Diversity and Inclusion

At The Warehouse Group we are committed to providing a work environment where every team member can bring their whole self to work. We recognise and value different skills, ability and experiences and where people are treated fairly in order to attract and retain talented people who will contribute to the achievement of TWG’s corporate objectives.

Our initiatives

Cultural education

We work with Precious Clark, MD of Maurea Consulting, to train our leadership team in immersive courses covering te reo Māori, Māori history and how to incorporate more te reo Māori into their day-to-day lives. Precious also supports us as a sounding board for our internal and external events relating to Māori culture, ensuring that our tone, actions and intentions are culturally appropriate.

LGBTIQ+ inclusion and support

We recognise that the best business outcomes start with a team that feels engaged, welcomed and free to bring their whole selves to work. We’ve long been a supporter of the LGBTIQ community, and with our Rainbow Tick certification, we are formally recognised as such.

Every year we play a role in Pride events to show our support to the LGBTIQ+ community in our organisation and beyond through sponsorship of Big Gay Out and Pride Parades in Wellington and Auckland.

We were one of the first major organisation in New Zealand to have a formal gender transition policy, and we work to support our team choosing to undergo the transition by developing a personalised plan to ensure they feel supported and heard throughout the process. All team members are able to use the name and gender of choice and can alter this themselves via our payroll system.

Breastfeeding policy

We care about ensuring all of our customers, including parents and carers, feel comfortable within our stores. We want all mothers to know that they’re welcome to breastfeed in The Warehouse stores, and all parents and carers are invited to utilise our changing rooms to take care of the needs of their young ones.

Diversity & Inclusion Communities

We believe Diversity & Inclusion Communities have a key role to play in helping formulate and implement TWG’s D&I strategy. Each D&I Community has the best insights and experience to guide how we can ensure that people feel comfortable bringing their whole self to work and that TWG embraces any and all differences.

Learning and development

Our internal Learning & Development platform is the first stop for our team members looking to expand their knowledge and sharpen their skills. From courses on management development to mental health, wellbeing and inclusion, our team has a library of developmental courses to choose from for free training.

We are proud that our new onboarding programme offers a pōwhiri (welcome) in te reo and also integrates bilingual information whilst sharing knowledge. Additionally, we are continuing to build on incorporating te reo as a standard practice within all our learning programmes.

Accessibility

We believe a diverse, inclusive and accessible workplace brings out the best in our people. That’s why we’re committed to creating an environment where all team members feel safe and confident to bring their whole selves to work. With approximately one in four New Zealanders limited by a physical, sensory or learning disability, mental health or other challenges, this touches all aspects of our business.

We've recently partnered with Access Advisors, a pan-disability provider whose purpose is to support businesses to make their workplaces more accessible and inclusive for people with disabilities, whether they are team members or customers. We have been working with Access Advisors to achieve the Accessibility Tick, solidifying our commitment to this journey.

Stay tuned for more information on our work in the accessibility space.

Our cultural celebrations

Throughout the year we host internal events for our team members around our stores, our distribution centres and our Store Support Office. With 13,000 team members around the country, we feel we have a duty to not only celebrate the various cultures and ethnicities that encompass our organisation but to educate others as well.