OPINION by Dr Troy Coyle, HERA CEO
As we celebrate Women’s Suffrage Day on 19 September 2024, it’s an opportunity to reflect on the critical role women play in shaping the future of engineering and construction.
This is a topic I’m very passionate about, and I’m honoured to be a panellist at the National Association of Women in Construction (NAWIC) event, celebrating wāhine who are driving change in our industry on this very day.
While we’re making strides, much more work remains to be done.
Diversity drives innovation
At HERA, we’ve always known that diverse teams lead to better outcomes. Diversity isn’t just a box to tick—it’s essential to fostering innovation and achieving success in a rapidly evolving industry. Within our Endeavour Fund supported Construction 4.0, project we’re seeing how diverse perspectives can drive new approaches and lead to more creative problem-solving.
It is why we are so proud to have recently achieved a significant milestone in our Structural Systems team—gender parity. This wasn’t a goal we set out to achieve explicitly, but by making a few key changes in how we recruit, we’ve proven that gender balance is not only possible, it’s powerful. Our introduction of flexible work environments, whānau-friendly leave options, inclusive job advertisements and a focus on potential has seen more female candidates apply for our roles.
The result has been gender parity in our leadership team, more wāhine on our board and now in our wider team.
Reaching those who aren’t listening
While we celebrate these wins, there’s a greater challenge ahead. Too often, those attending diversity-focused events already understand the importance of inclusion. Every time we lead conversations in this space, I notice that engagement is always low compared to other content we share. How do we reach those who aren’t in the room?
The reality is, the people who most need to hear the message of inclusion are often the ones not engaging in these conversations. Real progress requires us to go beyond the events and panels and embed diversity into every facet of our industry. It’s not enough to celebrate in our own echo chambers. We must actively engage those who resist change and demonstrate that fostering diversity isn’t just the right thing to do—it makes business sense.
Action, not just conversation
At HERA, we’re continuously working to create an inclusive environment where women, particularly wāhine Māori, can thrive. We’re proud of our diverse team, representing countries and cultures from New Zealand, Fiji, Iran, Ukraine, Turkey, India, Australia, Germany, Hungary, Serbia, and France.
But this isn’t the finish line. The future of engineering and construction depends on broadening the conversation and proving the tangible benefits of diversity. The more inclusive we are, the stronger and more innovative our industry becomes. If you are reading this in time – please register to attend the ‘We Belong’ event. I look forward to seeing you there. Event registration: https://events.humanitix.com/auckland-we-belong-women-pioneering-the-future-in-construction