The Rainbow Tick programme has been operating in New Zealand since last year and is designed to assist continual quality improvement.

Sovereign chief officer of people and community Sharon Botica said: "Creating a diverse and inclusive workplace where employees can be themselves is incredibly important for us at Sovereign and we are very proud to become the first New Zealand insurance company to receive the Rainbow Tick. The Rainbow Tick gives both our current and future employees confidence that, across all levels of the organisation, we have created an environment where they can thrive."

She said Sovereign had a number of initiatives in place to ensure the LGBTI community was supported, including establishing a committee of "diversity champions", supporting the staff lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender and intersex (LGBTI) network, reporting on diversity at senior levels and supporting rainbow events.

“Diversity is part of our DNA as a company and we’ll continue to encourage staff to build internal networks and provide them with the support to do so as well as look for opportunities to generate awareness across the entire organisation. We also work closely with ASB [also part of the Commonwealth Bank Group] to actively promote the Unity Group.”

Rainbow Tick said: ‘We believe Sovereign is a company that is showing true leadership and commitment to this ideal in the NZ workplace."

Rainbow Tick programme director Michael Stevens said it was encouraging to see how Sovereign staff understood the value of workplace diversity.

“We know that when people can be themselves at work without fear of negative reactions they are better able to work, happier and more productive. This was not just a box-ticking exercise, but a reflection of Sovereign’s culture. Sovereign has set a great example for others to follow,” he said.