Maori
English
Personal tools
- Have you seen?
-
Have you seen?
Think you might have the skills to serve on a government board? Find out here.
Read more2005-2008
Media releases will be posted as soon as they become available. Alternatively you can visit Hon Pansy Wong website (Minister of Women's Affairs from November 2008) to see all her speeches and media releases.
9 December 2008Release of Briefings to Incoming Minister
Women's Affairs & Ethnic Affairs Minister, Hon Pansy Wong, has this afternoon released Briefings to the Incoming Minister.
Read more>
25 November 2008
Opposition to family violence reaffirmed
Women's Affairs Minister Pansy Wong has urged people to reaffirm their opposition to violence against women by wearing a white ribbon this week.
Read more>
25 September 2008
Trading Choices - Young people's career decisions and gender segregation in the trades
'There are some jobs that girls could happily and productively do but they do not get the chance.'
Read more>
17 June 2008
Volunteers work vital part of NZ communities
'We know that up until retirement age women tend to volunteer more than
men, and over the years the amount of time they spend volunteering
gradually increases.'
Read more>
16 June 2008
Honouring Māori Women Leaders
Steve Chadwick paid tribute to eight members of the Māori
Women’s Welfare League at a ceremony to mark He Wāhine Pūmanawa (an
event held as part of Mana Wāhine Week), organised by the Ministry of
Women’s Affairs, the Māori Women’s Welfare League, and Te Puni Kōkiri.
Read more>
21 May 2008
Sexual Violence Researches Announced
Sexual violence victims will benefit from the results of research being undertaken in a two-year project led by the Ministry of Women’s Affairs, Minister of Women’s Affairs Steve Chadwick said today.
Read more
3 April 2008
Census report a valuable tool for women's equality
The 2008 Census of Women's Participation is a useful tool for raising awareness of gender inequity and for driving progress towards equality.
Read more>
6 March 2008
Help prevent domestic violence for Women's Day
Women’s
Affairs Minister Steve Chadwick is urging all New Zealanders to help
improve our appalling levels of family violence and sexual abuse, as
part of International Women’s Day 2008.
Read more>
2007
| These are media releases by the then Ministers of Women's Affairs, Hon Steve Chadwick and Hon Lianne Dalziel, and staff from the Ministry of Women's Affairs. All Minister's
speeches link to the Beehive site - use the 'back' button on
your browser to return to the MWA site.
|
8 December 2007
Ethnic women can contribute to improving status of women
“The views of smaller groups of women is important in our work to improve the status of women, in terms of leadership, pay, work-life balance and well-being. Women of other ethnicities have a vital contribution to make."Read more
26 November 2007
Quilt exhibition to mark White Ribbon Day
“This quilt exhibition shows how art has been used as a powerful way of showing the impact of domestic violence on families. It’s up to all of us to challenge attitudes and behaviour that allow such violence to continue in our own communities.”Read more
24 November 2007
Working together to improve the status of women
Women’s Affairs Minister Steve Chadwick today reinforced the importance of Non-Government Organisations (NGOs) working with the government to help improve the status of women in New Zealand.Read more
13 November 2007
NZ scores well in gender gap index
Hon Steve Chadwick: New Zealand’s movement up the latest World Economic Forum Gender Gap Index to fifth is proof the Labour-led Government’s policies are helping to address the gap between men and women.Read more
24 September 2007
Dalziel keynote speaker at gender symposium in Japan
Women's Affairs Minister Lianne Dalziel is in Japan this week (25-29 September) to deliver the keynote address at the NZ-Japan joint symposium on gender equality in Tokyo.Read more
19 September 2007
Women reminded of history on Suffrage Day
Suffrage Day is a good time to reflect on the lessons of history with regards to political support for women's rights, Women's Affairs Minister Lianne Dalziel says. Read more
18 September 2007
'Use your vote' Women's Minister urges
"Use your vote" is the message from Women's Affairs Minister Lianne Dalziel to New Zealand women to mark the 114th anniversary of women's suffrage tomorrow (Suffrage Day is on Wednesday 19 September).Read more
27 August 2007
Protection orders vital tool to reduce family violence
Protection orders provide crucial protection for people at risk of family violence and the government is committed to ensuring they are effective, Women's Affairs Minister Lianne Dalziel said today.Read more
24 August 2007
Effective sexuality education valued by students
Students attending schools that provide effective sexuality education programmes are highly motivated to learn and they value the programmes, a new report has found. Read more
13 August 2007
Minister calls for women's voices in the Council Chamber
Women's voices must be heard in the Council Chamber if the needs and interests of the whole community are to be truly represented by local government, Women's Affairs Minister Lianne Dalziel says. Read more
3 August 2007
UN welcomes NZ action on women's rights
Lianne Dalziel said she was pleased she was able
to deliver an extremely positive report of New Zealand's actions to
advance the rights of women.
