Diversity Equity and Inclusion

DIVERSITY, EQUITY AND INCLUSION.

At Mercury, we value diversity, equity, and inclusion (DE&I) and strive to create an environment where our people belong and thrive every day. A place where our people deliver on our company’s purpose - Tiakina te anamata, mā te tūhono i ngā tāngata me ngā wāhi o te inamata. Taking care of tomorrow: connecting people and place today.

What is diversity at Mercury?

A DE&I culture helps us live our attitudes of care, connect, commit and curiosity.

An organisation that fosters a DE&I culture sees greater innovation and creativity, increased productivity, has a greater understanding of its customers and has higher revenues.

So, what exactly is DE&I?

Diversity

Diversity refers to our individual differences and to how these provide a unique mixture of knowledge, skills and perspectives that our people bring to Mercury. Diversity includes but is not limited to characteristics such as race, gender, age, sexual orientation, ethnicity, socioeconomic status, (dis)ability, religion or political perspective.

Equity

Equity is ensuring that our policies, processes, and programmes are impartial and provide fair outcomes for every individual. It is about removing barriers to make sure everyone can fully participate in our organisation, free from discrimination and biases. Equality is about treating everyone the same whereas equity recognises that some groups need additional support to achieve a fair outcome.

Inclusion

Inclusion means a culture of inclusion. It is a culture where every member of the organisation feels valued and respected and can fully contribute to the goals of the organisation.

OUR STRATEGY - TĀ TĀTOU RAUTAKI

objectives

Lift the diversity of our workforce at all levels of the business.
Raise awareness of Diversity, Equity and Inclusion across the organisation to build our inclusive leadership and culture.

What We believe

Having a team of individuals from:

Diverse backgrounds
Views
Experiences
Capabilities

Working together makes us stronger and better as an organisation.

Principles

Pursue diversity of our workforce at all levels.
Create a flexible and inclusive work environment that values differences and enhances business outcomes.
Harness diversity of thought and capitalise on individual differences.
Attract and retain a talented workforce by increasing the diversity of the candidate pool and maintaining a recruitment strategy that is attractive to all candidates.

Our Employee Networks

Here at Mercury, we currently have three employee-led network groups comprised of the Pride Network, te ao Māori roopu, and the Ethnic and Cultural Diversity group. All networks connect and collaborate to drive awareness and inclusivity at Mercury.

You're welcome to join these pre-existing communities, or even create a new one. In addition to our employee networks, we also have other interest groups connecting staff across locations over a shared interest - like cats or knitting! But these groups have a specific purpose around increasing awareness and building inclusion through understanding.

Strategic Partnerships

Strategic partnerships help to ensure we are well placed to utilise expertise, hear different perspectives, and align to best practices. Some of our key partners include:

TupuToa - In 2022, we officially partnered with TupuToa to help support young Māori and Pacific talent by hiring interns and graduates.

Global Women Champions for Change - We’re a part of this collective of CEOs and senior leaders throughout Aotearoa New Zealand who are committed to making positive change when it comes to diversity, equity, and inclusion. Being part of this group means that we know we are helping to lead in this space.

Growing Capability

Diverse Emerging Leaders - this programme helps emerging leaders grow their leadership capability by leaning into their cultural identity and the uniqueness they bring. The program offers group sessions, guest speakers, and mentorship from senior leaders. It focuses on developing skills such as resilience, authenticity, conflict management, courageous conversations, career development, and overcoming imposter syndrome. We have successfully completed two programs with great outcomes for participants and Mercury and plan to offer this program going forward.