Pānui October 2010

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Table of Contents

First in the world
From the Minister – Defining moment in our history
CEDAW update
Women on the board - leading by example
ASX sets gender diversity targets
Women in Power
Women in trades network goes north
Women on the Move
Keeping ethnic women safe
Kapa haka leadership celebrated
– 20,000 attend festival
In brief
– Response to sexual violence report
– Big celebration ahead for International Women’s Day, 8 March
– Social housing in NZ
– Views sought on options to change the child support scheme
– White Ribbon Day
– Welfare Working Group

First in the world

In 1893, New Zealand became the first country in the world where women could vote in national elections. It is one of the events when we could clearly say ‘we led the world’.  

MWA believes we should all celebrate Suffrage Day more than we do. This year we began a campaign – including display panels, posters, and badges – which we plan to build on in future years

The 1893 Suffrage petition was signed by 32,000 people throughout New Zealand and nearly 24,000 of those signatures remain on a copy held in Wellington. It was the largest petition our young nation had ever seen, and represented the efforts of a truly mass movement, which drew support from right across society.

The original of the petition sits in Wellington at Archives New Zealand, in the same area that houses the Treaty of Waitangi. This year, we have begun to get the petition back out to people, asking ‘was great grandma or great granddad a suffragist?’ 

The petition looks just as it did when Kate Sheppard rolled it up in 1893 and just as it was before John Hall MP rolled it down the central aisle of the House of Representatives, making quite a thud when it hit the end wall of the debating chamber. Within months the all-male parliament had granted women the vote, making New Zealand a world leader.

Māori women were strongly involved in the suffrage struggle. That is another part of the story that needs to be better known, so we have created a new web resource that tells the story of Māori women and the vote. The information in these pages is taken from Māori Women and The Vote by Tania Rei (now Tania Rangiheuea) published by Huia Publishers in 1993 as part of the celebrations for the centennial of women’s suffrage.

Māori women won the right to vote in national elections in 1893 along with their Pākehā sisters. And they won the right to vote and sit in the Māori parliament four years later in 1897. It is a remarkable story, which you can discover on our website www.mwa.govt.nz.

The Ministry was involved in three celebratory events around New Zealand.

In Auckland on 13 September, the Minister of Women’s Affairs, Hon Pansy Wong hosted an event to celebrate Māori women in governance: their role in the suffrage movement and in the 21st century. The event was also the launch of a new web resource on the Ministry’s website – Māori women and the vote - highlighting the huge role of Māori women in the fight to win New Zealand women the right to vote.

In Wellington on 15 September, an event was held at the Beehive to celebrate New Zealand being first in the world to give women the vote. Hosted by Women’s Affairs Minister, Hon Pansy Wong, guest speakers included Hon Judith Collins, Minister of Police and Corrections;  Nicki Crauford, Chief Executive of the Institute of Directors in New Zealand; Barbara Wilkinson, Chief Executive of the Plastics and Materials Processing Industry Training Organisation; and Elizabeth Bang, National President of the National Council of Women.

In Christchurch, the Ministry partnered with the Christchurch City Council to organise a luncheon held on 19 September. Nicky Wagner, MP, represented Women’s Affairs Minister, Hon Pansy Wong and Anne Shaw, Policy Manager, represented the Ministry.

Defining moment in our history – from the Minister

On 19 September 1893, New Zealand women were the first in the world to win the right to vote.

This moment in history defines us as a nation and is a great source of pride. When the bill allowing women to vote was passed into law, leading suffragist Kate Sheppard wrote:
 
‘The General Elections have come and gone. For the first time the women of New Zealand have joined with men in choosing members of Parliament, and we have waited with bated breath for the deluge of calamities which it was prognosticated would follow the admission of women into the political arena’.

Meri Te Tai Mangakahia was recorded as being the first woman to address the Māori Parliament. She along with other Maori women played a significant role in the battle for women’s rights. To celebrate their role and mark Suffrage Day, a new web resource was launched at an event held in Auckland. It can be viewed on the Ministry’s website www.mwa.govt.nz.

We also held events in Christchurch and Wellington to mark Suffrage Day – a significant part of New Zealand’s history and a part which showed our nation to be fair minded and progressive. Yet, despite this magnificent achievement, as a nation we did little to celebrate it. I am determined to bring about enduring changes that will see Suffrage Day celebrations take their rightful place and become part of our national pride.

It would be interesting to hear what Kate and Meri Te Tai would have to say if they were here today. Our seventh periodic report to the United Nations Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination against Women (CEDAW) would tell them that New Zealand women, by international standards, are doing well. We regularly rate in the top half dozen countries in the world for equality between men and women – for instance, in the 2009 Global Gender Gap Report, out of 115 countries surveyed, we were fifth, behind the Scandinavian countries.

