Auckland’s second annual Dive In event is set to take place on September 26, and will be co-hosted by Ando Insurance, NZbrokers and Wotton+Kearney.

The Dive In Festival is a global event that promotes diversity and inclusion in the insurance sector, and this year’s Auckland event will be titled ‘This is not us…or is it? Consciously challenging our own biases as humans.’ The event co-sponsors say that bias is often personal, and we regularly don’t recognise our own discriminatory behaviours.

“This was perhaps evident after the tragic events in Christchurch in March, with the catchphrase ‘This is not us!'” the co-sponsors said. “What can each of us do to be consciously aware of our own biases, and actively counter-balance them?”

The festival will be free to attend, and delegates will hear from corporate anthropologist Michael Henderson and D&I expert Mary Haddock-Staniland, both of whom will conduct a brief presentation before participating in a panel discussion. Attendees will then engage in an exercise designed to offset personal bias.

Jo Mason, CEO of co-sponsor NZbrokers says the company is proud to once again be taking part in this global movement across the insurance sector.

“We’re proud to again be co-sponsoring Dive In New Zealand for a second consecutive year,” Mason said.

“The event last year highlighted just how important it is to get diversity, and importantly inclusion into our workplaces and everyday lives. Taking the understanding and awareness we learn about ourselves and D&I at Dive In and turning this into action is something we, and our co-sponsors, Ando and Wotton+Kearney, are passionate about.

“We’re really excited to unpack the subject a bit further, particularly how we can challenge our own bias when it comes to diversity.”

Dive In has attracted 20 global gold sponsors from across the industry, and this year’s theme is #inclusionimpact – an invitation to attendees to consider the ways they can personally make an impact on diversity and inclusion in insurance.