Read more
3 August 2007
NZ fully supports women's rights, Dalziel tells UN
Women's Affairs Minister Lianne Dalziel
today advised the United Nations in New York that New Zealand is now a full signatory to its international bill of rights for women.
Read more
17 July 2007
CEDAW discrimination
As New Zealanders we are quite rightly proud of our track record as a global leader in women's rights.
Read more
12 July 2007
NZ has no reservation in tackling discrimination
New Zealand has withdrawn its final reservation
to a United Nations bill of rights for women.Read more
12 July 2007
Minister warns of 'glass cliff' phenomenon
Successful businesswomen who break through the
'glass ceiling' should be careful they don't find themselves teetering
on the edge of another phenomenon – the 'glass cliff'.Read more
3 May 2007
NZ secures clean bill of health on rights for women
Women's Affairs Minister Lianne Dalziel tonight welcomed the unanimous passing of a Bill that gives New Zealand a clean bill of health as a credible voice in international women's rights. The passing of the Human Rights (Women in Armed Forces) Amendment Bill...Read more
Minister of Women’s Affairs, Hon Lianne Dalziel, with members of the armed forces on the day the Human Rights (Women in Armed Forces) Amendment Bill was passed unanimously by Parliament.
24 March 2007
$35,000 to co-ordinate sexual violence action
Women's Affairs Minister Lianne Dalziel today announced a grant of $35,000 to fund the co-ordination of initiatives against sexual violence.Read more
20 March 2007
Government takes lead in action against sexual violence
The Labour-led government is acting to effectively address sexual violence by responding to community calls for a taskforce on this complex issue.Read more
08 March 2007
Match what parents want and what children need
Women’s Affairs Minister Lianne Dalziel is releasing key findings into out of school services to mark International Women’s Day (Mar 8) as it is a day founded against a backdrop of campaigns to improve conditions for working women.Read more
05 March 2007
Dalziel thanks art organisers for Refuge benefit
Women’s Affairs Minister Lianne Dalziel has thanked the organisers of an art exhibition that raised $300,000 for Women's RefugeRead more
28 February 2007
Research to boost sexual violence conviction rate
The government is committing $900,000 to fund research to encourage adult victims to report sexual violence attacks and boost the conviction rate for sexual offences.Read more
2006
These are recent media releases by the Minister of Women's Affairs, Hon Pansy Wong, and staff from the Ministry of Women's Affairs.
All Minister's speeches link to the Beehive site - use the 'back' button on your browser to return to the MWA site.
10 December 2006
Ministry committed to women's protection
Women’s Affairs Minister Lianne Dalziel agrees with women’s groups that protection orders must work effectively, but has hit out at 'unfounded and ill-informed' statements that the Ministry of Women's Affairs is failing to act.Read more
06 November 2006
Women could earn more
Girls might make different career choices if they realised that male-dominated significantly moreRead more
06 October 2006
Labour committed to pay and employment equity
Government will continue to take the lead in improving pay and employment equity for New Zealand workers, says Minister of Women's Affairs Lianne Dalziel.Read more
02 October 2006
Māori women key to NZ economic growth
Māori women have played a significant role in New Zealand's strong economic growth in recent years, entering the workforce in record numbers and helping lift productivity, Minister for Women’s Affairs Lianne Dalziel says.Read more
20 September 2006
Trans-Tasman women's issues ministers meet
Family violence and women in leadership are just two of the issues Women's Affairs Minister Lianne Dalziel will discuss with her Australian counterparts at a ministerial meeting on the status of women in Adelaide on Friday.Read more
18 September 2006
Government wants more women on private sector boards
To mark Suffrage Day, Minister of Women’s Affairs Lianne Dalziel is highlighting three new initiatives by the private sector that aim to see women better represented at board level.Read more
15 May 2006
Report Card on Women Marks Progress
A government report on the status of New Zealand women prepared for the United Nations (UN) records that considerable progress has been made in the last four years, Women's Affairs Minister Lianne Dalziel said.
New Zealand's Sixth Report on its Implementation of the United Nations Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination Against Women (CEDAW) co-ordinated by the Ministry of Women's Affairs updates their last report in 2002 and will be presented to the UN's CEDAW Committee in 2007.
"I believe we can hold our head up high in terms of the progress that we have made. This is more than a record of achievement – it reaches merit and excellence standards as well, largely because we have very strong laws and policies to protect and advance the interests of women. But challenges remain," Lianne Dalziel said.
"The level of violence against women in New Zealand is intolerable; pay equity remains an issue with women earning on average 20 per cent less than their male counterparts (even in the same professions); women's employment is still concentrated in female-dominated occupations and New Zealand lags the world in the number of women on private sector boards.
"The Labour-led government is addressing these issues but in most instances it is attitudinal change that is required, which the government cannot legislate," Lianne Dalziel said.
