Māori women

The Treaty of Waitangi has a unique place in New Zealand society and underpins the relationship between Māori and the Crown. This special relationship and a consideration of the inequalities that exist between Māori women and other women, and between Māori women and Māori men, prompted the Ministry to obtain Māori women's specific aspirations and priorities.

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Vision

There was a general consensus that the vision statement for New Zealand women needed to reflect more explicitly Māori women's unique roles and rights as tangata whenua, aims and aspirations, and circumstances and needs.

Māori women articulated a vision of a society where:

The well-being of Māori women and their whānau is achieved through their spiritual, physical, cultural, social and economic development and where women have the opportunity and autonomy to achieve their potential and life expectations.

Within this context, Māori women focused on a society where:

• Māori women have equality with other women and with Māori men, with a particular focus on pay equity
• Māori women participate fully in society, with a key focus on participation in education and decision-making in the workforce, government and wider society
• the special role of Māori women in society is recognised and valued, consistent with the Treaty of Waitangi
• Māori women are empowered
• the government works in genuine partnership with Māori women
• mothers, and particularly sole mothers, are supported by their families, friends, community and wider society
• Māori women electing to be principal caregivers are recognised and rewarded for their contribution to society
• Māori women are safe from physical harm.

Priorities

Seventy-five Māori contributors identified priority issues for Māori women. Across these contributors, the resounding priorities were health, education and housing, with high levels of support for focusing on whānau development. Other issues included:

• social equality, with specific reference to overcoming intergenerational cycles of disadvantage
• economic independence
• service delivery, with a strong call for service delivery 'by Māori for Māori'
• increasing the numbers of Māori women in leadership and decision-making positions
• building cultural identity and Māori women's self-confidence and self-esteem
• employment
• encouraging Māori women's participation in business
• safety
• sexual and reproductive health.

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Māori Women and economic sustainability

Fifty contributors identifying as Māori made specific comment on issues associated with economic sustainability. These comments were closely aligned to the issues raised by women generally, with a key focus on Māori women attaining economic independence.

Issues

• the loss of cultural identity affecting Māori women's economic circumstances
• personal pride and self-esteem having positive effects on (particularly educational) achievement
• the government recognising and utilising the skills of the Māori Women's Welfare League, particularly as a mechanism for ensuring Māori women's input into policy development.

Government and community solutions

• partnership based relationships between Māori women and the government
• 'by Māori for Māori' service delivery
• encouraging Māori women's participation in the enterprise economy
• ensuring the accessibility of, and encouraging Māori women's participation in, tertiary education.

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Māori women and work- life balance

Forty-one contributors identifying as Māori responded that achieving work-life balance is extremely difficult, and indicated that personal or professional aspirations are often a lower priority than other responsibilities. Contributors typically referred to the need to exercise sound time management skills, prioritise effectively and have whānau support. There was also a strongly articulated view that voluntary workers are instrumental in supporting women to meet a range of responsibilities, and that more voluntary workers would be beneficial.

Issues

• greater sharing of family and community responsibilities
• there is not enough emphasis on the importance of whānau and whanaungatanga
• greater levels of support and resources for the voluntary sector and organisations contributing to whānau, hapū and iwi development to reduce the burden on individual Māori women
• valuing and rewarding Māori women's unpaid work to reduce the economic drivers for them to focus on paid work
• the need to increase earnings (including higher hourly rates and study allowances) to allow Māori women to undertake less paid work and have more time to meet other responsibilities
• increased and more flexible leave provisions enabling women in the paid workforce to better respond to family responsibilities
• enhancing access to social services, particularly affordable, quality childcare.

Government and community solutions

• financially recognising, through credits in the tax system, women's voluntary work
• increasing incentives for women to choose to work in the home, and a greater overall focus on whanaungatanga
• encouraging participation in the voluntary sector, including instilling children with a sense of community responsibility by requiring some contribution by them to voluntary groups during school hours
• more funding for community and women's organisations
• incentives for employers to institute flexible work arrangements and family-friendly workplaces, and to recognise the skills acquired through unpaid work
• extending paid parental leave
• enforcing pay equity requirements
• state run or subsidised early childhood education
• improving the availability of information on social and other services to support women and families
• parenting programmes and programmes to increase men's sharing of family responsibilities
• more support for sole parents.

