Meeting diverse needs

Through widespread consultation, the views of young, mature and older New Zealand women have informed the development of the Action Plan. Focus groups highlighted key issues and concerns for particular groups of women including Pacific women, rural women, women with disabilities, ethnic women and women on low incomes. Following analysis, actions of benefit to particular groups of women were integrated into the Plan’s core activities. Some of the specific issues impacting on particular groups of women are highlighted in the following section.

PACIFIC WOMEN
Within the theme of economic sustainability, Goal 7 of the Employment Strategy, led by the Department of Labour, seeks to improve participation in employment, and the earnings and quality of employment for Pacific peoples. This is a key issue for Pacific women who represent 46 per cent of Pacific peoples participating in the paid workforce, and are over-represented in low income, elementary occupations. The Ministry of Education and Career Services have developed programmes to increase awareness of, and access to, careers information, advice and guidance, and to provide assistance to Pacific peoples who face persistent disadvantages in the labour market. The Ministry of Pacific Island Affairs will align and integrate the initiatives and programmes of a number of agencies to improve the development of the paid workforce for Pacific peoples. The Ministry of Women's Affairs will provide gender specific advice to agencies involved and review employment outcomes for Pacific women.

The need to recognise the inherent values of Pacific culture when developing policy for Pacific peoples has been clearly recognised by the Work-life Balance Steering Group. The Steering Group will develop options to improve work-life balance in conjunction with a number of agencies that include the Ministry of Pacific Island Affairs.

The use of approaches designed and delivered by Pacific peoples and an appropriately trained workforce will continue to be supported across government. For example, within the Pacific Health and Disability Action Plan, leadership training and the building of responsive programmes and services must be meaningful to Pacific peoples.

The strategy includes the experiences of Pacific peoples born in New Zealand, their vision for the future and other factors being considered independently and collectively within the expectations of Pacific families, the community of churches and mainstream society. Other government strategies and plans will target issues impacting most severely on Pacific peoples. A significant health
issue for Pacific women is obesity, with 47.2 per cent of Pacific females classified as obese, in contrast to 26.2 per cent of Pacific men. These figures compare to 27.9 per cent of Mäori women and 16.7 per cent of European women.(2) The obesity level of Pacific peoples has been prioritised for action in the government's Healthy Eating, Healthy Action: Oranga Kai, Oranga Pumau Strategy - a national plan of action for nutrition, physical activity and healthy weight led by the Ministry of Health. A plan to implement the strategy is scheduled for completion in May 2004. The Ministry of Women's Affairs will work with the Ministry of Health to develop policy initiatives that address the causal factors of obesity among women, particularly Pacific women.

WOMEN WITH DISABILITIES
The New Zealand Disability Strategy: Making a world of difference: Whakanui Oranga 2001 (3) (NZDS) offers a vision of a fully inclusive society. From an outcomes perspective, it means a society that accepts, values and enhances the lives of people with disabilities. By creating a more inclusive and informed society, women with disabilities will be accepted as part of society and their contribution will be more visible and valued. As the central policy framework for achieving an inclusive society, the NZDS acts as a guide to government action to promote the development of more inclusive policies. The strategy also provides a process for measuring progress against objectives and goals relating to women with a disability.

The NZDS was launched on 30 April 2001, and since 1 July 2002 government departments have been required to develop annual NZDS implementation work plans that set out steps that each department will take to implement the NZDS. Progress in achieving the objectives and related goals of the strategy is monitored annually and reported to Parliament.

The Ministry of Women's Affairs will work with the Office for Disability Issues to help promote the inclusion of issues for women with disabilities in the NZDS implementation plans required of government departments. A particular focus for the Ministry will be the two objectives of the NZDS that specifically focus on women with a disability (Objective 14 -Promote participation of women with a disability in order to improve their quality of life; and Objective 15 - Value families, whänau and people providing ongoing support). The Ministry will also be inclusive of disability issues when providing gender specific policy advice to agencies, particularly in relation to the priority areas of the Plan.

Action Plan initiatives incorporate issues that impact on women with disabilities. An example is the government's Employment Strategy, which specifically recognises the additional barriers faced by women with disabilities. Goal 8 of the Employment Strategy, led by the Department of Labour, targets improvement in employment, earnings and the quality of employment for a number of groups that include women and young people with disabilities. A number of agencies are involved in work that aims to have all 15 to 19 year-olds engaged in appropriate education, training, paid work or other activities leading to long-term economic independence and well-being.