"We cannot afford to be complacent, because much of what women take for granted today could be lost at the stroke of the legislative pen. New Zealand was well behind like-countries when a Labour-led government introduced paid parental leave. Its introduction was opposed by the opposition but its extension to self-employed parents is now supported by them. This means it is vulnerable to policy change."
Lianne Dalziel said that leadership on women's issues has been a cornerstone of New Zealand's national identity ever since we led the world in granting women the right to vote.
"The report's credibility is enhanced by the process used to compile it. There was wide-ranging consultation with both government and non-government organisations and this is reflected in the appendix entitled 'Voices of New Zealand Women'. I will be very proud to present this report on behalf of the government," Lianne Dalziel said.
The report is available on http://www.mwa.govt.nz/news-and-pubs/publications/international/cedaw-report.html
Read more10 May 2006
Preventing family violence highest priority for Ministry
PDF [77KB]
The level of violence within families is unacceptable and reducing violence is one of the highest priorities for women and for the Ministry of Women’s Affairs says Ministry Chief Executive Shenagh Gleisner.
Ms Gleisner is also Deputy Chair of the Taskforce for Action on Violence within Families. The Taskforce will report to Ministers in July with strategies for medium to long term actions to prevent family violence, including a detailed programme of action for the year to June 2007.
“Violence within families has proved one of the most intractable problems impacting on women and children,” said Shenagh Gleisner. “When we report to the United Nations on our international obligations under the Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination against Women (CEDAW), as we did again in March, we can show real progress in many areas, but violence against women is proving very hard to address.”
The causes of violence are complex and the solutions will need responses from individuals and institutions throughout the community. It will require a very high level of co-operation between government agencies and between government and not-for-profit organisations (NGOs) working in the area she said.
“Additional funding for NGOs announced by the government today will help provide vital support in areas like 24-hour crisis lines, counselling, social work support, safe house accommodation, advocacy and information,” she said. “Improving these services is part of the solution, as is ensuring areas like policing and the justice system work effectively to reduce violence.
“Ultimately however, family violence is every New Zealander’s issue. Violence will only reduce when people no longer tolerate it, and that requires attitudes and behaviour to change. Achieving that will require education, as well as excellent enforcement and support services for victims.
“The Ministry is committed to continuing to work closely with NGOs, and communities that are fighting to prevent family violence, as well as supporting a whole-of-government response through initiatives such as the Taskforce for Action on Violence within Families.”
ENDS
For further information contact:
Rod Scotts, Senior Communications Advisor
(04) 916 5842
Pride as Ministry Marks 20th Anniversary
Women's Affairs Minister Lianne Dalziel said the 20th anniversary of the official opening of the Ministry of Women's Affairs on Saturday is a time to reflect on the achievements of the Ministry.New Zealand has been a world-leader in terms of women's equality since 1893, when we became the first country in the world where women won the right to vote.
"I am proud of that beginning and proud of what has been achieved since. In the short time since becoming Minister of Women's Affairs, I know that I head an effective, pro-active and agile team that punches well above its weight as the smallest public service agency," Lianne Dalziel said.
But there is also regret in this commemoration. When the Ministry was established it was clearly intended to be for a finite period. The hope in 1986 was that the structure of inequality would be demolished.
Sadly many women's issues that remain today are intractable and cannot be solved solely by government action. The problems of domestic violence and the clustering of women in low-paid jobs have much of their roots in social attitudes and behaviours.
We must therefore all work closely together - women, men, families, communities, non-government organisations, and government - to achieve better outcomes for women.
During this term of the Labour-led government our priorities of economic transformation, strengthening families – young and old, and building national identity are being advanced by the Ministry of Women's Affairs.
Enabling women to reach their full potential is not just important for the women themselves and their families, it is also critical to New Zealand’s long-term success as a nation.
Read more28 April 2006
Options to get more women on boards explored
Women's Affairs Minister Lianne Dalziel announced today that the Ministry of Women's Affairs is looking into ways of helping the private sector replicate the Labour-led government's success in appointing capable women to boards."We want to work closely with the business sector to improve their disappointing performance in this area, which doesn't see New Zealand business stacking up well on the international front ," said Lianne Dalziel.
Women make up just 7.1 per cent of directors of the top 100 listed companies – less than 50 women in total, according to the 2006 New Zealand Census of Women's Participation prepared by the Human Rights Commission and the New Zealand Centre for Women and Leadership. In contrast, 41 per cent of ministerial appointments to government statutory bodies were women, according to a Ministry stocktake.
"The government's leadership and the Ministry's Nominations Service have played a significant role in the success achieved in the public sector and I want to see whether it can be effectively translated into something that works for the private sector," said Lianne Dalziel.
"Highly talented women are being overlooked for private sector directorships because they don't even come up on the radar screen. We need to eliminate what is essentially a waste of talent, which New Zealand simply cannot afford."
