Bhreatnach said while New Zealand was not immune to global trends, she suggested New Zealanders could choose to follow them or not.
“New Zealand’s always had a unique approach, where we’ve got a history of trailblazers, and we’re always trying to drive that change and challenge ourselves to think about how we can do things differently.”
She cited US President Donald Trump’s executive order to terminate DEI targets in the federal workforce’s hiring and promoting processes as a move that undermined decades worth of progress.
Yesterday New Zealand First introduced a similar bill to “ensure employment decisions in the public service are based on merit and not on forced woke ‘diversity, equity, and inclusion’ targets,” leader and Deputy Prime Minister Winston Peters posted on X.
“There are some companies [globally] that are using the current context as an opportunity to backtrack,” Bhreatnach said.
“We’ve seen companies like the CEO from BlackRock, Larry Fink, go from saying DEI must be embedded into everything, to there being no references to DEI.”
Meta, owner of Facebook and Instagram, Alphabet, parent company of Google, Amazon, Goldman Sachs and McDonald’s were reportedly among companies in the US that had reduced or scrapped diversity initiatives.
But some companies had maintained their diversity stance, Bhreatnach pointed out.
“We’ve also seen attempts from shareholders to get the Apple board to abandon its DEI policies fail.
“They [Apple] put a lot of effort into creating a culture of collaboration where those diverse perspectives come together and create the magic. That is the success for their company.”
While the Apple shareholder proposal was rejected, CEO Tim Cook did suggest some of the technology company’s policies may require adjustment for legal reasons.
“As the legal landscape around this issue evolves, we may need to make some changes to comply, but our north star of dignity and respect for everyone and our work to that end will never waiver,” Cook said at Apple’s annual shareholder meeting last week.
Domestically, Bhreatnach was optimistic New Zealand business leaders would follow Cook’s lead.
“I think that New Zealand leaders are smart, and they will see that DEI is actually about ensuring talent has the opportunity to thrive.
“The businesses I engage with ... they see DEI not as a compliance exercise that takes away from business strategy. Rather, they see it as a strategic advantage.”
When asked at what priority level business executives and board members should place DEI, amid their core business, profitability, safety and climate priorities, she said DEI should be considered key.
“Having a great culture and talent, and also future talent strategy, I would suggest, is a key pillar for any successful business.
“Every organisation I’ve worked in has structured them differently.
“What really matters is the commitment to the clarity of your strategy and vision, and the commitment to executing it and driving it forward.”
Bhreatnach said organisations she had worked with previously had flexible work policies, pay equity targets and leadership programmes in place.
She was a director of the Global Women organisation for two years before becoming its chief executive in January 2025.
Her other roles included chair of The Trusts Arena, director of Dunedin Airport and council member at the tertiary education provider Te Wānanga o Aotearoa.
“In all those roles I’ve always bought a passion and commitment to uplifting, and accelerating diverse leadership,” she said of her career.
“Fundamentally, I want to be a good ancestor, and leave the world in a better place than how I inherited it.
“And so all of my roles, I’ve bought a drive to challenge the status quo.”
