Diversity, inclusion and belonging

Our vision is enhanced health and wellbeing for all. We are committed to creating a workplace where everyone belongs, and where people feel valued, connected, and included.

Greater diversity and inclusion allows us to harness a range of ideas, insights and perspectives to help us serve our communities better. Being inclusive means all opinions are valued and considered across different genders, race or ethnicities, sexual orientations, religious affiliations, and across neurodiversity, personality types or thinking styles.

Creating a place where everyone belongs is key to Manaaki Ora, our strategic road map. By embracing all those who are on our waka, we can create a Hato Hone St John that reflects the diverse communities we serve, empowers our people to be their authentic self and to deliver the best health and wellbeing outcomes for everyone in Aotearoa.

Pride Parade 2023

Celebrating diversity in our community

Enjoying special occasions like Matariki and getting behind events such as Samoan Language Week, Neurodiversity Celebration Week and Māori Language Week are just some of the ways we celebrate diversity in our community. It’s a chance for us to connect and learn from each another as well as have a lot of fun!

Te Wiki o te Reo Māori – Māori Language Week

Every year, we celebrate Te Wiki o te Reo Māori (Māori Language Week) as part of our commitment to keeping te reo Māori strong for future generations.

Kahui Mauaka (our Māori Responsiveness Team) leads online classes, making learning fun with exciting activities.

Supporting our rainbow communities

We have a proud history of supporting and being involved with Pride Festivals throughout New Zealand, including the Auckland Pride Parade, Big Gay Out, Queenstown Winter Pride Festival, the Wellington International Pride Parade, and more.

Look for us at the next rainbow event in your community.

Celebrating language weeks

This year was the first time Hato Hone St John Celebrated Language Weeks nationally and held events in some of our main offices. We are committed to build on this and encourage individuals and teams across the motu to celebrate their identity and bring their whole selves to work.

Our plan for continued improvement

Our diversity, equity and inclusion plan, Aka kanorau is carefully crafted to ensure that we encourage, respect, and embrace the diversity of many different voices which guides how we deliver health services day-to-day. Here’s how we are creating an environment where everyone belongs.

Diverse recruitment and growth opportunities

We will continue to identify development gaps and provide growth opportunities, and to improve inclusive recruitment and onboarding practices.

Inclusive leadership and culture

We will champion a culture where everyone is valued, and all voices are heard.

Biculturalism

We will demonstrate our commitment to Māori talent as tangata whenua, the unique role of Māori expertise in health equity, and promote recruitment and career development opportunities.

Get the basics right

We will gather accurate data, grow our knowledge of diversity, equity and inclusion, ensure our policies, processes and systems are inclusive, and ensure best practice.

Our accreditations and memberships

Rainbow Tick certified

In 2017, we became the first emergency service in New Zealand to gain Rainbow Tick certification.

Learn more

Pride Pledge
This is a commitment we have made to the safety, visibility and inclusion of the rainbow members of our community and workforce.

Learn more

Member of Diversity Works NZ

We are proud members of New Zealand’s national body for workplace diversity and inclusion.

Learn more

Member of New Zealand Disability Employers’ Network

We are proud members of a collective of employers playing an active part in supporting disabled and neurodiverse people to succeed in their communities.

Learn more

Dedicated groups within Hato Hone St John

Our commitment to being inclusive, equitable and diverse means we have teams or groups dedicated to these areas, including:

A Diversity, Inclusion and Belonging team who work closely with all parts of the organisation.
A Māori governance group (Tahuhu Komiti) and a network of advisors for hauora Māori (Kahuhi Mauaka) who have a key role shaping policy and procedures and educating our staff.
An active Diversity and Inclusion Network, chaired by the Diversity, Equity and Inclusion Lead and with portfolios including Māori, Pasifika, Rainbow, Youth, Women, Asian, Faith, Other Ethnic Minorities, Mature Workers, and People with Access Needs.