How does the Ministry select the most influential interventions?

Within this section:

• To improve the economic independence of women in New Zealand
• To improve work-life balance
• To improve well-being

The diagram and the notes that follow describe the process used by the Ministry to ensure that it selects the most effective contribution to the achievement of the government's outcomes for women.

In this last year the Ministry has put into practice a more rigorous process for selecting priority action. This has included a clearer understanding of the relationships between capability, outputs, impacts and outcomes, and the government's co-ordinating frameworks for outcomes.

To be effective, resources must be invested in the work that will have the greatest impact on the outcomes sought. Duplication must also be avoided, and work undertaken that is not being done by any other agency. The process of selecting what work to do is therefore very important. It involves an understanding of the following elements:

• the outcome hierarchy, from the co-ordinating frameworks of Growth and Innovation, and Opportunities for All New Zealanders, and the inter-agency Action Plan for New Zealand Women
• the direct intervention choices, such as nominations services, that the Ministry can make, and how effective they are in achieving the outcome sought
• what role the Ministry might adopt in advising, monitoring, or influencing others in the policy development processes, and how effective they are in achieving an impact
• capability, both of the Ministry and of others, that can be harnessed to deliver the nominations or policy services.

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The decision-making and intervention framework is illustrated below. It is then followed by a set of examples which show how it is working in practice in key policy areas.

The Ministry:

• directly intervenes when requested by the Minister, including provision of nominations and ministerial services
• leads policy development when there is evidence that a change in one area is critical for the overall outcomes but no other agency is doing the work
• influences when there is evidence that a change in one area is critical for the overall outcomes for which another agency is doing the work, but needs support
• monitors the Action Plan and progress against its objectives.

The Ministry is accountable for the delivery of the advice to influence the outcomes for women, and must be able to show the impact of the advice on other agencies and its effectiveness upon the ultimate outcome. The Ministry is also accountable for the management of its resources and capability, and the choices made as to how to deliver services.

The Ministry is not accountable for the implementation of the policy adopted by other agencies, but assists by creating conditions where successful implementation is more likely (e.g. through steering groups, relationships with public sector agencies and NGOs).

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The Ministry must leverage all the resources it can, beyond its own, to undertake this work. It works alongside other agencies supporting, leading, or co-leading a policy project; being on a steering group; bringing in information or insights; or being a catalyst for action.

The selection of priorities for work is informed by the monitoring of the Action Plan, insights of women, specialist data, information and knowledge about women, assessment of risk and appraisal of current and future opportunities.

Below are some examples of key policy areas on which the Ministry will focus attention in 2005/06 and the process followed to determine the Ministry's contribution.

These examples have been chosen as the most significant policy areas at the current time, but they do not cover all the policy work. The Ministry will necessarily change emphasis as opportunities arise and in light of evidence from monitoring.

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To improve the economic independence of women in New Zealand

Women's employment

Our role is one of supporting and influencing

It contributes to a number of intermediate outcomes under the Action Plan

A range of work is at varying stages

Women's employment is characterised by lower participation rates and lower average earnings, relative to those of men. This is especially so for Maori women. Some of these differences can be attributed to women's unpaid responsibilities primarily for their children, and to occupational segregation. Balancing paid and unpaid work continues to be an ongoing challenge for many women.

The quality and remunerative value of work have a significant impact on women's achievement of economic independence. Ensuring that women can enter and re-enter employment, balance the different spheres of their lives and receive fair rewards for their efforts will assist women to gain such independence, for themselves and their families.

There are a number of projects being led by other government agencies that have the potential to improve the employment outcomes of women. The Ministry's role in relation to these is one of influence, ensuring that a gendered perspective and analysis, alongside ethnic considerations, are a core part of the policy development process.

Most of the policy processes relevant to this strand of work are likely to continue over at least the next two to three years. Examples of relevant work include:

• women's labour market participation
• pay and employment equity
• precarious work
• work-life balance
• Modern Apprenticeships
• labour market assistance programmes.

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Women in enterprise

Our role has been one of leading this work and will become one of monitoring and influencing

It contributes to the intermediate outcome that women have access to opportunities for paid work and employment

We are at the stage of presenting policy solutions

The purpose of this project is to identify how women in business may be better supported. Improving the growth of women-owned businesses will result in greater economic and other benefits for the women themselves, their families and communities, and the economy as a whole.

Women are setting up businesses at a faster rate than men, and this is particularly true of Maori women. Women-owned businesses, however, tend to be smaller and remain small, and tend to be in less profitable sectors of the economy, than businesses set up by men. There is also evidence suggesting that some women enter business to achieve greater flexibility and balance between their paid and unpaid responsibilities. The reality for many business women is, however, that some improvements in flexibility are achieved, but at the expense of longer working hours and lower incomes.

The Ministry is jointly leading this project with the Ministry of Economic Development. The work has involved interviews and focus groups with a range of women in business, as well as an extensive literature review of New Zealand and international material. In addition, the project has had input from relevant academics, the National Advisory Council on the Employment of Women, the Small Business Advisory Group, a cross-agency steering group set up to provide overview of the project, and the Ministry's Maori Women's Economic Reference Group.

The project team is working through potential policy options, with a final report to be provided to Ministers. Following that, the Ministry will monitor the implementation of the policy decisions, and may be involved in further research and policy development.

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To improve work-life balance

Childcare

Our role is one of supporting and influencing this work

It contributes to the intermediate outcome that women can access support and services to allow them to meet their responsibilities to others

We are at the stage of contributing to ongoing inter-agency work

By international standards, the availability of affordable, high-quality childcare in New Zealand is limited. While improvements are being achieved in the early childhood sector, out-of-school care is still relatively under-developed.

The impact on women is that they:

• do not participate in the labour market to the extent they would prefer
• encounter pressures in juggling paid work with their caring responsibilities.

Thus, improvements to childcare are likely to have positive impacts on women's degree of choice regarding employment decisions, income levels and work-life balance.

Responsibility for childcare policies is shared between the Ministry of Social Development and the Ministry of Education. At this stage, the Ministry remains in an influencing role. However, over the next 12 months the Ministry will give greater priority and resourcing to this policy area and seek opportunities to take more of a leadership role.

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To improve well-being

Domestic violence

Our role is one of leading this work and supporting and influencing the overall strategy

It contributes to the intermediate outcome that women are safe at home and in their communities

We are at the stage of analysing research to determine what our focus should be

A 2004 study found that approximately one-third of New Zealand women experience intimate partner violence at some stage of their lives. Domestic violence has profoundly negative impacts on the women and children who experience it. These include detrimental effects on:

• physical and psychological well-being
• employment, career development and economic independence
• housing
• connections to wider family and community life.

The prevalence of domestic violence does not appear to be reducing. In addition, the expected improvements resulting from the Domestic Violence Act 1995 do not appear to have been fully realised.

For these reasons, the Ministry has now become much more focused on this policy area. The Ministry's role is both in an influencing capacity and as a lead agency. Work the Ministry seeks to influence includes:

• the family violence strand of Opportunity for All New Zealanders
• the ongoing implementation of Te Rito.

In addition, the Ministry is leading policy work on the effectiveness of protection orders. The purpose of this work is to identify whether any improvements can be made to improve the safety of women. The project includes research on women's experiences of protection orders, and is assisted by an inter-agency advisory group to ensure the work will have whole-of-government benefits. The findings and analysis will be the basis for advice on this issue to Ministers, to be completed by June 2006.

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