Equal Employment Opportunity Policy

Print Version

Application

1. This policy applies to all staff of the University of Waikato.

Purpose

2. The purpose of this policy is to outline the University's commitment to equal employment opportunity, diversity and inclusion and the elimination of barriers that cause or perpetuate inequalities in employment.

Related documents

3. The following documents set out further information relevant to this policy:
   • Bullying and Harassment Policy
   • Education Act 1989
   • Employment Relations Act 2000
   • Human Rights Act 1993
   • Staff Code of Conduct
   • State Sector Act 1988
   • Te Tiriti o Waitangi

Principles

4. The University is committed to:
   1. providing equality of opportunity in employment irrespective of a person's sex, gender, gender identity, marital status, religious belief, ethical belief, colour, race, ethnic or national origins, disability, age, political opinion, employment status, family status or sexual orientation
   2. developing and maintaining a workplace culture that values and supports diversity
   3. identifying and eliminating any institutional barriers that cause or perpetuate, or tend to cause or perpetuate, inequality in respect of the employment of any person or group of persons
   4. ensuring that all its policies and practices uphold the principle of equal employment opportunity
   5. ensuring that all staff appointments are made solely on the basis of merit, and that all promotions, advancements, salary reviews and professional/career development opportunities are based solely on merit
   6. improving employment opportunities for groups who are traditionally under-represented in either occupational groups or levels of seniority, in particular women, Māori and Pacific people.

Responsibilities

5. Line managers are responsible for ensuring that all practices and procedures that apply to the staff for whom they are responsible are consistent with this policy.
6. The Director of People and Capability is responsible for the development, implementation, monitoring and reporting of a Diversity and Inclusion Programme that upholds the above principles.

Responsibility for monitoring compliance

7. The Director of People and Capability is responsible for monitoring compliance with this policy and reporting any breaches to the Vice-Chancellor.
8. Breaches of this policy may result in disciplinary action under the Staff Code of Conduct.

Note

The term ‘School’ in this policy includes Faculties and the term ‘Head of School’ includes Deans.