On the 30th anniversary of enactment of the Homosexual Law Reform Act 1986, there are two New Zealand law firms which have been certified as qualifying for the Rainbow Tick.
Simpson Grierson was certified in August 2014, and was the first organisation in New Zealand to meet the required standards. Russell McVeagh was certified at the end of June 2016. The Rainbow Tick says a third law firm, Bell Gully, is also going through the certification process.
The Rainbow Tick is a quality improvement cycle designed to make an organisation a safe, welcoming and inclusive place for people of diverse gender identity and sexual orientation.
To receive the Rainbow Tick, an organisation must go through an audit process which evaluates its level of LGBTTI inclusion in five areas: policy, staff training, staff engagement and organisational support, external engagement, and monitoring
The programme was established in New Zealand in February 2014 and there are now 15 organisations which are able to display the Rainbow Tick on their websites.
Programme Director Michael Stevens says the organisation has hopes of getting some more law firms.
"We have all the major banks (BNZ is still in process, not certified yet), KPMG is certified, PwC and EY are going through the proecess, so we have had some good uptake in these sectors, he says.
"By assisting employers in making their workplaces welcoming and safe for people from LGBTI communities, we both increase the overall wellbeing of these groups and employers then get the benefit of a more engaged and productive workfroce, so it's a win-win situation."
Rainbow Tick certified organisations
ANZ Bank, ASB Bank, AUT University, Coca Cola Amatil (NZ), Fletcher Building, KPMG, Microsoft, Publicis Loyalty, Repromed Fertility Specialists, Russell McVeagh, Simpson Grierson, Sky City, Sovereign Insurance, Vector, Westpac.
Organisations currently going through the Rainbow Tick process
Auckland Council, AuSM, Bell Gully, BNZ, EY, Flick Electric, HRINZ, Human Rights Commission, Otago Polytech, PwC, St John Ambulance Service, Tower Insurance.