Countdown has made a commitment to have 20 percent of its senior leadership positions held by Māori and Pasifika New Zealanders by 2025.

General Manager of Corporate Affairs, Safety and Sustainability Kiri Hannifin said the company is actively encouraging a diverse and inclusive team with more Māori and Pasifika team members at senior levels; developing and building our supermarkets and distribution centres in more sustainable ways; and cutting carbon emissions dramatically.

“This commitment is about a complete cultural shift for our business that we think will make us an even better place to work – it’s not a quota system.”

Countdown wants more Māori and Pasifika New Zealanders to be at a store manager level and above.

Hannifin said “our commitment is not about selecting people for leadership roles based on their race – it’s about acknowledging that different people will have different leadership approaches and we need to build an environment that accepts that the Pākeha world view is not the only one.”

Kiri Hannifin did not answer a question on what the current Pakeha world view is at Countdown from a management level and what specifically needed to change.

A Canterbury supermarket senior manager, who did not want to be named, was surprised by the company’s new goals.

The manager said they “employ Pasifika workers who would prefer career advancement based on their skill-set and experience and not the colour of their skin.”

The company’s press release it states “Countdown’s game-changer 2025 commitments include “20 percent of senior leadership positions (store manager level and above) will be held by Māori and Pasifika New Zealanders.”

Kiri Hannifin said “we are incredibly proud of this commitment and are looking forward to tackling it in a meaningful way that not only achieves great outcomes for our team, but starts a broader conversation in Aotearoa’s workplaces about why cultural diversity at all levels is so important.”

Countdown’s 2025 commitments are as below:

• 20 per cent of senior leadership positions (store manager level and above) will be held by Māori and Pasifika New Zealanders.

• We will join the Accessibility Tick programme and achieve year-on-year improvements on our baseline.

• Our team members are empowered and encouraged to support their wellbeing.  We are committed to building a workplace where people believe it’s ok not to feel ok, and it’s absolutely ok to ask for help.

• We will have a positive impact on our communities by investing the equivalent of 1 per cent of a three‑year rolling average of total Earnings Before Interest and Tax (EBIT) in community partnerships and programmes.

• We will support teams identified at risk of future changes in how we work (e.g. automation) through the establishment of the Woolworths Future of Work Fund, providing access to tools and support to help them prepare for the future.

• All new property developments will achieve a 4 Green Star design and as-built rating, and by 2025 we aim to have a 5 Green Star minimum standard.

• Zero food waste to landfill from our stores by 2025.

• Achieve net zero waste from our support offices by 2023.

• Reduce our emissions by 63 per cent by 2030, from a 2015 baseline

• 100 per cent of Own Brand packaging will be recyclable or reusable

• Characters, graphics and activities that could be perceived as primarily appealing to children will only be used on healthier Own Brand product packaging. 

• 100 per cent of our Own Brand products will have a least one health or sustainability attribute

• 100 per cent of our Own Brand eggs and the eggs used in Own Brand products will be cage-free.