Embracing equity in payments

We held our first The Link women’s event for the year in both Wellington and Auckland on International Women’s Day, 8 March 2023. Our theme for the day was #EmbraceEquity and we were delighted to have household name and media icon Hilary Barry join us as a guest speaker to speak about her work and life.

The event was hosted at Buddle Findlay’s offices in both Auckland and Wellington, with our GM Strategy and Corporate Affairs Jane-Renee Retimana acting as the MC. Hilary joined us in-person for the Auckland session, with all the action livestreamed to our Wellington attendees.

At both locations, the attendees were greeted with afternoon tea and enjoyed stunning views of the harbour, before settling in for a thought-provoking session on what equity means for us, and for other women working in payments.

Progressing equity in payments
Jane welcomed everyone to the event and shared a quote she saw on LinkedIn earlier that day – “if equality is giving everyone a pair of shoes, then equity is giving everyone a pair that fits.”

Jane said the payments industry has a unique role in progressing equity in Aotearoa New Zealand, in that we have the ability to push for change that means more equitable access to the payments system for all New Zealanders. Significant projects are underway, including 365-day payments, which will come into effect from 26 May this year.

Payments NZ’s vision is for Aotearoa to have world-class payments, and one of the ways we can make this happen is by investing to empower financial wellbeing, she said. Projects like 365-day payments enable households and businesses to be able to pay and get paid every day of the year, without waiting for a traditional business day.

Alongside the other work we lead, including core clearing system upgrades, leading open banking and investigations into real-time payment capabilities, Payments NZ and the industry are working to ensure more equitable outcomes for all users of Aotearoa’s payments system, she said.

Equity, reality, perfection and imperfection
Hilary Barry then took to the floor to share a variety of anecdotes with the group – some hilarious, some thought-provoking, and all giving valuable insight on what her long tenure in media and television has taught her.

On the topic of dealing with the ever-intimidating imposter syndrome and ongoing criticism, Hilary advised carefully considering whose opinions actually matter to you and enacting positive self-talk. She talked about recognising our own imperfections not as shortfalls, but as part of what makes us who we are, and embracing being your authentic self.

Hilary then led a group discussion around the topic of embracing equity, in particular what that looks like for women. The group spoke of the need to have allies who can support and help speak up for you, and that these allies should include everyone, not just other women. They discussed the hatred and vitriol often directed at women leaders, especially through social media, and the importance of being able to be true to one’s self and not feel the need to engage in every fight. Some battles were not made to be won, and the energy expended on them could be better spent elsewhere.

Closing and thank you to all who attended
The event closed with a group exercise where attendees were asked to share their ideas on Post-it notes on how as an industry, we can better #EmbraceEquity in future. There were a range of thoughts shared from personal goals like gaining a better understanding of how to manage impostor syndrome, to the industry turning their minds towards having a mentorship programme for women just starting out in their careers, and looking at more opportunities for women to connect beyond The Link events.

A big thank you to all who attended our special afternoon tea. We hope you were inspired and perhaps even learned something new. Thank you also to our wonderful speaker, Hilary Barry, and to Buddle Findlay for generously hosting the event. We hope to see everyone again next time.