Inclusion resources
Being an inclusive business fosters a diverse and innovative workplace culture, encourages quality decision making and helps provide a better experience for your guests. The below resources can support you with creating a more diverse and inclusive business.
Welcoming Communities
Queenstown Lakes District is recognised as a “welcoming community” through the Welcoming Communities | Te Waharoa ki ngā Hapori national accreditation programme that helps newcomers feel welcome and able to participate in the social, cultural, civic, and economic life of the district. This matters for tourism businesses as many employees in our industry are newcomers, and a welcoming community supports staff wellbeing, retention, inclusion, productivity and profitability. In 2021, Queenstown Lakes District Council (QLDC) joined the programme which is based on eight key pillars that define what a welcoming and inclusive place looks like, and supports all newcomers—including international workers, students, long-term migrants, and relocating New Zealanders.
Find out more about the programme on QLDC's website and view the Newcomers Guide below. Feel free to share this with your staff and include it within your staff training and onboarding.
Tāhuna | Queenstown Ambassador Workshop
Recommended for anyone in the tourism industry, the Queenstown Resort College offers a 3-hour journey into Tāhuna Queenstown’s rich history, notable figures, and iconic landmarks. You'll come away with the knowledge of what makes our region so special, enabling you to create more meaningful manuhiri (visitor) experience, embedded in manaakitanga, kaitiakitanga and whanaungatanga. Find out more here.
External Inclusivity Resources
Diversity and inclusion toolkit and strategy support
MyNZTE have a range of information and resources to support your business in building team culture, diversifying your team, along with a Diversity and Inclusion Toolkit to support businesses in some actions you can be doing now.
Employment Hero have a guide to support businesses in building a Diversity and Inclusion strategy. The guide provides information on the basic principles of diversity and inclusion, discuss's how to cater to different needs and experiences, and how to build a strategy.
Building inclusion capability in your workplace
Te Uru Tāngata Centre for Workplace Inclusion offers a free and paid programme of inclusion competency, spanning workshops, events, corporate training and e-learning. Example topics include Inclusion Essentials, Diversity, Equity and Inclusion Management, Understanding Unconscious Bias. Find out more here.
Workplace accreditations to support diversity and inclusion
The GenderTick stands as a formal accreditation initiative crafted to recognise organisations showcasing an annual commitment and leadership in gender equality. It serves as New Zealand's sole accreditation programme dedicated to gender equality.
The Rainbow Tick is an accreditation mark for organisations that complete a Diversity and Inclusion assessment process. The accreditation ensures a workplace understands and welcomes sexual and gender diversity. The process is an on-going quality improvement process.
The Living Wage accreditation offers creditability around providing an hourly rate that ensures workers get 'enough money to live with dignity'. If your business is providing the Living Wage as a minimum, you can get Living Wage Employer accredited by meeting the criteria. If your business becomes accredited, you can use the Living Wage Employer logo.
Tāke Tuia's Cultural Capability courses
Inclusion in Aotearoa means honouring te ao Māori — understanding tikanga and Te Tiriti is key to building truly respectful, inclusive businesses. If you'd like to upskill and create awareness of Tikanga Māori or cultural practices within your team, Tāke Tuia offers Cultural Capability training and Treaty of Waitangi Awareness training across 1:1 or group sessions. Find out more here.
Connecting with Te Ao Māori Course
In Aotearoa, embracing Te Ao Māori is a key part of inclusive business practice — it strengthens relationships, builds cultural confidence, and supports more authentic engagement with staff, customers, and community. Queenstown Resort College offers a 50 hour Cultural Capability: Connecting with Te Ao Māori course. Through practical application, you will learn to comfortably weave Te Ao Māori values into your daily workplace practices, nurturing an environment that respects and bolsters the mana in individuals, the workplace and community.
LGBTIQ+ inclusion resources from Pride Pledge
Discover effective strategies to enhance diversity through your businesses job descriptions and equitable hiring practices, outlined in the Rainbow Inclusive Recruitment Guide from Pride Pledge.
The Rainbow Measurement and Reporting Update provides actionable steps to create inclusive working environments, while also guiding you on how to measure progress through annual reporting, ensuring transparency and accountability in your diversity and inclusion efforts.
Explore Pride Pledge's diverse range of resources, including upcoming events, Rainbow-washing and how to avoid it in your business, inclusive policy guidelines, and empowering businesses to deepen their commitment to inclusivity.
Wellbeing in Workplace
Learn strategies for crafting a professional work environment that promotes feelings of safety, value, and contentment among your staff with this resource sheet from the Sustainable Business Network.
Best practice for an Age-Diverse workplace
It makes good business sense to employ people of all ages, to learn from others, retain valued staff, skills and knowledge. The New Zealand Government business website has information to support businesses in identifying how to communicate to different ages, develop people's skills, create great working conditions for all people, and more.
Aotearoa inclusivity matrix
The Aotearoa Inclusion Matrix by Diversity Works NZ, is an evidence-based framework that supports organisations to identify how to develop their diversity, equity and inclusion (DEI) practices. It provides a basis for workplaces to understand their current capabilities and identify areas for improvement.
Upcoming Member Events
Industry events are a great way to connect with others in the region, learn more about relevant topics from the experts, and hear the latest from Destination Queenstown and Lake Wānaka Tourism.
Emergency Preparedness for Wānaka Businesses
Wānaka Community Hub, 10:30am-12:00pm
Be ready before disaster strikes. This 90-minute session is designed to help Wānaka businesses prepare for natural hazards such as AF8 earthquakes, landslides, tsunami, and wildfire.
Emergency Preparedness for Queenstown Businesses
DQ Office, 10:30am-12:00pm
Be ready before disaster strikes. This 90-minute session is designed to help Queenstown businesses prepare for natural hazards such as AF8 earthquakes, landslides, tsunami, and wildfire.