New Zealand women also have high levels of engagement and success in education and employment. For example, in 2008, women accounted for 55 percent of students enrolled in tertiary education, and of those who started a tertiary qualification in 2001, 61 percent of domestic students who completed their qualification by the end of 2008 were women.

But, there are still challenges. Women’s skills are underused in leadership across the economy; women still earn less than men – even when their jobs and qualifications are similar; and violence within families continues to be a cause of national concern. In the same spirit as Kate and Meri, we must continue to work hard to overcome these challenges.

Hon Pansy Wong
Minister of Women’s Affairs

CEDAW update

In the June Pānui, we advised that work was well underway on New Zealand’s seventh periodic report to the United Nations Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination against Women – our four-yearly report card on the status of women. 

MWA hosted a ‘special’ meeting of the women’s caucus on international issues to seek feedback on the report. The feedback was very useful and helped us identify areas where we could make the report more comprehensive. The final report will go before Cabinet around late October, before we submit it to CEDAW. 

NGOs can also present independent reports to the CEDAW Committee, often referred to as shadow reports. Shadow reports are currently being prepared by the National Council of Women of New Zealand (on behalf of a number of NGO groups); the Māori Women’s Welfare League; the Abortion Law Reform Association of New Zealand, and Pacific Women’s Watch Inc. Reports can be submitted prior to or when the New Zealand Government presents its report, likely to be in late 2011. The Government will also update the Committee at this time on progress since the CEDAW report was submitted.

More information about NGO participation at CEDAW sessions is available at www.un.org/womenwatch/daw/ngo/cedawngo.

Women on the board – leading by example

After announcing women directors should be a top priority for business, the New Zealand Shareholders' Association is showing it can lead by example. Three of the Association’s eight full board members are now women.

Many New Zealand boards are dominated by older men. Shareholders’ Association chair John Hawkins said the organisation had been concerned for some time that ‘we need a greater diversity on boards’.

‘But we found that a lot of women were reluctant to get involved because they felt they didn't have sufficient skills. I think that's a shame. Fifty percent of the population are women, and they should participate equally in the important commercial affairs of the nation.

‘There are plenty of well-qualified women out there. We have been very impressed with the calibre of the candidates forwarded to us by the Ministry of Women's Affairs for directorship roles recently, and the quality of the people suggested for our own board was simply stunning.’

The Shareholders' Association has five branches throughout the country and over 1,000 members. It provides investor services, engages with business, and acts as a political advocate to promote the interests of shareholders.

John said that while diversity of ethnicity, age and gender are all top priorities for the Association, competency remains the single most important quality in any director.

‘We are not seeking to promote any particular group just for the sake of it; we just think that a board should reflect the business and the diversity of the market in which it operates.

The three women on the NZSA board – Jacqui Bensemann, Gayatri Jaduram, and Lyn Lim – were all identified by MWA’s Nominations Service.

‘The Ministry's nominations scheme is incredibly useful. There are people on that list who are very motivated and want to make a difference. And I think that's terrific.’ 

ASX sets gender diversity targets

In July the Australian Securities Exchange (ASX) Corporate Governance Council announced amendments to its Principles and Recommendations, encouraging all listed companies to adopt policies on gender and diversity issues and set targets to be reported against in their annual reports.

If a company elects not to implement a diversity policy, it will need to explain to the market why it has chosen not to under the ‘if not, why not’ principle of the recommendations. The new recommendations take effect from 1 January 2011. 

The 32 companies with dual listings on the New Zealand and Australian stock exchanges are bound by the new recommendations.

According to the latest figures released by the Australian Institute of Company Directors, the proportion of female directors on ASX 200 companies is now close to 10 percent, up from 8.3 percent at the beginning of this year.

In the first seven months of this year, 31 women were appointed to ASX 200 boards, compared to only ten for the whole of last year. Twenty-seven percent of all ASX 200 board appointees this year have been women, compared to just 5 percent in 2009 and 8 percent in 2007 and 2008.

Women in Power

Marina Roberts loves her new job as a trainee line mechanic for Northpower in East Tamaki.

Line mechanics install, repair, and maintain overhead and underground electricity supply lines.

Marina is one of nine women recruited into the electricity supply industry as part of a project being undertaken by the Electricity Supply Industry Training Organisation (ESITO). The project sees nine women employed as trainee line mechanics by Northpower and Electrix New Zealand. The former process worker was one of a group of 12 to go through a three-day ‘boot camp’ of written and physical tests to pass to be selected as a trainee.

‘I am already out in the field, observing and learning the basic tools. There is quite a lot of heavy lifting but I am strong. This is a great opportunity for me, and the people are awesome.’

The ‘Women in Power’ project will explore both the value added by the female trainees to the industry and the real and perceived barriers to female participation in the electricity supply trades qualification, and work.