OLDER WOMEN
Issues of concern to older women are outlined in the New Zealand Positive Ageing Strategy, led by the Office for Senior Citizens. Initiatives within the Plan prioritise the aims of Goals 1, 2 and 7 of the strategy. These initiatives focus on achieving improvements in security and adequacy of employment and income, access to health services, and access to services in rural communities.

The Department of Labour leads the government's Employment Strategy, which prioritises a number of issues for 'mature workers' (50 years and over). Goal 8 of the strategy outlines a range of activities being progressed by the Ministry of Social Development, which include the development of policy options for mature employment, mentoring and community participation, and analysis of the needs and issues facing mature job seekers. Other government initiatives aim to improve the affordability of tertiary education, which will impact favourably on older women undertaking further studies to improve their opportunities in the paid workforce. Care of older family/whänau members can impact severely on women's economic sustainability and well-being. Through participation in the Work-life Balance Steering Group, the Ministry of Women's Affairs will provide gender specific advice highlighting women's care of dependants, and particularly older family members, as an important consideration in the development of policy options.

Another major concern for older women is violence. An area prioritised for action by the government's Te Rito: New Zealand Family Violence Prevention Strategy is the prevention of common forms of violence within families/whänau, including elder abuse/neglect, which impacts most severely on those aged 65 years and over.

Access to services and health issues affecting older women are recognised in the government's Health of Older People Strategy. The Ministry of Health and District Health Boards have responsibility for implementing the strategy, which prioritises assistance to older people to ensure they maintain a good quality of life. The provision of community-level health care and disability support will improve older women's access to services and enable older women to 'age in place'.

The Ministry of Women's Affairs will continue to work with the Department of Labour, the Retirement Commission and a number of agencies to foster policy options that improve the circumstances of older women, particularly in the area of economic independence. The Ministry will also highlight the concerns of older women through input to the review of Heartland Services, the implementation of the health service delivery model, the Work-life Balance Steering Group, and groups responsible for implementing Te Rito and other government programmes.

ETHNIC, MIGRANT AND REFUGEE WOMEN
New Zealand's ethnic sector comprises 10 per cent of New Zealanders from more than 200 separately identified ethnic groups. Over half of this sector is made up of new migrants who have been in New Zealand for less than 10 years.

The government's Immigration Settlement Strategy outlines the significant barriers to settlement for non-principal applicants (spouses and partners of migrants and refugees, and their children). Migrant and refugee women are identified as a high risk group for social isolation and mental illness, especially those from traditional cultures and religious backgrounds, and those who do not speak English. The Department of Labour will co-ordinate further development of settlement initiatives by relevant agencies and report back to the government with a timetable for future work by 31 March 2004.

One of the most significant barriers inhibiting the participation of new migrants in New Zealand's economy and society is language. Work to overcome the language barrier, which ultimately assists migrant women to participate in the paid workforce, is prioritised in the Plan. The Ministry of Education and the Tertiary Education Commission will implement the Adult English for Speakers of Other Languages (ESOL) Strategy. Another initiative being implemented by the Department of Internal Affairs' Office of Ethnic Affairs is a pilot telephone interpreting service, which aims to improve access to government services for non-English speaking people and people with limited English. The Ministry of Women's Affairs will review outcomes achieved in this area to monitor improvements for ethnic women.

A key concern raised by ethnic women through the Plan consultation process was access to services, including mental health and support services. The Ministry of Health will produce guidelines to improve mental health services in 2004. The Ministry of Women's Affairs will work to ensure appropriate gender specific analysis is used in the review of community based mental health support services, and that policy options enhance the social, economic and cultural needs of women, particularly ethnic women.

RURAL WOMEN
The small and dispersed population of rural areas inhibits access to health and other services by rural women. In addition, fewer resources are available to support women's participation in the economy than in urban areas. A key issue identified in the consultation process by rural women was the need for cross-government co-ordination in rural areas.

To improve the circumstances of rural women in New Zealand, the government will establish an additional five Heartland Service Centres by June 2004, which will improve access to a wide range of government services in rural districts, and take the total number of Centres to 30.

To improve the provision of health services, District Health Boards are working with the Ministry of Health to establish PHOs in rural areas, staffed by skilled health workers and qualified medical practitioners. Access to services and information will also be improved in rural areas through an E-government initiative being implemented by the State Services Commission.

The Ministry of Women's Affairs willprovide gender specific advice to inform the review of Heartland Services. The Ministry will also provide input and support to the implementation of health service delivery models and review outcomes achieved for women through improvements to information and communications technology.

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