Affirmative Action

In 1980, NACEW began to discuss ways to ensure more equal opportunity for women in the workplace by establishing specific programmes. NACEW acknowledged the possible resistance to such programmes but still hoped to persuade employers to establish equal opportunities programmes for women and other disadvantaged groups.^[81] In 1982, the New Zealand Employers' Federation consulted with NACEW about their equal opportunity policy document. In 1984, the Department of Labour began the Positive Action Programme for Women to breakdown the occupational segregation by gender in the labour market. In its first year, the programmed encouraged women to consider training and employment in non-traditional areas of work and encouraged employers to provide them with opportunities. In 1985, the Minister of Employment presented equal employment opportunity awards to five businesses. Danna Glendining, the then chair of NACEW, convened the advisory panel for the award.

As part of the reorganisation in the state sector, all government departments were required to have an equal employment opportunities management plan by
1 April 1988. In 1991, the Equal Employment Opportunities Trust began, funded by the government and private sector employers, with the aim of promoting equal employment opportunities as a good management practice. The EEO Trust was reviewed three years later. NACEW noted that the Trust had undertaken valuable work with some employers and commented on the quality of the resources produced by the Trust. Increased funding to the Trust was seen as necessary to having greater involvement with small employers.