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Māori women and well-being

Forty-four contributors identifying as Māori commented on well-being issues. These were grouped into three broad areas: social well-being, cultural and personal well-being, and societal issues.

Issues

Social well-being

• safety, particularly the high levels of domestic and whānau violence Māori women experience
• health, particularly the high costs of accessing health services, Māori women's smoking rates, and a perceived disregard for health ethics by some health professionals
• education, particularly the need to improve Māori women's participation and achievement in all levels of education
• social services, particularly the need to improve Māori women's access.

Contributors also identified a range of other social well-being issues, most notably support for single mothers, access to the justice system and affordable housing.

Cultural and personal well-being

• the impact of lost cultural identity on well-being
• the need for Māori women to be provided the opportunity to participate in ways that are appropriate to them
• lack of self-esteem and motivation
• multiple roles compromising women's well-being.

Societal issues

• male-dominated decision-making
• discrimination
• non-Māori paternalism.

Government and community solutions

• improving the quality of engagement between government and Māori
• increased funding for, and accessibility of, services delivered 'by Māori for Māori'
• increased funding for other community organisations delivering social services
• promoting more Māori women into leadership and decision-making positions, including positions on government-appointed bodies
• sharpening the policy focus on whānau well-being
• free and quality education
• longer hospital stays for maternity patients
• enhancing apprenticeship schemes and requiring six-month compulsory military training
• state-funded support for retired people to assist with caregiving.

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Barriers for Māori women

Sixty-nine Māori contributors identified barriers that need to be removed to increase Māori women's participation in society, and provided advice on how the government could help to remove those barriers. The strongest view was that the key barriers to Māori women's participation in society are low levels of self-confidence and self-esteem. Other key areas were:

• lack of partnership between Māori women and the government
• lack of autonomy over their own affairs
• inequality and racism
• traditional cultural barriers to full participation in society, including expectations that they are principally responsible for family obligations
• lack of financial independence
• barriers to Māori women's participation in education, including financial barriers to tertiary education and less than positive educational environments
• under-representation of Māori women in leadership and decision-making positions
• discrimination, in terms of both racial and gender discrimination. Some contributors considered a male-dominated Māori culture was a form of gender discrimination
• lack of understanding or consideration of Māori women's unique needs and aspirations
• restricted access to appropriate services and information.

Reducing barriers for Māori women

• ensure Māori women's representation in all government portfolios and decision-making positions
• establish a partnership policy and plan with the Ministry of Women's Affairs to ensure a fair allocation of resources to Māori women
• introduce parallel development systems and ensure Māori women's unique needs and aspirations are recognised and catered for in government interventions
• remove tax related barriers to financial independence, address benefit dependency, and focus on the Māori economic resource base
• educate the public on Māori women's needs and aspirations, and ensure Māori women are fully consulted in the development of policies that affect them.

Developing the government's relationship with Māori women

• public education on the Treaty of Waitangi
• sustainable development strategies between iwi, hapū and the government
• a greater focus on social and economic equality
• recognising Māori-driven indicators of wellness, including hauora, taha wairua and hinengaro
• more recognition of, and funding for, locally initiated development projects
• a greater level of government engagement with the Māori Women's Welfare League
• more Māori women on government-appointed bodies
• more effective dissemination of information to Māori women.

Effective initiatives and organisations

• Māori practice models
• marae based service delivery
• 'by Māori for Māori' service delivery, including Māori health providers and Māori educational institutions (Te Kohanga Reo, Kura Kaupapa Māori, wānanga and Māori boarding schools)
• educational initiatives, including Kohanga Reo, Māori language schools, wānanga, the Huntly Māori campus, on-campus support for Māori women, second chance education and culturally effective teachers
• health initiatives, including Māori health providers, He Oranga Poutama delivered by Sport and Recreation New Zealand, and the Patient Rights Advocacy Service in the Waikato
• training programmes delivered by the YWCA in Christchurch
• the Māori Women's Welfare League programmes delivered by the League, including Mahi-a-Whānau, and business initiatives delivered by Māori Women's Development Inc (MWDI)
• Mana Wāhine programmes
• mentoring programmes, particularly those delivered by the YWCA
• Women's Refuge.

Contributors also commented that mainstream observance of partnership, protection and participation principles is instrumental in the delivery of effective services to Māori.

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