The Auckland Community Law Centre has won Governance New Zealand's Women in Governance - Organisation of the Year award for 2017.

The award was one of a number presented for Women in Governance in Auckland on 18 May 2017.

The award judges said the Community Law Centre “demonstrated good insight into the barriers hindering women and how they can provide solutions to overcome these. Their successful mentoring programme is producing great results, with more women skilled and capable in the areas of governance and leadership.”

Co-manager of the Law Centre, Darryn Aitchison, says diversity has always been central to achieving its goals.

“The justice system is vast and complex, and it impacts the lives of women in distinct ways: research confirms women experience more legal problems, and more complex legal problems than men.  To improve access to justice for women we need a diverse range of female voices in the conversation," he says.

Law Centre chairperson Jacqueline Lethbridge, a partner with Lowndes, was a finalist in the Emerging Leader award. She says the current Law Centre Board includes women from diverse cultural, social and professional backgrounds, being lawyers an non-lawyers, social sector practitioners and private business owners, Māori and non-Māori.

The Centre says it has several new initiatives to help to further promote gender diversity within workplaces and the legal profession. A service designed to support charitable organisations will promote gender diversity by helping to modernise governance and HR processes.  A new pro bono service will include equitable briefing practices, which will help ensure women litigators get opportunities to advance their careers.

Minter Ellison Rudd Watts was a finalist in the Organisation of the Year award.