Emerging from this year’s Accord Summit held at the Pipitea Marae in Wellington, Josie FitzGerald was both energised and hopeful about the future of diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) within the engineering and architecture professions despite the challenging times we’re navigating in the sector.
The Summit’s opening pōwhiri, held within the whare at Pipitea Marae, created a profound sense of community and belonging, a living embodiment of what The Diversity Agenda strives to achieve. Josie highlighted the special atmosphere created by the setting, which is deeply connected to te ao Māori and the whenua, echoing MC Pio Terei’s message that all who belong to Aotearoa are part of Māori culture, and everything we do is underpinned by the land.
Attendees were intentionally grouped by their organisation’s DEI journey stage and size, sparking rich kōrero, and culminating in varied, actionable outcomes tailored to each group. Josie noted this approach recognised the diverse realities of our members, from global firms embedding DEI as a strategic pillar to smaller companies exploring how to foster belonging and flexible work. This created space for candid sharing, collaboration, learning, and a collective sense of influence and contribution across the sector.
Josie acknowledged the complex but valuable exchange that accompanies the bringing together of large international organisations with smaller businesses. She emphasised that learning from one another benefits the entire sector, regardless of company size. Despite ongoing sector challenges, such as some practices still operating four-day working weeks and economic headwinds, Josie observed a resilient optimism and a collective commitment to uphold DEI values.
The positivity of attendees was evident in their commitment to taking meaningful actions focused on people, retention, and building equitable workplaces. Josie noted that the community remains dedicated to advancing the mahi of The Diversity Agenda, even in this tough economic climate.
Reflecting on the Diversity Agenda Insights Report 2025, Josie observed that while women’s overall representation in leadership remained steady, those in senior leadership roles had declined by nearly five per cent. However, despite this disappointing reduction, she is cautiously optimistic that the increasing number of women in people leadership (which has a much larger volume than senior leadership) signals progress in building a robust leadership pipeline, with more women advancing and being retained at mid to senior level. She says this “building the bench” is a source of encouragement for the future.
Allyship featured strongly in conversations at the Summit and was supported by a balanced gender representation among attendees. Josie emphasised that true allyship demands deliberate, courageous action from leaders with power to support underrepresented groups.
Josie acknowledged the challenging geopolitical climate, particularly for globally connected organisations. Despite this, she observed that most are holding the line and maintaining their commitments to inclusive language and strong support for their people. She expressed confidence that New Zealanders remain steadfast in championing inclusive environments locally.
The sector’s attractiveness was highlighted in a recent Randstad survey, which ranked construction and engineering as the third most appealing field in New Zealand. Josie sees this as reinforcing the Summit’s retention focus and an opportunity and responsibility to build workplaces where everyone feels they belong, can envision a positive career path, and see their values reflected. She noted that many are drawn to the sector because it offers the potential to make a positive impact on communities and encouraged attendees to develop “a living breathing retention plan that centres on the experiences of your people” and is based around real data and honest conversations. “As leaders, ask yourselves who is leaving? Why are they leaving? What would make them stay? How are we looking after the people we already have? Do they see themselves reflected in leadership? Do they believe they can get there? Because the future of the profession doesn’t just depend on who we bring in, it depends on who we keep.”
MC Pio Terei’s advice to “get curious, not furious” when confronted with challenging opinions, and his callout regarding belonging – if you’re part of Aoteaora New Zealand, you’re part of Māori culture and everything comes back to the whenua – were well placed. Josie acknowledged how fitting these words were in the Summit’s setting at Pipitea Marae, which reinforced the connection between the sector’s work, te āo Māori, and the environment. She felt it was a beautiful way to bind the mahi of The Diversity Agenda, and a call to purpose: “Some years are for big leaps; others are for digging in. After the challenges of recent years, 2025 is a year for holding the line and that’s not failure, it is resilience. When we hold to our values, even under pressure, we protect the ground we launch from next. Optimism is not soft; it’s strong. It allows us to believe in our fellow citizens, imagine solutions to our greatest challenges, hold on to hope when others let go, and keep building a future worth working for.”
Josie described this year’s Accord Summit as a powerful affirmation of the ongoing, collective journey toward a more inclusive, equitable, and connected sector in which everyone feels safe and valued in their workplace, so that the world is as diverse and inspiring as the people in it. Her message to attendees was clear: “You are part of the future. You’re not just designing buildings or infrastructure, you’re designing culture. You’re not just hiring staff, you’re shaping systems. Your commitment to The Diversity Agenda is keeping us at the forefront of DEI globally and every time you choose inclusion, every time you champion someone who isn’t yet at the table, every time you say we can do better, you’re proving that optimism is alive and well in our industry.”