"There is a growing body of evidence from international studies that suggests that diversity on boards is, as the title of one Canadian study puts it: 'not just the right thing, but the bright thing'.
"Diversity on boards is good for business, so the business sector is really missing out ," Lianne Dalziel.
Read more12 April 2006
Dalziel Congratulates National Council of Women on Founder's Day
Minister of Women's Affairs Lianne Dalziel today paid tribute to the work of the National Council of Women of New Zealand (NCWNZ) as the NCWNZ marks 110 years of working for women and their families.
The women who successfully campaigned for Universal Suffrage formed NCWNZ in 1896 as a forum for women to debate issues. The NCWNZ celebrates Founder's Day on April 13 and the 110th anniversary will also be celebrated at a dinner during the NCWNZ's National Conference in Invercargill between September 28 and October 1.
The anniversary of such a key event in New Zealand's history is a time to reflect on what has been achieved and what is still to be done in the many areas of policy that influence the status of women, said Lianne Dalziel.
"I have been an advocate for the Ministry of Women's Affairs as I believe it plays an important role in making sure the impact on women is considered when policy is developed by government departments," said Lianne Dalziel.
"The NCWNZ has been influencing policy for 110 years and has achieved much in local, national and international forums. I have no doubt that the NCWNZ will continue to play an important role in New Zealand society and I wish it well on this important anniversary," said Lianne Dalziel.
Read more
4 April 2006
Mana Wahine Launch 2006: Success of Maori women celebrated
PDF [108KB]Māori women’s success in business will be celebrated at the launch of Mana Wahine Week 2006 tomorrow night.
Ministry of Women’s Affairs Chief Executive Shenagh Gleisner said this year’s theme ‘Māori women in business as leaders, challengers and achievers’ honoured the huge contribution Māori women make to their communities and the wider New Zealand economy.
“The event will be launched by our Minister, Hon Lianne Dalziel and will feature speakers who are great examples of successful Māori women. Leiana Rei Perawiti is an award-winning fashion designer, Mabel Wharekawa-Burt is a well-known actress and entertainer, and Colleen Tuuta is a company director and member of the National Advisory Committee on the Employment of Women (NACEW). At the event Colleen will launch NACEW’s new brochure and campaign encouraging women to make ‘informed choices’ in their professions and businesses.“
Mana Wahine Week is a series of national and local events that the Ministry of Women’s Affairs has celebrated annually since 1993. That year was both International Year of Indigenous People and Women’s Suffrage Centennial Year and the event began (as ‘Māori women’s week’) as part of the celebrations for the former to recognise the contribution and celebrate the success of Mäori women in New Zealand.
The Ministry of Women’s Affairs supports this national event to celebrate the important role of Māori women as tangata whenua and highlight the contributions that Mäori women have made to New Zealand society.
This year’s celebrations will include a film festival and panel discussion by Māori women at the Wellington City Art Gallery Auditorium on 22 and 23 April. To find out more about the celebration visit http://www.mwa.govt.nz/women-in-nz/maoriwomen/manawahine_week06
ENDS
For further information contact:
Amanda Gregan
Communications Advisor
(04) 916 5821
03 April 2006
New Zealand Census of Women's Participation Highlights Challenge for Business
Women's Affairs Minister Lianne Dalziel says she hopes the New Zealand Census of Women's Participation 2006 is a catalyst for change in New Zealand's boardrooms.Read more
23 February 2006
Findings released from study on Pacific Women's economic well-being
Quality work, affordable childcare and more involvement in
leadership are key to enhancing the well-being of Pacific women,
according to research undertaken by the Ministry of Women’s Affairs
(MWA) launched today.
The findings of the Pacific Women’s Economic Well-being research were released at an event at Parliament to celebrate Pacific women jointly hosted by the Minister of Women’s Affairs, Hon Lianne Dalziel, and the Associate Minister of Pacific Island Affairs, Hon Luamanuvao Winnie Laban.
"The genesis of the research project was a meeting between the MWA and Pacific women in 2001, as part of the development of the Action Plan for New Zealand Women, which highlighted economic issues as a major concern for women in Pacific Island communities within New Zealand," said Lianne Dalziel.
MWA led the project, with support and assistance from the Ministry of Pacific Island Affairs, the Ministry of Science, Research and Technology and the Ministry of Economic Development. The research involved both analysis of existing data and a qualitative study commissioned from Koloto and Associates on Pacific Women’s issues and priorities in relation to their economic well-being.
The key themes from the research, in conjunction with the analysis of overall trends for Pacific women, highlighted a number of issues for consideration in policy development across the government sector.
"Prominent themes to come out of the research included how the role of the family, the church and the community were central in the lives of Pacific women and how these significantly influenced decisions made in relation to work and other activities," said Luamanuvao Winnie Laban.
