Achieving gender parity in senior leadership remains slow. Here's 3 ways to accelerate progress

As a long-time board member, I’ve learned a lot about the difference a well-functioning board can make to the success of an organisation. I’m currently a Chair/Trustee for a national not-for-profit (NFP) that helps young people to thrive, develop confidence and positively contribute to our communities. It’s wonderful to see what can be achieved for our young people through an organisation with an effective board and team. Based on my own experiences, these are my tips for NFP board members. Align your board appointments with causes you are passionate about For most NFPs, board members are unpaid, so being personally aligned with the purpose of the entity is essential to keep you motivated and engaged. Volunteers who lack engagement won’t add value to the charity’s mission, purpose and overall impact. If you don’t feel strongly about the cause, leave the board position for someone who has the passion needed to be productive and enjoy their role. Foster a positive environment where everyone can express their opinions If nobody is willing to speak up with different opinions and ideas, you will make very little progress. Equally unhelpful, but more stressful, is a meeting filled with conflict, where everybody disagrees and no consensus can be reached. You need to find a balance. All boards will have times where there isn’t consensus. The key to achieving a resolution starts with everyone feeling comfortable about expressing their opinions regardless of whether they’re popular. This involves creating a safe environment where everyone has the freedom to be authentic and bring their true opinion to the table. I have personally experienced times where there have been disagreements among board members. When this happens, everyone needs time to express their views, and to respect everyone’s differences in opinion. This way, a consensus is reached faster, and when everyone supports the final decision it’s an extremely positive experience. If you bring a problem, also bring a solution It’s not uncommon to sit on a board or committee with someone who likes to turn up and throw a problem or two on the table. This negativity will make everyone else feel like there’s an extra weight on their shoulders as they try to solve the problem. A far more powerful and productive approach is to by all means raise your issue, but also put some thoughts together about potential solutions to show that you are willing to work collaboratively as a team to find a resolution. Encourage diversity of thought Diversity isn’t just about ticking boxes. It’s not about ‘Do we have a woman on the board?’. It’s about ‘Is the person opposite me going to challenge me? Are they going to bring different perspectives and see the issues through a different lens?’. Look for people who fill gaps in thinking or perspective to help represent various points of view, so you can cover as many angles as possible and ultimately get the most out of every discussion. Roll up your sleeves and get involved Boards for large businesses might be purely strategic. But NFP boards need more than just top-level engagement. As a charity trustee board member, expect to roll up your sleeves and delve into operations from time to time. If your approach is, ‘That’s not really the role of the board, I don’t want to help with that,’ you’re not likely to win any friends as the rest of the board members knuckle down and start working on day-to-day problems. It can also give you some useful insights into the culture and operations of the organisation. Be prepared for each meeting When board members arrive at a meeting without doing their homework, it means they’re not able to contribute fully to the conversation. Ensure you are prepared for every meeting, whether that’s having ticked off your to-do list, read the paperwork, or researched the topics that are up for discussion. And it’s not enough to be physically present, you also need to be mentally present and engaged. If you’re daydreaming or playing wordle during meetings, you’re not bringing much value to the organisation. You also need to be prepared to dig deeper and go beyond what is presented to you. For example are you following the board’s rules and workplan? Or, is there anything missing from the agenda that you need to raise? Follow through on your commitments Board members who turn up at each meeting having ‘forgotten’ to do what they promised impact the whole group. Be accountable and reliable: if you say you’re going to do something, get it done. It’s hard to push volunteers to complete work; the charity has no leverage to make you achieve everything on your task list. It falls on you to walk the talk, do what you have promised, and cast a positive leadership shadow. Be selective when recruiting new members Recruiting for an unpaid position can mean small charities take whoever they can get. However, ideally you don’t want to simply sign up the first person who expresses an interest. A bad apple will rapidly make the whole board dysfunctional. Try using a formal skills matrix to identify areas where the board needs extra expertise, then recruit for those specific skillsets. This has the added benefit of everyone knowing their position on the field, so to speak. For example, on my current Board financial issues come to me; legal issues to the lawyer; HR issues to the HR expert. It creates clear roles and happier board members. You can also trial prospective members. Try to find out if they will be a good fit, by inviting them to a meeting to see whether they’re prepared, engaged and passionate. Use trustee rotation for fresh perspectives There should be an exit strategy for board members as it will need fresh blood, the members may want to move on, and it provides an opportunity to disestablish members who aren’t bringing value to the organisation. New members prevent the board from becoming stale, bring in new ideas, and provide extra knowledge and skills. Getting it right leads to better outcomes for everyone As a trustee I have found my board role extremely rewarding. You can make a big impact on the community by donating your time and professional expertise. If you can get it right, being on a well-functioning board will be an enjoyable experience for you and your co-trustees, boosting your personal development and driving better performance and outcomes for a cause you are passionate about.

