Appendix One NBR Emails 1.pdf

From:
Fiona Rotherham
To:
[email address]; Andrew Holden - WLG
Subject:
NBR OIA request and media questions.
Date:
Monday, 3 April 2023 2:03:11 pm
Attachments:
NZTE OIA request and questions.docx
Hi attached is an OIA relating to the Mulberry St consultants report on diversity, culture and inclusion within NZTE’s investment
team.
Also I have some additional questions that I have crafted separately.
I would appreciate a reply to the questions by close of play Wednesday.
Thanks Fiona Rotherham
Fiona Rotherham: Senior journalist
Direct Lines9(2)(a)
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From:
Andrew Holden - WLG
To:
Fiona Rotherham
Subject:
RE: NBR inquiry
Date:
Wednesday, 5 April 2023 4:44:06 pm
Here you go, let me know if anything isn’t clear or you would like a background chat:
1.   Why were the Mulberry St consultants asked to look at the culture, diversity and inclusion of the investment team?
NZTE is committed to building a more diverse and inclusive workplace across all parts of our organisation. It launched a
Diversity & Inclusion strategy in April 2021.
NZTE is aware that the investment industry has a demographic profile weighted towards men, and there was a responsibility
to increase the diversity of our NZTE Investment team and make the team a more inclusive place to work. Since Dylan
Lawrence took over as General Manager, Investment, he has been able to develop a substantially more diverse team with
larger numbers of women, Māori and younger colleagues.
In early 2022, he commissioned Mulberry St to conduct a confidential piece of empathy research to listen to and further
understand the perspective of the females in the team.
The Investment team itself requested that the report results and findings be kept confidential to enable a full and frank
interview with Mulberry St, and then an open and transparent discussion within the team.
There were differing views expressed in the interviews, and differing views about the final report.
2.    Had there been complaints made by existing staff or those exiting?
No complaints have been registered with NZTE.
3.    What did the report find?
As described in the answer to question 1, the team itself asked that the report be kept confidential. Broadly, however, women
in leadership was too low; there was a feeling that words and actions were not aligned; and there was a need for more
flexibility for parents and clearer career progression for women. A high proportion of men in the leadership team was said by
some of the interviewees to have created the perception of a culture built around having to sh wcas  your strengths and wins
and hide your weaknesses.
These are what have driven the actions detailed in question 6.
4.    Was the summary report significantly different to the original report and, if so, how?
No, it was an accurate summary of the report’s findings but abbreviated by Mulberry St to ensure individuals could not be
identified, as requested by members of the Investment team.
5.    Did the report look at team expenditure – in particular offsite events, the venue, length of time, and credit card
expenses? Also did it look at travel expenditure by the team?
No, that was not part of its brief.
6.    What action has been taken over its findings, if any? If nothing, why not?
A number of changes have been made as a direct result of the findings in the report. NZTE acknowledges changes and actions
are ongoing and that the job is by no means completed.
Greater diversity has been achieved at the leadership level, and there is an ongoing focus on creating a more inclusive work
environment and addressing some of the findings in the report.
Initial actions include:
-   All Investment Leadership team made aware of report findings. Workshop on findings and discussion on
leadership approach was undertaken at Investment Leadership level to ensure awareness and ownership of the
issues raised;
-   Communication f om GM Investment to wider team acknowledging report findings and statement of intent for
way forwar ;
-   Structura  changes to the Investment Lead Team makeup, reducing the number roles reporting to the GM,
Investment, and in turn creating new leadership roles. These changes were made, in part, to create greater career
under the Official Information Act 1982
pathways for female talent, and to give the GM, Investment, more capacity to work on strategic matters,
including the issues raised in this report;
-   Deliberate recruitment efforts designed to provide for greater gender diversity were implemented, for example
ensuring gender diversity on shortlists. NZTE has now achieved 45%:55% women:/en gender representation at
the Investment Lead Team level;
-   Developing more inclusive ways to undertake team activity;
-   A commitment to reinforcing performance and development practices, to ensure quality career conversations are
held, including discussions around career pathways;
Released
-   A discussion has been held with all women within the team who have part-time roles to ensure that any
performance review takes this into account. A flexible working environment is encouraged at NZTE.

7.    There have been allegations of a culture led by Dylan Lawrence that has been described as “laddish” and “bullying”. There
is said to be an in-crowd that is treated differently to others and where taxpayer-funded offsite work-related events
involve a lot of alcohol consumption and also take part over a number of days when the strategy work from it could have
been carried out in just one day. What is NZTE’s response to that?
NZTE rejects this description of the culture of the Investment team.  NZTE has a zero-tolerance approach to bullying and there
have been no complaints of this nature.