Both ministers expressed concern that participants in the project identified barriers such as a lack of qualifications, experience and confidence in accessing employment opportunities.
"There is no question that this must remain the focus of the government's attention and it ties in very well with initiatives that are already underway," Lianne Dalziel said.
The Pacific Women’s Economic Well-being summary report identifies the three particular areas of:
· access to quality work (enabling Pacific women to earn more from the work they do);
· availability of high quality and affordable childcare; and
· increasing the representation of Pacific women in leadership roles.
"This says to me that the government is on the right track. However, we need to continue to ensure that programmes are inclusive of Pacific families," said Lianne Dalziel.
"As Associate Minister of Pacific Island Affairs, I am committed to economic development for Pacific women," Luamanuvao Winnie Laban said.
"This Government's vision is for Pacific women to develop a clear economic strategy that will transform our economic well-being into deliverable actions, which will benefit our families, our communities and New Zealand as a whole.
"I am keen to work with a key group of Pacific women, who represent all of the key stakeholders, to develop an economic development action plan for women within the broader 'Pacific Economic Action Plan'," Luamanuvao Winnie Laban said.
The ministers said the report will also help government departments developing policies relating to Pacific economic and business development, Pacific capacity building, social assistance and reducing inequalities.
Copies of the summary report and the report from the results of the qualitative research are available through the Ministry of Women’s Affairs or on the Ministry’s website www.mwa.govt.nz.
Read more16 February 2006
Ministry of Women's Affairs' stocktake shows success
The first stocktake of the membership of state sector statutory bodies completed by the Nominations Service of the Ministry of Women's Affairs shows that 41 per cent of government-appointed board members are women.Read more
2005
Ministry launches new website
05 December 2005The Ministry of Women’s Affairs today formally launched a new-look website with many new features and resources.
The site – www.mwa.govt.nz – has been built with assistance from the State Services Commission (SSC) and is the first site by another government agency to use the open source code and content management system SSC is making freely available to the whole state sector.
“We were delighted to be the first government agency to use the Government Web Guidelines compliant version of the content management system Plone which SSC has had developed by 3months.com,” said Ministry Chief Executive Shenagh Gleisner. “As a small government policy agency it was great to have the support of the Commission and to contribute to something which should be of great benefit to other public sector organisations.”
The site contains much new content, including features that users of the previous Ministry site said would be useful.
“The top two items requested were ‘information on women in New Zealand’ and ‘research / statistics on women in New Zealand’,” said Shenagh. “When we were building the new site, we tried to reflect that interest with a new Women in New Zealand section. It includes a great timeline which gives an overview of the history of women in New Zealand, and brief information presented under the headings people tend to ask for - such as Pacific women, or women with disabilities.
“For statistical information on all women in New Zealand we link to the excellent and up-to-date information on women on the Statistics New Zealand site and other government sites. This is part of trying to take a whole-of-government approach – if another part of government has produced the information and already has it available on the web, we link to it rather than recreate it on our site.”
Shenagh also thanked stakeholders such as the National Council of Women, PACIFICA, the Māori Women’s Welfare League and Rural Women New Zealand that had helped with user feedback.
ENDS
Appointment of Acting Chief Executive of CYFS
28 November 20052:12 pm MEDIA RELEASE FROM THE STATE SERVICES COMMISSIONER
Appointment of Acting Chief Executive of the Department of Child, Youth And Family Services. The State Services Commissioner, Mark Prebble, today announced the appointment of Shenagh Gleisner as the Acting Chief Executive of the Department of Child, Youth and Family Services. "Shenagh will start from the time Paula Tyler leaves the job," Mr Prebble said. Ms Gleisner will be in the role until a new chief executive is appointed. Shenagh Gleisner is currently the Chief Executive of the Ministry of Women's Affairs. She is a trained social worker with extensive management experience.
Carolyn Risk has been appointed as the Acting Chief Executive of the Ministry of Women's Affairs for the period that Ms Gleisner is away from the Ministry.
ENDS
Celebrate Suffrage Day: Vote!
15 September 2005The best way women can celebrate Suffrage Day this year is to vote on Saturday, says Ministry of Women’s Affairs Chief Executive Shenagh Gleisner.
This Monday (19 September 2005) is the 112th anniversary of New Zealand becoming the first country in the world to grant women the vote.
“We can all be proud that New Zealand was the first nation in the world to grant women the vote in 1893,” said Shenagh Gleisner, “but we should never be complacent about that right. Rights are only secured by using them, and I urge all New Zealand women to exercise that right by voting on Saturday.”
Ms Gleisner said that while reliable figures were not available for the percentage of women who registered to vote - or who voted - other evidence pointed towards New Zealand women still being less politically engaged than New Zealand men.
“Surveys conducted regularly over the last decade to measure people’s knowledge of how MMP works, for instance, have consistently shown women are less well informed on these issues in general than men.