Most Kiwi businesses are keen to reduce their carbon footprint – but the cost can be prohibitive. Unfortunately, the environmentally-friendly option isn’t always the cheapest. It would be wonderful to see the Government step in and provide affordable financing for decarbonising the business sector, because we know this could work. There is the GIDI fund, but this is typically for large projects ($300,000 plus) being undertaken by major manufacturers and processors. There isn’t much available for the vast number of small and medium enterprises that make up the majority of Kiwi businesses. Our major banks, though, have stepped up to provide some options. There are now sustainable lending products available to qualifying business borrowers of all sizes, with lower interest rates for projects that will improve your company’s sustainability and/or carbon footprint. These can be a win-win-win: they help your business cut emissions, support the bank’s own sustainability targets, and they improve national energy efficiency. 8 types of projects that are likely to qualify The major banks all offer sustainability-linked loans and while their criteria differ, these are typically the eight types of projects that will meet the eligibility criteria at some or all of those lenders: Energy efficiency improvements. Investment in products and technology that will reduce energy consumption, such as switching from incandescent or halogen lighting to LEDs. Green buildings. This might include installing a digital energy management system or retrofitting a more efficient heating and ventilation system. Waste minimisation. Adhering to the principals of a circular economy by designing out waste at every stage of a product’s life cycle. This might mean using more recycled materials in packaging for instance, or making the product more recyclable at end of life. A loan could fund new equipment or materials, or go towards changing the manufacturing process. Process heat. Typically converting boilers from coal or natural gas to a cleaner energy source such as biomass or electricity. Renewable energy. Generating green energy; usually installing solar panels. Clean transportation. Switching from internal combustion engine vehicles to fully electric vehicles (EVs). This could also include resources to make the change such as installing EV chargers. Sustainable land use. Restorative agriculture, forestry and fisheries. Sustainable water. Investing in ways to reduce the use of water in manufacturing processes or reducing contaminants reaching our waterways. Much like with mortgage lending, every bank has a slightly different approach, so it pays to research each lender’s criteria and terms before you apply for a loan. Set yourself up for borrowing success All the major banks have certain conditions for sustainable loans that go beyond the basic box-ticking. Again, this varies widely. But to give you the best chance of a ‘yes’ on your loan application, you should be ready for two additional homework projects. First, several banks want to see the impact the project will have on your company’s carbon emissions. Unless your business is sizeable, they won’t expect an independent audit of your emissions – this is not only expensive but there aren’t many people qualified to carry out this type of work. However, you can use a free calculator like Climate Toolbox and Cogo to give you a baseline carbon footprint, and then recalculate it to demonstrate to the bank how much difference your project will make. While not official, banks also understand frameworks like B Corp which shows you have done your homework and are making a serious attempt. The Climate Action Toolbox may also be helpful. These calculators won’t be perfect, but they will be enough to provide an estimate of the impact. Second, the bank may also want to see how your proposed project fits into your wider business strategy. What is the long-term vision for the business and how will improving sustainability help this? Are you aiming to attract new customers, retain market share, or boost the company’s resilience? If you’re applying for a loan, being able to show the bank how the project fits into your wider strategy will make you a much better lending proposition. How much could you save with a sustainable loan? Is it worth jumping through a few hoops at the bank to secure a sustainable loan? It might be. The typical saving could be between 0.5% and 1.5% on what your interest rate would otherwise be. That rate will be determined by your quality as a borrower. Let’s say you’re planning to borrow $800,000 to buy new EVs to replace your company cars, and you’re expecting to keep the EVs for three years. If the standard business loan you can secure is 12%, here’s how much difference a 1% interest rate discount could make: Loan amount Interest rate Total payment Total interest Difference $800,000 12% $956,572.12 $156,572 0 $800,000 11% $942,875.05 $142,875 -$13,697 That saving of roughly $13,700 is already significant, but if you then replace the EVs again on another loan, after 12 years you’ll have saved nearly $55,000. On a much smaller project, the savings are lower but still helpful. Say your standard loan rate is 13%, and you want to borrow $50,000 to install solar panels on your building. These last a while, so your term might be 5 years. Loan amount Interest rate Total payment Total interest Difference $50,000 13% $89,586.44 $16,733 0 $50,000 12% $86,082.57 $15,227 -$1,506 Once you add that $1,506 to the savings you’ll make on energy costs, the solar panels start to look like a better investment. Run the numbers and talk to someone who knows the market Sustainable loans are relatively new, so banks are still finding their feet on how to lend and who can borrow. Run the numbers and start thinking about whether your current bank is going to be on board with your project. For example, a push to electrify your fleet of company cars will meet the sustainability criteria for most banks. However, what about replacing older EVs with new EVs? This will not reduce your company’s carbon footprint, so is it an eligible project for a loan? Some major banks say yes, others say no. Talking to someone who understands the sustainable loan market will help you match your project to the best-fit lender. The more affordable funding available, the more quickly we can help decarbonise Aotearoa and reach our climate change targets – which is good news for everyone in New Zealand.