All team meetings abide by NZTE’s internal policies, which strictly control expenditure. The last offsite for the Investment
team, the first to be held since the start of the COVID-19 pandemic, was held in a surf club, with accommodation at a local
motor camp. One of the days was spent on a marae, the team engaging in a broader kaupapa Māori understanding. The
theme for the offsite was Re-Connecting with our work, re-connecting with each other and reconnecting as a strong Te Tiriti
partner.
8.    I’ve seen an OIA request by Sarah M which asked for figures on how many women have left NZTE’s investment team since
the report was completed, including those that shifted to other NZTE roles. The OIA request reply seems to say 58 which
seems huge – is that correct? Could you provide those figures in a form that is more easily understood than the reply to
her OIA request. Also what has been the overall staff turnover in the investment team in the past three years.
NZTE takes great pride in the fact that members of the Investment team have left for significant roles externally. For example,
Nadine Hill was featured in an article in the Sunday-Star Times this week highlighting women leaders in venture capital.
58 was the total number of people who formed the Investment team as at June 30. The turnover since the survey was 21
people. The majority were men, 12, with 8 women and 1 who had ticked ‘prefer not to disclose’.
The average tenure in the Investment team of those people exiting was over three years, and they were all going on to great
roles, indicative of opportunities across the investment sector.
Investment team staff turnover in FY 21/22:  33%*
  FY 20/21: 21.3%
  FY 19/20: 12.9%
(*In line with substantial job movement within NZ post Covid lockdowns, ie ‘the Great Resignation’.)
9.     What has been the reduction in the number of direct reports to the GM of investment and what was that aimed at
achieving?
The current number of direct reports is 8. The number was 11 as at June 2022, 12 at June 2021 and 10 at June 2020 and 2019.
The number of direct reports for any of NZTE’s General Managers fluctuates according to the organisation’s strategic
priorities. The reason for the reduction for the GM Investment is explained in the answer to question 6
10.   How many people are in the investment team and what is the gender split. What is the gender split in the investment
lead team?
Investment Lead Team: 5 men, 4 women including the GM
Investment Team, not including the LT member: 21 men, 21 women
11.   What improvements have been made to ensure diversity, transparency and inclusion?
Please refer to answers to question 6.
12.   What is the overall budget for the investment team and what accountability is there for team social event expenditure in
terms of the money spent, venues chosen?
The Investment team follows the same delegations and internal policies, w ich detail permitted expenditure on social events
and team meetings, as all other teams within NZTE, and all expenditure is monitored by NZTE’s Finance and Business
Assurance teams.
13.   Is the investment team run as a completely separate unit to NZTE and is the culture different to the rest of NZTE?
No, the Investment team operates in the same manner as a l other teams within NZTE, and follows NZTE’s policies and
practices, guided by NZTE’s characters. You can find the e here.

From: Fiona Rotherham <[email address]>
Sent: Tuesday, 4 April 2023 4:36 pm
To: Melissa Trochon - WLG <[email address]>; Andrew Holden - WLG <[email address]>
Subject: NBR inquiry

Hi the email I sent yesterday boun ed back just now so I’m resending the two emails.
One is an OIA and the other questi ns. I presume Melissa will deal with one and Andrew the other.
Thanks Fiona

Fiona Rotherham: Senior  ournalist
under the Official Information Act 1982
Direct Line: s9(2)(a)
| Mobile: s9(2)(a)
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From:
Fiona Rotherham
To:
Melissa Trochon - WLG; Andrew Holden - WLG
Subject:
NBR inquiry
Date:
Tuesday, 4 April 2023 4:36:44 pm
Attachments:
NZTE questions.docx
Hi the email I sent yesterday bounced back just now so I’m resending the two emails.
One is an OIA and the other questions. I presume Melissa will deal with one and Andrew the other.
Thanks Fiona

Fiona Rotherham: Senior journalist
Direct Line: s9(2)(a)
| Mobile: s9(2)(a)

under the Official Information Act 1982
Released

From:
Melissa Trochon - WLG
To:
Fiona Rotherham
Cc:
Andrew Holden - WLG
Subject:
RE: NBR OIA request
Date:
Wednesday, 5 April 2023 8:55:00 am
Hello Fiona,

Thank you for resending your email, which didn’t come through to me initially, however Andrew had alerted me to it.

You have made a request to NZTE under the Official Information Act 1983 for:

“a copy of the work completed by Mulberry St consultants for NZTE and also a copy of the summary report that was shared with
the investment team.
Also under the OIA I want to know how much the report cost and who commissioned it. Also I request copies of correspondence,
including emails, relating to the Mulberry report from, May 18 2022 to July 25 2022. Plus details of any meetings with government
ministers or officials to discuss the report and the issue – when the meetings were, who was there and where they took place.”

In accordance with the Act, NZTE will make a decision on your request as soon as reasonably practicable and within 20 working
days of 03 April 2023. The latest date for a decision on your request is 4 May 2023.

Kind regards,
Melissa

From: Fiona Rotherham <[email address]>
Sent: Tuesday, 4 April 2023 4:37 pm
To: Andrew Holden - WLG <[email address]>; Melissa Trochon - WLG <[email address]>
Subject: NBR OIA request

Hopefully this gets through this time.
Fiona

Fiona Rotherham: Senior journalist
Direct Line: s9(2)(a)
| Mobile: s9(2)(a)

under the Official Information Act 1982
Released