within this section:

• Strategic policy work
• International work
• Nominations service
• Relationships
• Size and structure of the Ministry
• Current policy work programme
  
  

Role of the Ministry of Women's Affairs

The Ministry of Women's Affairs is a strategic policy agency with three core functions. The Ministry:

• provides policy advice on issues that impact on social and economic outcomes for women
• assists the government to fulfil its international obligations in relation to the status of women
• nominates appropriately-qualified women for state sector boards.

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Strategic policy work

The Ministry is the government's lead policy advisor on outcomes for women. The Ministry's advice seeks to ensure that the distinctive needs of women are met, and that women are fully able to contribute to the economic and social goals for New Zealand. Its roles are detailed below.

Specialist policy advisor

The Ministry leads policy development, alone or within the programmes of other departments; contributes to policy steering groups; and provides analytical support and advice to the government on the potential impact of proposed policies on the relevant range of women. The Ministry uses a range of analytical frameworks including gender analysis.

Knowledge manager

The Ministry provides public sector departments with information and analysis to assist in quality policy advice; connects with networks that have expertise in women's issues; and gathers and generates information that fills critical gaps.

Monitor

The Ministry keeps a watching eye on issues for women; monitors progress on the Action Plan for New Zealand Women; supports government agencies to keep policy initiatives on track; and supports capability building in the public sector to ensure consideration of gender issues is embedded.

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International work

The Ministry is the lead agency for managing New Zealand's international obligations regarding the status of women. This role has an external and internal focus.

Externally, the Ministry assists in managing the government's international obligations. The Ministry also supports ministerial participation in, and attendance at, international forums such as the annual United Nations Commission on the Status of Women.

The Ministry is also responsible, in conjunction with the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Trade, for preparing New Zealand's reports to the United Nations Committee on the Elimination of Discrimination against Women. The sixth report is due for completion by March 2006.

Internally, the Ministry promotes development of domestic policy that is consistent with New Zealand's international obligations in relation to the status of women.

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Nominations service

The Ministry is accountable for the provision of suitable women nominees for appointment to statutory bodies.

The Ministry is working towards women representing 50 percent of the members of statutory bodies by the year 2010. Of 683 appointments to statutory bodies made during 2004, 308 were women. This equates to 45 percent.

Relationships

The Ministry uses unique information and high-quality interaction with people to add value to its policy work. The Ministry, therefore, operates a comprehensive programme of relationship management involving relationships with non-government officials as well as public sector colleagues. The Ministry leads in a way that is not always highly visible, through assisting, supporting and enhancing the work of others.

The Ministry accesses information through ongoing relationships with key women's groups including the National Council of Women, Rural Women of New Zealand, New Zealand Federation of Business and Professional Women Inc., Pacifica, Zonta and the National Collective of Independent Women's Refuges. It maintains contacts with organisations with an interest in law, youth, migrants, and people with disabilities. The Ministry also has relationships with trade unions, the Retirement Commission, the Human Rights Commission, and business groups. It also links to a number of universities undertaking research programmes on issues for women.

Sustained relationships with Māori are necessary to produce policy advice that is effective in improving outcomes for Māori women. This is achieved through contact with organisations, specially constituted Māori women's reference groups, and iwi relationships.

The Ministry's collaborative work extends to a range of organisations in civil society. This is particularly a feature of its approach to discharging its international function and the Ministry convenes a caucus on international women's issues. The caucus is a forum for individuals and government agencies to share information and enhance New Zealand's capacity to contribute effectively to international forums.

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Size and structure of the Ministry

The Ministry employs 32 staff and has one output class with a baseline appropriation of $4.115 million in 2005/6 and out years.

A State Services Commission review in 2005 confirmed that the Ministry is functioning very well.

The Ministry's overall structure and full-time equivalent staff is illustrated in Figure 3. The chief executive, Shenagh Gleisner, has been in the position since February 2004 and has a career in health service delivery, the private sector and central government agencies.

The senior management team consists of the Chief Executive, managers of Policy, Corporate Support and Treaty Relationships units, and the Strategy Development Leader who is on a fixed-term contract. The Nominations Manager reports directly to the Chief Executive, but is not a member of the senior management team.

Corporate Support functions include information services and communications. International work forms part of the Policy team's work programme.

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Figure 3: Ministry of Women's Affairs corporate structure

Current policy work programme

The Ministry prioritises policy work based on where it can add the most value. It leads policy projects where evidence shows an area to be critical to achieving outcomes for women, and where that work is not an area of focus for other agencies.

The Ministry also contributes and influences the policy development of other agencies in a range of ways, for example by undertaking focused analysis, engaging other stakeholders, or bringing information to the debate when additional input is needed. The Ministry is agile and effective in applying analytical resources where they are most required.

The Ministry is currently leading several research projects that assist and influence policy development in other agencies.

• Women in Enterprise research, which has been undertaken in conjunction with the Ministry of Economic Development, is due for completion by December 2005. This research will inform policy options to improve business outcomes and create opportunities to increase women’s contribution to New Zealand’s economic growth.
• Research to improve the economic well-being of Pacific women and their families. This has been funded by the Ministry of Research, Science and Technology and is due for completion by December 2005.
• Research to provide information about how protection orders may better protect women experiencing domestic violence. This research is due for completion in May 2006.

In addition, the Ministry is involved with other major policy projects described below. In some cases, the Ministry leads particular components of work.

• Policy work on how to enhance choices for parents and other carers. This project is being led by the Department of Labour. The main output of this work is to develop advice to enhance the work choices available to parents and other carers and achieve quality outcomes for children, families and other dependents. In particular, the Ministry is involved in workstreams regarding income barriers, early childhood education and care and out-of-school services.
• A cross-sectoral, multi-faceted review of sexuality education is being undertaken to better understand the content and quality of sexuality education in schools. This is part of the Education Review Office’s 2006 general review of schools with students between Years 7 and 13.
• Policy advice is being developed to improve the representation of women in Modern Apprenticeships. This work is being developed by the Tertiary Education Commission and will include interviews with Modern Apprenticeship co-ordinators.

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