The project dovetails with the work the Ministry is doing to encourage women into male-dominated occupations, and ESITO and the Ministry of Women’s Affairs jointly launched Women in Power at Parliament in August. Women’s Affairs Minister Pansy Wong was the guest speaker and eight of the nine women attended as guests of honour.

Women in trades network goes north

Women in trades including carpenters, joiners, electricians, and plasterers gathered for breakfast in Auckland in July to meet other tradeswomen and share stories about their work lives.

For many of the women at the breakfast, it was the first time they had met another tradeswoman. One of the guests, Unitech carpentry apprentice Kartika Mutzelburg,  made history in June when she won the ‘Third Year Apprentice Challenge’. 

The Apprentice Challenge is organised by the Certified Builders Association of New Zealand and the Industry Training Association Building and demands a high standard of carpentry skills. 

Kartika was the first – and the only – female apprentice to reach the national final of the challenge after beating a dozen apprentices to win the regional finals. Kartika said she had wanted to be a builder for a long time but was told it ‘wasn’t a suitable job’.

‘I finally decided to have a go and I love it. I was also told I would not cope with the physical side of the job and would get a hard time from the men but neither has proved to be the case. I followed my dream and it would be great if other women go out there and do the same.’

The women in trades network initiative was developed by MWA as part of our work programme to encourage and retain more women in trades. The first networking event was held in Wellington in December last year. We plan to set up a network in the Bay of Plenty next.

Women on the Move

• New Zealand’s new High Commissioner to the Cook Islands is career diplomat Linda Te Puni and our new High Commissioner to India is career diplomat Jan Henderson.

• Sandra Venables has been appointed Eastern Bay police area commander, the first time a woman has been appointed to the role in the Bay of Plenty police force.

• Also for the first time, a New Zealander has been elected President-Elect for Zonta International. Lynn McKenzie will move from the role of President-Elect to President in 2012.

• Shonagh Kenderdine has been appointed Chair of the Board of the New Zealand Historic Places Trust. 

• Glenis Philip-Barbara is the new Chief Executive Officer of Te Taura Whiri i te Reo Māori (the Māori Language Commission).

• Sarah Reeves has been appointed a Judge of the Māori Land Court.

• Maxine Simmons has been appointed as one of New Zealand’s three representatives on APEC’s Business Advisory Council. 

• Christina Van Bohemen has been appointed to the New Zealand Registered Architects’ Board.

• Judith Stanway has been appointed to the Board of the Charities Commission.

• Wendy Lai has been appointed to the Board of the Museum of New Zealand Te Papa Tongarewa.

• Barrister Mary Peters has been appointed a Judge of the High Court.

• New deputy chair of the Commerce Commission is Sue Begg.

• Marilyn Wallace has been appointed Principal Member of the State Housing Appeal Authority.

• New Independent Police Conduct Authority members are Angela Hauk-Willis and Dianne Macaskill.

• Robyn Scott has been appointed a Families Commissioner.

 Back to top

Keeping ethnic women safe

Communication difficulties and few support networks combined with a lack of information and understanding about their rights in New Zealand mean that many ethnic women do not report incidents of intimate partner violence. A new brochure developed by MWA and the Office of Ethnic Affairs seeks to help change that.

The brochure Speak Up. Seek Help. Safe Home is printed in ten different languages and provides information on the laws and rights in relationships in a New Zealand context. There are also facts about the different forms intimate partner violence might take and where ethnic women can get help. 

At the launch of the brochure in July, Women’s Affairs and Ethnic Affairs Minister Pansy Wong said it would contribute significantly to increasing awareness in ethnic communities about the issue of domestic violence.

‘Alongside other initiatives such as the It's Not OK campaign, the new resource will ensure we can address this very important issue in a constructive and practical way.

‘I am determined that ethnic women in New Zealand should not have to suffer in silence. Domestic violence is a societal problem and we must work determinedly to include all at-risk groups.’

The brochure together with a directory of services is available on the website of the Office of Ethnic Affairs at www.ethnicaffairs.govt.nz. There is also a literature review on culturally appropriate interventions for intimate partner violence in ethnic communities at www.mwa.govt.nz/news-and-pubs/publications/speak-up-seek-help-safe-home.

Ongoing work on case studies of good practice initiatives to address domestic violence in ethnic communities is now underway.

Kapa haka leadership celebrated

The huge contribution Māori women have made to kapa haka and other performing arts was celebrated at this year’s MWA Mana Wāhine/He Wāhine Pūmanawa event.

Women’s Affairs’ Minister Pansy Wong hosted a breakfast in Auckland for approximately 40 women who are leaders, coaches, performers, administrators, and judges in kapa haka.

