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 long-lasting 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 decision-making table. This correlates to better decision-making and organisational performance, as well as stronger connections to clients, stakeholders and investors.