament as evidence of progress, but said it was “not the finish line”, particularly while women remain underrepresented in senior private sector leadership and governance roles.

Building pathways to appointment

The government’s refreshed Board Connector programme is one practical part of that work. The database allows women to make their skills and experience visible for public sector appointments. Grigg said uptake had already exceeded the programme’s annual growth target following work to rebuild and update it.

The IoD’s Future Directors programme provides another route, giving emerging leaders direct exposure to boardrooms and helping them build the experience, networks and confidence needed for later appointments.

Programmes can create openings, Grigg said, but progress still depends on the decisions made by ministers, boards, recruiters, professional bodies and established directors.

Public Service Commissioner Sir Brian Roche KNZM pointed to the progress already made through deliberate public sector action. Women now hold 50% of public sector board and committee positions and 43.8% of chair roles.

“It’s not simply about representation,” he said. “It’s about board quality, organisational performance and public trust.”

Diverse perspectives help boards test assumptions and improve judgement, he said. Public sector boards have long provided a route into governance and experience that can prepare directors for private sector opportunities.

The next challenge is to deepen that pipeline. Roche called for practical pathways, experience and networks, supported by collaboration between the public and private sectors, to help more women progress into governance leadership.

“We need to remember that we are one economy,” he said. Future directors could bring commercial discipline and innovation together with stewardship and public purpose.

Beyond the most visible boardrooms

Those pathways need to extend beyond the most visible boardrooms. IoD chief executive Kirsten (KP) Patterson MNZM, CMInstD noted that public discussion often concentrates on NZX-listed companies because their data is available.  
However, she argued that governance happens across a much wider landscape, including family-owned and privately owned companies, school boards, not-for-profits and community organisations.

That wider picture is explored in the IoD’s new Governance diversity in New Zealand report, which examines 53 NZX-listed companies and 10 major Crown entities through four connected lenses – representation, leadership, renewal and capability.  

Patterson also questioned whether progress at board level was flowing through to executive appointments.

“We’re making much greater progress in terms of board diversity than we are in C-suite diversity,” she said. “Diverse boards are not making diverse appointments.”

That gap matters because senior executive experience remains an established route into major board and chair roles. Boards that fail to develop and appoint diverse executive teams risk weakening the future governance pipeline.

Sophia van Zijl MInstD, Chief People Officer at NZX, said boards should consider diversity in the context of an organisation’s purpose and the outcomes it is seeking to achieve.  

She noted that NZX’s Listing Rules and Corporate Governance Code encourage listed companies to set and disclose their own diversity objectives, recognising there is no one-size-fits-all approach but that research shows more diverse boards are associated with stronger financial performance.  

She said she was proud that NZX, as a listed company, leads by example and participates in initiatives such as the IoD’s Future Directors programme, and noted that permanent female directors currently comprise 67% of NZX’s board.

When sharing advice for aspiring directors, she said: “Don’t be passive. Don’t be desperate.”  

She encouraged people to be clear about why they want to pursue governance, the organisations they want to contribute to, and the unique value they bring.

Rather than waiting to be shoulder-tapped, she suggested aspiring directors proactively build trusted relationships with organisations they admire and demonstrate how they can add value.  

She also warned people not to feel pressured to accept a board role and to undertake careful due diligence on the board’s culture and ensure they were comfortable with the responsibilities and risks of directorship.

Reflecting on her appointment to the Armillary Private Capital board, she said a robust debate during the interview process gave her confidence that it was an environment where respectful challenge was valued, diverse perspectives were welcomed, and directors contributed openly. She said that first impression has proved true in practice. 

Governance begins with service

Dr Chelsea Grootveld MInstD widened the discussion further, tracing her governance experience from whānau and community organisations to school, iwi, philanthropic and Crown entity boards.

“Governance doesn’t just happen in Wellington,” she said. “You don’t have to get on flash boards to earn your stripes.”

She encouraged aspiring directors to see community, iwi and local governance roles as valuable pathways into governance leadership and experience.

The most effective boards she had encountered shared a clear understanding of who they served. A mentor had once told her: “If service is beneath you, then governance is above you.”

That principle carries particular weight in public governance. Crown entity boards must balance accountability to ministers, Parliament, taxpayers, future generations and the organisation itself. They must also understand the Te Tiriti responsibilities relevant to their organisation, equitable outcomes, meaningful engagement with iwi and Māori, and the constitutional context in which they govern.

Closing the event, Traci Houpapa MNZM, CFInstD returned responsibility to those already holding influence. Chairs help determine which behaviours are accepted, who reaches the final shortlist and whether familiar appointment patterns are challenged.

Houpapa said gaps and a lack of diversity persist because people with the power to act sometimes look away, avoid making a decision or decline to disrupt established practice.

The evening’s message was less about making another case for diversity than acting on the case already made – by advertising roles, widening networks, sponsoring talent and making appointments that reflect the breadth of leadership available across Aotearoa New Zealand.