populations from Asian, Middle Eastern, Latin American and African backgrounds. The resource, Best Practice Principles: CALD Cultural Competency Standards and Framework (June 2013) was developed by Sue Lim and Dr Annette Mortensen.24 It includes information about CALD populations and why it is important for health care managers and staff to promote diversity and demonstrate cultural competence. The best practice principles are the latest in a series of CALD health initiatives which include training courses, an online forum and website. Other District Health Boards are taking similar steps, and this year the Canterbury District Health Board published a report paving the way for improved delivery of health programmes to CALD populations in Canterbury.25 During 2013, a team from the Department of Primary Healthcare and General Practice at the Otago University Wellington School of Medicine26 has been conducting research into the use of interpreters in health consultations. They have produced a toolkit on interpreter use for doctors and are conducting research into real-life interpreter use during GP visits. Public service workforce addresses inequality Aotearoa New Zealand’s growing ethnic diversity is yet to be reflected in many workplaces; however, one significant part of the workforce does come close to matching the make-up of our population – the public service. The latest Human Resource Capability survey27 from the State Services Commission shows that the ethnic composition of the public service workforce broadly resembles that of the working-age population, with slightly higher representation among Mäori and Pacific people. Despite this ethnic diversity, significant gaps still exist in the public sector. While the proportion of Mäori senior leaders has increased (up from 7.7 per cent in 2009 to 11.2 per cent in 2013), Mäori, Asian and Pacific people are still underrepresented in senior leadership roles. Mäori, Pacific and Asian public servants are more likely to be employed in lower paid occupations. In 2013, Mäori and Asian employees faced an 11.2 per cent pay gap while Pacific peoples faced a 19.4 per cent pay gap when compared to the rest of the public service workforce. Responses to a questionnaire sent by the Human Rights Commission to all government departments in 2013 indicated levels of representation in senior roles and ethnic pay gaps vary considerably across departments. When it comes to the representation of Mäori, for 32 example, some departments are much more successful than others at attracting, retaining and promoting Mäori staff. Other departments have lower proportions of Mäori staff in general, and in many cases there are indicators of occupational segregation with departments attracting Mäori into lower paid occupations but failing to provide career progression into senior and better paid roles. Addressing workforce inequalities is a growing priority for many government departments. For example, this year the Ministry of Education introduced new teaching scholarships and recruitment strategies to attract and retain more Mäori and Pacific peoples to the teaching profession. Some employers fail to recognise value of migrant workers A significant number of migrants, particularly Asian peoples, continue to face discrimination when it comes to seeking employment. Newcomers, as well as those who migrated many years ago, can be confronted with racial discrimination when applying for jobs and can be treated unfairly in the workplace. A 2013 survey led by BNZ chief economist Tony Alexander showed reluctance amongst some employers to take on migrant workers, even if they offered much needed skills.28 It revealed employers with no overseas experience were significantly less likely to hire migrant workers than those with overseas experience. When employers were asked what advice they had for new migrants, they advised newcomers to “learn the English language and speak it”; “work hard and explain to your bosses why you should be hired”; “set up your own business”; and “make an extra effort to fit in”. It is of concern that it is not recognised that workers arriving from overseas bring valuable knowledge and expertise which boosts Aotearoa New Zealand’s economy. Over the last year, recommendations from both the United Nations Committee on the Elimination of Racial Discrimination and the Universal Periodic Review said that Aotearoa New Zealand should do more to protect migrants, particularly Asian migrants, from discrimination in employment settings. Attempts to limit the discrimination against migrant workers include initiatives by government departments, NGOs and community groups to educate employers and build links between businesses and migrant communities, and programmes which support new migrants to overcome cultural or language barriers. A rise in the exploitation of migrant workers has also led the Government to develop new plans to address on extreme cases of workplace discrimination.29