Our people are the foundation for our continuing success. We encourage and value diversity and recognise it as a source of our competitive advantage - seeking out and fostering talent regardless of age, culture, race, gender, sexual orientation, religion, political views or physical ability.
To empower all our people to reach their full potential we embrace diversity and, in line with our values, we strive to build an inclusive, productive culture that respects and appreciates the individual and promotes the value they bring to the team.
Bell Gully is committed to providing an environment free from discrimination and this commitment is formalised in our policies, and more importantly, in how we work together. With merit as the basis for recruitment, development and promotion in the firm, we provide ongoing education and awareness-raising programmes for our people to ensure that everyone has an opportunity to realise their full potential.
Our programme is overseen by a Diversity and Inclusion Committee, with governance by our Board.
To help us achieve our diversity and inclusion objectives, we have joined a number of organisations to share our journey. We are active members of Diversity Works NZ and a supporting partner of
Global Women NZ. We are committed to achieving diverse and inclusive leadership and have pledged our support to Global Women’s “Champions for Change” initiative, launched in November 2015.
Our Women at Bell Gully programme actively promotes the development, success, and retention of women at all levels of the firm. This commitment to empowering women was recognised at the
2015 Euromoney Asia Women in Business Law Awards winning the Best Gender Diversity Initiative by a National Firm category, which was open to law firms throughout the region. This gender diversity initiative included defined targets for female participation at partner, board and senior management level.
Our LGBT network provides social and professional connections for LGBT staff and partners. In 2016 Bell Gully was proudly awarded the Rainbow Tick after demonstrating its strong commitment to ensuring inclusion and support of the LGBT community.
The firm was also recognised with a
White Camellia Award in 2014 and 2015. Awarded by UN Women National Committee Aotearoa NZ, Business and Professional Women of NZ, the Human Rights Commission, and Diversity Works NZ, the award recognises "organisations that have made the most progress in implementing the seven principles of the Women’s Empowerment Principles".
Our commitment was further recognised with a silver award at the
YWCA Equal Pay Awards in 2015 which acknowledges best practice among business leaders actively addressing equal pay within their organisations.
We believe that inclusion encompasses social responsibility and our community work reflects the varied interests and backgrounds of our people. We are committed to supporting diversity and inclusion within law, with our on-going mentoring programme to students of the
InZone Education Foundation.
Bell Gully are proud to have been certified with the Rainbow Tick and are signatories of the New Zealand Law Society’s Gender Equality Charter.
Read more about our community work.
