NZDF’s sexual ethics training scheme wins NZ Diversity Award
The New Zealand Defence Force’s Sexual Ethics and Respectful Relationships (SERR) training has won the Emerging Diversity and Inclusion category and the overall award at the 2018 Diversity Awards NZ.
The SERR training was developed by the New Zealand Defence Force (NZDF) in 2017 as a preventative education initiative to help build a foundation for greater diversity and inclusion. It was an early initiative of the Operation Respect programme, launched by the NZDF in 2016 to combat inappropriate and harmful behaviour, including sexual violence.
About 12,000 NZDF staff have completed SERR training, which educates staff about consent, identifying behaviour that is inappropriate for a professional workplace, how to deal with it, and how to intervene when people see it happening to others.
Diversity Works New Zealand chief executive Rachel Hopkins said the NZDF initiative focused on one of the most topical issues facing workplaces today, creating genuine social change with a simple training strategy delivered to a large workforce in a very short timeframe.
Chief of Defence Force Air Marshal Kevin Short said the NZDF was delighted to have won the category and top award at the 2018 Diversity Awards NZ.
“We know we still have work to do and that changing culture takes time,” Air Marshal Short said. “This is an organisational priority for us and our people are telling us it’s making a difference.
“The NZDF is taking seriously its duty of care to keep our people safe.’’