“The best way to celebrate 112 years of suffrage would be for more women to vote and more women to be elected on Saturday,” said Ms Gleisner.
ENDS
International Women’s Day
8 March 2005Ministry of Women’s Affairs Chief Executive Shenagh Gleisner will spend International Women’s Day (8 March) reporting back to communities in Southland on how their input influenced the Action Plan for New Zealand Women.
“As a policy agency we need to work closely with women’s organisations and communities to ensure we understand their needs and concerns,” she said. “Only then can we develop policies that work for ordinary New Zealanders.”
Last year on International Women’s Day people from all over New Zealand came to Wellington for the launch of the Action Plan by the Minister, Hon Ruth Dyson.
“The launch was attended by more than 350 people who had contributed to the plan in various ways, but there are hundreds more around New Zealand who could not come to the launch,” said Shenagh. “Since then I have held nearly 20 meetings around the country, reporting back to communities on the Plan.”
Ms Gleisner said that although one year was too short a time to judge the success of the five year whole-of-government plan, there had been some significant developments in the past year that benefited many New Zealand women.
These include the introduction of paid parental leave; major improvements to the levels of family income assistance (the Working for Families package); a commitment from government to implement the recommendations of the taskforce on pay and employment equity in the state and health sectors; and increased child care subsidies.
Research undertaken during the year would also contribute to the success of the Plan she said.
“For instance, research commissioned by the Ministry on the influences of maternal employment and early childhood education on young children’s development is very relevant to the current debate about mothers returning to the paid workforce.
“That report, which reviewed relevant international and New Zealand research on the subject, concluded that maternal employment in itself has no significant negative or positive effects on children – it’s the quality of child care and early childhood education that counts, not whether or not the mum is in paid work.
“Two other research projects in which we are currently involved will also contribute significantly to our understanding of Pacific women’s economic well-being and of the experience of women who set up and run their own businesses.”
International Women’s Day was a good time to celebrate the continued progress towards achieving equality of opportunity for women, and to consider what still needs to be done said Ms Gleisner.
“Change is usually incremental and often takes years to fully achieve, so it’s easy for people to assume it would have happened without the contribution of thousands of women throughout the community or the commitment of government to understand the barriers still faced by women - and overcome them. That’s something I hope people will reflect upon on International Women’s Day.”
ENDS
Self employment a mixed bag for New Zealand women
March 2005Research undertaken by the Ministry of Women’s Affairs and the Ministry of Economic Development sheds light on the experience of women who own small and medium-sized enterprises.
The contribution of women in enterprise to the New Zealand economy is significant and growing. New Zealand women are becoming self-employed at over twice the rate of men, yet most of these businesses start smaller, remain smaller, and generate lower incomes than businesses owned and operated by men.
To understand why - and what could be done to help women entrepreneurs succeed - the Ministry of Women’s Affairs (MWA) and the Ministry of Economic Development (MED) have been talking to New Zealand businesswomen as part of research into women who own small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs).
“We really wanted to understand the barriers women face when growing their businesses,” said Cherie Engelbrecht from Women’s Affairs. “This is so we can provide better advice to government on policy options to stimulate business growth in SMEs owned and operated by women.”
Denise L’Estrange Corbet – a successful fashion designer based in Auckland – opened a tiny shop 16 years ago, with her partner Francis Hooper – World on High Street. Since then, Denise and her partner have shot to prominence, creating a stir on the international fashion circuit. They now have stores in Auckland, Wellington, and Sydney and have won many fashion awards.
Their clothes are exported to Italy, Japan, Taiwan, USA, UK and France and have been purchased and displayed by the Auckland Museum, the Museum of Contemporary Art in Sydney and Victoria Museum in Melbourne.
‘I feel success is what you make it – to believe in yourself and to work towards your goals no matter what obstacles may be put before you,’ she says.
‘You are given one chance to get it right, so you must strive for that, if only to prove to yourself that you can make it, that you are a success.’
The Government’s Action Plan for New Zealand Women identifies economic sustainability, work-life balance and well-being as three inter-related areas designed to improve outcomes for women. The research conducted by MWA and MED on women in enterprise focuses on the area of economic sustainability in a bid to improve the overall economic independence of women in New Zealand.
The research involved focus groups and phone interviews with businesswomen across the country including fashion designers in Dunedin, women running a range of different businesses in Auckland, client managers from New Zealand Trade and Enterprise (NZTE) and people involved with Māori women’s business development. Because there was a particular focus on Māori women’s experience, a Māori women’s economic reference group was used to help guide the project, and the project also drew on other recent research on women in enterprise both here and overseas.
So how are the experiences of women going into business similar to, or different from, those of men and from women in other countries?
Internationally, entrepreneurship is dominated by unskilled women or very skilled and already wealthy women. Among those who are highly educated and skilled, the incentives for going into business may be small because they have other career options, unless the potential value of the business opportunity is substantial.