The Minister said the effort and hard work the women put into kapa haka, while at the same time juggling busy work and home lives, was outstanding.

‘’Your positive role modelling, discipline, dedication, and strong leadership skills set a fine example for your rangatahi.

‘Kapa haka and Māori performance makes us unique in the world. You are all a part of a performing art that proclaims to the world, ‘this is Aotearoa New Zealand’.

The Ministry has celebrated the achievements of Māori women as tangata whenua annually since 1993.

20,000 attend festival

The two-yearly international Kapa Haka Festival, Te Matatini, is to be held in Gisborne between 17-20 February 2011. This year, more than 100 teams have competed at 13 regional competitions – including one in Australia – to qualify to be at the festival. The festival in Tauranga in 2009 attracted approximately 20,000 spectators. For more information, see www.tematatini.co.nz/events/festival-2011.htm.

In brief

Response to sexual violence report

The government has released its response to the Report of the Taskforce for Action on Sexual Violence. The Taskforce was established in July 2007 for two years to lead and co-ordinate efforts to address sexual violence and advise government on future actions to prevent and respond to sexual violence. Justice Minister Simon Power said the taskforce’s report had been and would continue to be a rich source of information for the government, and the government’s response consists of a range of initiatives across four action areas – prevention, frontline services, criminal justice, and future directions. For more information go to .

Big celebration ahead for International Women’s Day, 8 March

Next year will mark 100 years since the first celebration of International Women’s Day. In 1911, celebrations to mark International Working Women’s Day were held in celebrations in Austria, Denmark, Germany, and Switzerland. In 1975 it was adopted by the United Nations and today it is an event celebrated worldwide.

To mark the centenary, UNIFEM NZ proposes to co-ordinate 100 events in communities, schools, and workplaces across New Zealand where women will be invited to come together. For more information please contact UNIFEM NZ’s co-ordinator, Liz Brown at liz.brown@paradise.net.nz.

Social housing in NZ

A group set up to provide independent advice to the government on the effective and efficient delivery of state housing to those most in need released its report in August.

Home and Housed: A Vision for Social Housing in New Zealand was compiled by the Housing Shareholders’ Advisory Group and found that increasingly there are a number of people who are most in need of state housing who are not getting it when and where they need it.

The Group spent three months identifying issues and areas for improvement and has made 19 recommendations it believes will help ensure New Zealanders and their families have access to state and affordable housing in the future. The Group is now engaging with the wider sector and will report back to the government on that process later in the year. To see the report go to www.dbh.govt.nz/UserFiles/File/Publications/Sector/pdf/vision-for-social-housing-nz.pdf.

Views sought on options to change the child support scheme

The Government is seeking people's feedback on options to change New Zealand's child support scheme. The idea is to update the scheme so that it better reflects shared care, actual expenditure for raising children, and the contributions made by both parents. The child support payment, penalty and debt rules are also considered.

The discussion document is available at www.taxpolicy.ird.govt.nz. Submissions can be returned by post or email. The online consultation is available at www.supportingchildren.ird.govt.nz. Comments made through the online consultation can't be viewed by others and no personal details are required in order to take part. Consultation ends on 29 October 2010. 

White Ribbon Day

25 November is the International Day for the Elimination of Violence Against Women, known as White Ribbon Day. Last year more than 500,000 New Zealanders pinned on a white ribbon and over 100 communities held events to raise awareness. Each year White Ribbon Day events and activities are being increasingly supported by businesses, cultural groups, sporting teams, local government, and a wide range of community and government agencies. MWA is represented on the White Ribbon Day national campaign committee. For more information go to www.whiteribbon.org.nz.

Welfare Working Group

Earlier this year, a Welfare Working Group was established by Cabinet to undertake an expansive and fundamental review of New Zealand’s welfare system and to identify how to reduce long-term welfare dependency.

The Welfare Working Group will explore options and make a range of recommendations as an independent body. A final report will be presented to the Government in February 2011. The Group is engaging with a wide range of individuals and organisations about creating a more sustainable and fair welfare system.

In August, the Welfare Working Group published a discussion document on the issues facing the current benefit system. Formal submissions on the Issues Paper have closed, however the Welfare Working Group is continuing to accept submissions and comment throughout its work programme.

For more information go to http://ips.ac.nz/WelfareWorkingGroup/Index.html.

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Pānui is published by the Ministry of Women's Affairs, New Zealand. We welcome your feedback and ideas. Send them to Jayne McCullum, The Editor, Pānui, Ministry of Women's Affairs, PO Box 10049, Wellington 6143, New Zealand, or to email: mwa@mwa.govt.nz.
Editor: Jayne McCullum
Designer: Gusto

The viewpoints expressed in Pānui do not necessarily reflect the views of the Ministry of Women's Affairs.