Managing Diversity in New Zealand

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Managing diversity is an issue that is significant in today’s global environment, and is only predicted to increase in importance due to the changing face of the workplace. The need to adapt to the changing labour market and have a competitive advantage over others is essential for success. This essay will address this issue by outlining the significance and implications of having a diverse workforce, whilst also focusing on the various perspectives. These include the associated benefits and challenges in managing an ethnically diverse workplace, as well as the various views relating to Equal Employment Opportunity (EEO) and diversity management. It will come to show that the only way for New Zealand (NZ) to move forward in the changing corporate environment, is to adopt change and embrace ethnic diversity in order to achieve organisational success.

Managing diversity has become an increasingly significant global issue. The world is becoming more mobile and diverse; meaning the composition of the workplace is altering to include a wider range of ethnic groups. Although in NZ there has been a downward trend in the European population from the 2001 (79%) to 2006 NZ census (67.6%), this group remains dominant. This descending pattern is predicted to continue (Macky, 2008), with the 2016 workforce of Auckland estimated to be only half European (EEO Trust, n.d.). As the Maori, Pacific, and Asian populations are on the rise, NZ’s Human Resource Management practices will need to change. The prevalence of new migrant workers means NZ has an increasingly non-traditional culture. Because NZ relies on skilled migrant workers to fill positions left by those leaving the country and retiring, NZ needs to compete with other countries to gain ...

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Human resources at UC Berkley (n.d.). Managing diversity in the workplace. Retrieved from http://hrweb.berkeley.edu/guides/managing-hr/interaction/diversity/principles

Macky, K. (Ed.). (2008). Managing human resources: Contemporary perspectives in New Zealand. NSW, Australia: McGraw-Hill.

Rudman, R. (1999). Human resources management in New Zealand (3rd ed.). Auckland, New Zealand: Longman.

Singham, M. (2006). Multiculturalism in New Zealand: The need for a new paradigm.

Aotearoa Ethnic Network Journal, 1(1), 33-38. Retrieved from http://www.aen.org.nz/

Storti, C. (2011). Multi-cultural diversity. Profiles in Diversity Journal. Retrieved from http://www.diversityjournal.com

Walck, C. (1995). Editor's introduction: Diverse approaches to managing diversity. Journal of Applied Behavioural Science, 31, 119-123.

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