Women’s and men’s businesses display quite distinctive patterns in terms of size, growth, earnings and industry location. Women-owned businesses tend to use fewer resources than men’s, generate less income, employ fewer people and, although more women these days are setting up businesses in non-traditional areas, they still tend to be primarily concentrated in the service, retail and property sectors.
Internationally, women-owned businesses are becoming more diversified and increasingly women can be found in every industry sector. Some of women’s biggest gains in non-traditional sectors overseas include construction and real estate, transportation, advertising, business consulting and computer services.
Jodyanne Kirkwood, one of the few academics to study the motivations of New Zealand businesswomen, found no major differences between women and men in their motivations for entrepreneurship. Men and women tend to have similar drives for going into business, the most common of these being to seek independence, achievement, flexibility and money. But for many women, business activity is part of a broader livelihood strategy and a desire to balance work with family commitments.
Research indicates that women tend to take a more ‘integrated’ approach to business taking into account the impact on their partners and families as well as their own motivations. Men, on the other hand, are more able to separate their family and business activities, and are more likely to be driven by profit. Women appear more driven by a sense of fulfilment, personal satisfaction and service.
Although Māori women in business remain significantly under-represented amongst the self-employed, the number of Māori businesswomen is growing at a faster rate than Māori businessmen. The dynamics between business activity and family responsibilities may however be more acutely felt by Māori women as they have additional aspirations and responsibilities for their whānau and hapu as well as individual financial goals.
Māori women appear to start their own businesses for much the same reasons as non-Māori women, but have additional motivations. Māori businesswomen interviewed said that they wanted to provide inspiration for other Māori women such as role modelling and proving that Māori women can do it, as well as to contribute to the advancement of Māori through such means as creating employment for whānau, reusing ancestral land and participating positively in the community.
The New Zealand Time Use Survey 1998-99 found that women carry the major responsibility for unpaid work in New Zealand. Many women in SMEs report leaving paid employment because of a perception that self-employment would give them the flexibility to manage both paid and unpaid responsibilities. Yet many found their flexibility actually diminished rather than increased. Business activities such as doing ‘bookwork’ were ever present in home life and encroached upon ‘family’ time.
Jodyanne Kirkwood’s study of New Zealand businesswomen (2004) concluded that many women entrepreneurs end up ‘working the nightshift’ as well as all day, and that entrepreneurship had not provided them with the ability to more effectively manage their work and family lives. Hence, as in the international literature, flexibility for New Zealand business women in terms of balancing work and family life may be somewhat of a myth. Rather self-employment can make balancing work and family work life even more difficult than when working in a paid employment role.
The availability of affordable, quality childcare can alleviate some of these pressures.
These days it would appear that women entrepreneurs are using childcare and working more from home. A number of government initiatives already underway may enable women to move into business more for the opportunities it offers than because of necessity or frustration with paid employment. These include policies such as increased funding for childcare and out-of-school care subsidies, better child support and promotion of work-life balance.
In New Zealand there are many business assistance programmes that SME owners can access. The government funds a wide range of business support programmes including BIZ (a specialist business information service provided free of charge via a nationwide network of information centres), E-Business Guide, Enterprise Training and Market NewZealand.com. At the basic level it appears that women are taking advantage of these development programmes, however programmes aimed at higher levels of growth seem to be less effective. This could be one reason why women’s businesses are remaining smaller than men’s.
These assistance programmes can provide valuable support, particularly when facing the challenges of setting up a small business. Women in SMEs cite similar barriers to growth as men, including managing compliance costs and accessing finance. Due to the multiple and sometimes disparate roles many SME owners must play, capability can also be stretched. Negative attitudes amongst New Zealanders to business can also sometimes discourage potential business owners from considering self employment.
The presence of consistent differences between men’s and women’s businesses over time and across countries however, suggests that women’s businesses may experience constraints over and above those experienced by SMEs in general.
Community and market stereotypes of women and men in business are one such constraint, including women’s own perceptions of themselves as ‘non-entrepreneurs’. There is some evidence that in general women are more risk averse than men. Of the women interviewed for the review, one woman commented that women tend to be more risk averse due to a “fear of failure”. Lower levels of skills and experience in running a business, as well as lower levels of accumulated wealth and a lack of positive role models can often result in lower levels of confidence in their abilities to establish and manage businesses.
Businesswomen interviewed as part of the review stated that internal issues such as lack of confidence were sometimes even more difficult to overcome than the more tangible barriers.
Difficulties in accessing or finding information on business networks and markets, plus competing demands on time for family and community responsibilities over and above those of men can also hinder opportunities and success. However, business networks, management capability and role models appear to be the more important contributing critical factors for female business success. It is these barriers which government will help to address as part of the Action Plan for New Zealand Women.
