Source: New Zealand Government
Transport Minister Phil Twyford today released the Ministry of Transport’s review of the organisational culture at the Civil Aviation Authority.
Phil Twyford says all employees are entitled to a safe work environment.
“I commissioned this independent review due to the concerns I had about the culture within the CAA, and in particular, how incidents of bullying and harassment were being handled.
“The report highlights a poor approach to managing employee wellbeing and ensuring a healthy culture. This includes instances where allegations of bullying and harassment were not appropriately addressed. This allowed pockets of poor culture and inappropriate workplace behaviour to persist in parts of the CAA and Aviation Security.
“New CAA Board Chair Janice Frederic has apologised to staff for the failures identified in the review. The Board has accepted the findings and committed to adopting all of the recommendations.
“A healthy culture is vital if the Authority is to keep Kiwis safe in the skies and help reshape our aviation sector for the post-pandemic world. My expectation is that organisational culture will be comprehensively re-built from the ground-up in close collaboration with staff, unions and sector stakeholders.
“I know CAA staff are passionate about their work and just want to do a good job in a safe environment. This report details the outstanding efforts of frontline staff in what was for some a disruptive and sometimes hostile working environment.
“I want to thank everyone who came forward to share their stories and experiences. I know in many cases it won’t have been easy, but your contribution will make a real difference,” Phil Twyford said.
The Ministry of Transport led the review, and appointed independent specialists RDC Group and barrister Rachael Schmidt-McCleave to provide external support. The Review team was tasked with focussing on three areas:
- reviewing reports of bullying and harassment to understand how they were addressed;
- conducting a workplace culture assessment; and
- ensuring policies and procedures are in place to promote staff wellbeing and a culture of ‘speaking up’.
The review involved 120 confidential interviews with past and present staff members, managers, Board members and stakeholders, together with an assessment of organisational culture.
