at every level of the workforce women drop out or stall below top leadership positions creating a leaking pipeline of talent for new zealand s management sector as the national women s machinery it is responsible for providing policy advice on how to improve the situation of women across the country as well as suitable women nominees for state sector boards and committees additionally the ministry provides support and policy advice to the national advisory council on the employment of women an independent advisory body that monitors women s employment for mwa stronger gender balance is not just a goal unto itself but has longlasting and countrywide impacts for organisational performance and productivity basing its theory of change on the growing body of international evidence demonstrating the economic value of increasing gender diversity mwa asserts that more women in leadership will bring diverse views to the decisionmaking table this correlates to better decisionmaking and organisational performance as well as stronger connections to clients stakeholders and investors