Post-election 2023, can we expect to see our newly formed Government acting on their campaign cries of supporting a “health system that’s in crisis”? Or is it time for the industry to more actively participate in its own rescue? Either way, the time for action was yesterday – today, we are at risk of the state of our healthcare system being treated as business as usual. So, apart from healthcare professionals working in a perpetual crisis that’s stymying innovation, as well as the time and energy they need to truly transform the sector – what else is holding the primary healthcare sector back from change? A recent report issued in August 2023, Lifeline for Health, Meeting New Zealand’s need for General Practitioners, by Emeritus Professor Des Gorman and Dr Murray Horn, suggests the solution lies in transforming funding models. The authors’ comments about primary care being funded on an activity-based model resonated the greatest with me. The cries for additional funding across the healthcare system have been heard loud and clear, with more than enough evidence to justify this. However, if more money is tagged to more activity, how does a healthcare system already stretched from a human resource point of view improve outcomes – or the wellbeing of our healthcare professionals - by engaging in more activity? The report suggests behaviours and outcomes barely differ between a capitated funding system versus a fee-for-service model that previously existed in New Zealand, thereby challenging future health ministers to be bold and innovative. The report’s authors recommend, ‘the “health system” must focus more on outcomes and value.’ They also acknowledge this would mean a reduced rate of investment in hospitals and hospital care, while focussing more funding on primary care. This makes perfect sense - investment in prevention and early detection of major illness will require less hospital funding for a healthy, well-looked after nation. Prevention is less expensive than the cure. And, General Practitioners can take heart, as the report reiterates the importance of the role of good primary care in a well-functioning health system, re-affirming their role as ‘specialists’. The sector needs to support and financially incentivise specialist GPs to be the architects of their future and lead an innovative, sustained transformation. They need to be empowered to focus their expertise and efforts on improving health outcomes in the long term, rather than being underpinned by a ‘fee for service’ system that leads to more activity, stretched resources and poorer health outcomes for Kiwis. A quick look back at history History tells us drastic overhauls of public systems are achievable. In the 1990’s our accident compensation system was facing a crisis. The looming tail of investment required to fund both current claims in any one year, plus the ongoing funding required for historical claims was becoming unsustainable. The system was in dire need of transformation and many thought it could not be done. Despite the stop-start process of privatisation - and unravelling of privatisation - and a blowout in debt in the next decade, strident efforts to manage claims better on a fully funded model, coupled with the prudent investment of funds, ACC turned its fortunes around to become one of the largest investment funds in the country. No system supporting health will be completely perfect, but as with ACC, if hard calls are made, it can be turned around to deliver better outcomes. Time to be bold, not just tinker around the edges To date successive governments haven’t attempted to offer truly revolutionary solutions such as social insurance models which could be the way out of the current dilemma. Social insurance schemes such as those established in Switzerland, France, and the Netherlands, focus on funding for the long term. The fear in New Zealand in the past when these schemes have been suggested, is that it is a move to privatising the health system. However, the reality is, the majority of primary healthcare services here in New Zealand are already delivered by private providers. This leaves the current financial risks associated with funding primary care sitting with the private sector, which will only encourage primary providers to vote with their feet; and when the financial viability of their business is declining, difficult decisions will be made that will impact many communities. In the meantime, let’s harvest the low hanging fruit The new Government’s promises to establish a third medical school, increase medical placements at Otago University, establish satellite training centres in regional areas, and training alliances to deliver more doctors to rural parts of the country are all welcome. Those promises need to be followed up with a more structured process for managing the careers of those trainees to ensure that they do stay in New Zealand. We need to incentivise over 50% of current trainees to commit to working in general practice in the longer term, if the current primary care workforce is to be maintained, let alone grow to accommodate future population growth. If the new Government follows through on its partial student loan repayment and bonding plans for midwives and nurses, it is at least starting to show a commitment to help build up the primary care workforce.