Overseas, social networks have often been identified as an important factor in business success. In New Zealand, businesswomen interviewed noted the importance of a number of key success factors including having a business plan, the need to invest in professional and personal development, actively seeking professional advice and networking. For Māori women, this also included the need for a ‘Māori mentor’.
Some recent research, however, indicates that when standardised for size, industry, level of resources invested and risk, women’s businesses are no more likely to fail than men’s. In fact, where women have a good business idea, knowledge of and experience in an industry, managerial and financial planning skills, access to high quality networks and high quality information, as well as high quality child care, their businesses are just as likely to succeed.
Likewise, studies of Australian businesses found that after controlling for industry, age of business, risk and the number of days the business operated, there were no significant differences in the performances of the male and female-controlled SMEs.
Overseas policy frameworks that underpin the structures and programmes for supporting women’s businesses recognise the significant and potential contribution of women to the economy, including women exporters, whilst acknowledging the ‘unique’ barriers they face in realising their potential. Several EU countries, while also emphasising economic goals, appear to give more emphasis to cultural and social goals, including changing society’s attitudes to women’s enterprises and increasing women’s visibility to the public and to each other.
The experience of New Zealand women in SMEs and government SME related policy appear to be in line with those of other countries.
Identifying and reducing unnecessary constraints on women’s business and supporting their businesses to grow could greatly enhance overall economic performance.
While many New Zealand women in enterprise are already flourishing, others have yet to find their path. With more support from communities, government and networks, the contribution of women in enterprise to the
New Zealand economy will continue to grow. MWA and MED will use the research to help government develop policies that will reduce barriers and help women continue to grow successful businesses.
ENDS
Action plan for New Zealand women comes to Southland
4 March 2005Southlanders who made submissions on the proposed Action Plan for
New Zealand women will get to hear how their views influenced the final Plan.
Ministry of Women’s Affairs CEO Shenagh Gleisner is in Invercargill on International Women’s Day, Tuesday 8 March to speak to local people about the Action Plan.
The meeting will be held at the Southern Institute of Technology, Otarewa Room, Hansen Hall in Invercargill from 7:30 – 9:30pm. Those interested in hearing about the Plan are welcome to attend.
The Action Plan was launched by the Minister of Women’s Affairs, Hon Ruth Dyson, exactly one year ago and is a five year, whole-of-government plan targeting areas that can improve the quality of women’s lives.
“The launch was attended by more than 350 people who had contributed to the plan in various ways, but there are hundreds more around New Zealand who could not come to the launch,” said Ms Gleisner.
“As a result we have decided to visit a number of regions and report back to those who were so helpful in providing ideas and advice.”
The Action Plan for New Zealand Women focuses on three key areas:
• improved economic independence of women in New Zealand
• greater work-life balance in New Zealand
• improved quality of life for all New Zealand women.
The Ministry’s role in achieving these outcomes is to identify trends and emerging issues affecting women; to lead policy work and thinking on these issues; and to influence the policy work of others.
Shenagh Gleisner said that as a policy ministry, Women’s Affairs recognised that to effect change it had to work closely with others involved in both policy and implementation and had to be rigorous in its analysis and monitoring.
For this reason there was a strong emphasis in the Action Plan on working with others - including women’s organisations and other government agencies – and on research, monitoring and evaluation.
ENDS
UN summit on Status of Women
28 February 2005New Zealand will seek to ensure women’s rights remain a priority at the 49th Session of United Nations Commission on the Status of Women (CSW) starting in New York tonight (NZ time).
The meeting marks the 10th anniversary of the Beijing Declaration which adopted a Programme for Action for the global advancement of women. New Zealand’s delegation is being led by Women’s Affairs Minister Ruth Dyson.
“New Zealand strongly supports that programme and the international commitment to women’s rights. That may sound a bit obscure, but the Declaration, and the obligations and scrutiny that go with it, do influence the way policies for women are developed around the globe.
“International obligations under the Beijing Declaration and the Convention of the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination Against Women (CEDAW) have helped guide New Zealand’s progress in areas such as pay and employment equity. They also provide critical protection for the basic human rights of women.
“Reaffirmation of the Beijing Declaration this week will help keep gender equality central to the wider United Nations agenda and, ensure appropriate attention when the UN celebrates its 60th anniversary later this year and reviews the Millennium Declaration and Millennium Development Goals, which deal more broadly with human rights.“
The New Zealand delegation includes unusually both public servants and representatives of civil society.
“We believe that the advancement of women can only occur when governments work closely with non-government organisations. We are one of only a few countries that regularly includes women from the wider community in our delegations.
“These representatives bring invaluable perspective, reminding us that while we are negotiating international agreements, they need to have meaning for ordinary women.”
While in New York Ruth Dyson also took part in the Commonwealth ‘Beijing+10’ Ministers’ meeting, on Sunday 27 February, and will have a number of bilateral meetings with other delegations attending CSW.
ENDS
