ABSTRACT

While Aotearoa New Zealand’s (NZ’s) government has sought to encourage diversity in public service agencies via recent regulatory and policy drives, workplace developments have been disrupted by Covid-19. This study draws on a typology of equality approaches to appraise the ‘ambition’ of equity progress in NZ public service agencies in the pandemic context, based on a thematic content analysis of semi-structured interviews with sector experts, agency staff and managers. Various equity indices indicate that work-related inequities remain more pronounced for Māori and Pasifika women. Furthermore, public service agencies have generally emphasised ‘shorter’ equality goals in practice, but organisational responses to the pandemic have had nuanced effects on these and more ambitious equity pursuits. However, many sector stakeholders perceive that ‘longer’, diversity-cognisant equity thinking and measures, supported via multi-lateral efforts, are needed to encourage substantive equity progress for all. Implications of the study’s findings are considered in terms of how conventional equity conceptualisations need to be extended and put into practice to reflect processual, cultural, and intersectional dynamics. They will resonate in other countries facing increasing workforce and population diversification.

摘要

尽管新西兰 (NZ) 政府试图通过最近的监管和政策推动来鼓励公共服务机构的多元化，但 Covid-19 扰乱了工作场所的发展。本研究基于对行业专家、机构工作人员和管理人员的半结构化访谈的主题内容分析，利用平等方法的类型学来评估大流行背景下新西兰公共服务机构的公平进步的“野心”。各种公平指数表明，与工作相关的不平等现象在毛利人和太平洋岛民女性中更为明显。此外，公共服务机构在实践中普遍强调“较短”的平等目标，但组织对大流行的反应对这些和更雄心勃勃的平等追求产生了微妙的影响。然而，许多部门利益相关者认为，需要通过多边努力支持“更长时间”、认识到多样性的公平思维和措施，以鼓励所有人取得实质性的公平进步。研究结果的含义被认为是需要如何扩展和付诸实践以反映过程、文化和交叉动态的传统公平概念。它们将在面临日益增加的劳动力和人口多样化的其他国家引起共鸣。和交叉动力学。它们将在面临日益增加的劳动力和人口多样化的其他国家引起共鸣。和交叉动力学。它们将在面临日益增加的劳动力和人口多样化的其他国家引起共鸣。