Associate Minister of Pacific Island Affairs - Women's Rights in Aotearoa and the Pacific

Speech

Monday 26 March 2007
Association of Women’s Rights in Development Aotearoa New Zealand

Theme: Promotion of Women’s Rights in Aotearoa and the Pacific.

Welcome and Acknowledgements
Taloha ni, Talofa lava, Malo e lelei, Fakaalofa lahi atu, Ni sa bula vinaka, Namaste, Kia orana koutou katoatoa, Ia Orana, Gud de tru olgeta, Talofa, Kia ora tatau and Warm Pacific Greetings to you all this morning.

Fa’afetai tele lava Mua’autofia (Tueipi Clarke) for your warm introduction and also thank you to Pefi Kingi for your invitation to address your fono and hui today.

Ka mihi nui ki a Denise Ewe (from Tainui iwi, Regional president of the Maori Women’s Welfare league) for your welcome and acknowledgement in Te Reo Maori.

I would like to acknowledge my parliamentary colleague Tariana Turia, and our distinguished speakers here today:
- Dr. Marilyn Waring; and
- Joanna Kerr, who has graciously joined us as Guest International Trainer from Toronto, Canada.

As is customary with our Pacific traditions and customs, I would like to thank our reverend minister Fieta Faitala (PIC Henderson) for the lotu this morning.

And finally I wish to pay homage to you: our sisters both Tangata Pasifika and Tangata Whenua all gathered here today.

Introduction

Today I wish to discuss the promotion of Women’s Rights in Aotearoa and the Pacific.

Firstly, let me briefly recap on what this Labour-led government has achieved so far and where we're going.

In 2004, our Government made a commitment to closing the pay gap between men and women. This was not only to help women get recognition in the jobs they carry out, it would assist women to participate in a wider range of higher level jobs.

So in 2004, the Labour-led government launched a five year Plan of Action to ensure woman in New Zealand could participate fully in the workplace and that their employment opportunity rewards are not affected by gender.

New Zealand historically has led the way in terms of recognising women and we want to continue doing this in terms of valuing women through pay and employment equity.

This is one more way that New Zealand recognises the worth of all its citizens.

Achieving pay and employment equity brings benefits for men and women, for business and for the economy.

It provides incentives for women and men to continue in employment and start work again after parental leave and other career breaks.

It will mean women have access to a wider range of jobs and are able to move between compatible positions. Both men and women will have greater choice around caring and working responsibilities without gender predetermining their choice.

Leadership

Let me take you back to the catch cry of the 1990’s, penned and delivered by Hillary Clinton at the UN World Conference on Women in Beijing in 1995 that “Women’s Rights are Human Rights”

One of these rights, is the right to act in leadership.

Leadership has many challenges – particularly for women, and especially for Pacific women.

As the first Pacific woman in the New Zealand Parliament, and the only Pacific Minister, I have had to look to history for models of Pacific women’s leadership.

One of my models is Salamasina.

Four hundred years ago Salamasina was the first person to hold the four paramount titles and be called O le Tafa’ifa.

Pacific women have a legacy of leadership, but sometime, somewhere we stopped believing that we had a right to lead - and that we could lead.

The barriers to women’s political participation in Pacific nations have been identified as a result of:
- Traditional male hierarchies;
- Gender roles that make it difficult for women to be equal partners;
- Cultural interpretations of some Christian doctrines; and
- Women’s primary role as family caregivers.

All of these factors are seen as stopping women from taking their place in the leadership arena.

However, in fa’asamoa, there are prime examples of women holding the highest positions. Salamasina, Nafanua and Fiame Naomi are three that come to mind.

Today, in New Zealand we continue to strive to exercise this right of leadership in everything we do with some degree of success, however acknowledging that our efforts must be ongoing.

In New Zealand one could suggest we are in a position of complacency with a woman Prime Minister, a woman Chief Justice and also women chairing two of the countries most powerful regulators The Commerce Commission and the Securities Commission.

We may have a few role models who have broken through the glass ceiling, but what about our Pacific women?

As we look through the layers of management in our public sector one has to ask where the leadership will be coming from in the future.

Another struggle of our Pacific women is attaining the right to equal economic interaction.

The latest New Zealand Income Survey tells us that Pacific women $596 per week. Pacific men earn $681 per week and New Zealand European men earn $1000 per week.

These statistics give us the evidence to advance the cause and combining the words of Hillary Clinton 12 years ago with our own action.

Examples of Promoting these Rights

Since I became the Associate Minister for Pacific Island Affairs, Minister for the Community and Voluntary Sector, Associate Minister for Economic Development and Associate Minister for Social Development and Employment I have had many opportunities to see our women promoting leadership and equal economic interaction.

Last year's Pasifika Medical Association Conference drew together the top levels of our Pacific women leaders within the health workforce.

The conference was a time to view, discuss and reflect on research by our Pacific women - for our Pacific women. But was also a celebration of leadership within the health sector.

In 2006 I was given the opportunity to honour some of our Pacific women graduates and leaders in the education sector.
To them the message was clear and simple: our women need to take the lead.

There are two more examples I wish to mention briefly today.

In the last 12 months I have had the honour of meeting two very special groups of young Pacific women.

In the Hawkes Bay, I addressed the Pacific students at Hastings Girls High School.

These students are involved in a leadership initiative called 'Pacific Pride' which aims to build leadership capability amongst our young Pacific people as they make those crucial decisions about their future education and job paths.

I was also honoured to address the participants of the Pasifika netball challenge in Waitakere.

There are many Pacific role models in netball and opportunities for leadership in sport arise early for our young Pacific girls – becoming a team captain, going on to become coaches, umpires, club captains and administrators.

The leadership experience gained at a young age through sport can and should spur our young Pacific women to strive for leadership positions as they grow and become adults.

Pacific Economic Action Plan

I have already touched on the economic disparity that our mothers, sisters, aunties, cousins and daughters face in terms of having lower incomes.
This Labour-led government supports our Pacific women in the attainment of equal economic interaction.

As part of this, I have worked alongside the Ministry of Pacific Island Affairs and a group of highly talented Pacific businesswomen to create a Pacific Economic Action Plan and a Pacific Women’s Economic Development Plan.

These plans aim to overcome current economic disparity by encouraging our Pacific people into higher paid careers, business and opportunities in the creative and emerging industries.

Leadership and increased economic equality are central themes of these two plans.

These plans are being developed following the release of a report entitled Pathways to Leadership, which looked at the level of Pacific people in the public sector, especially Pacific women in leadership positions.

The Pathways to Leadership report also highlighted the importance and wider economic and social value of participation in tertiary study – particularly at degree-level or higher.

I see economic transformation and leadership development for our Pacific women as a priority.

Conclusion

We must continue to give action to the phrase “Women’s Rights are Human Rights” by continuing to lead by our actions and also by sharing our stories with others.
When I entered Parliament it was assumed that I would want to be involved in the social services area, since this is where I spent a great deal of my working.

But I decided I did not want to work in areas that were easy for me and put myself forward for the Finance and Expenditure Select Committee. I knew I was on the right track when, at my first meeting, other committee members initially thought I was in the wrong room.

The voice of women needs to be heard when and where the important decisions are made.

I believe that it is not enough just to get more women into parliament. We need more women in other key leadership positions.

As a leader, you are a representative of the people, a servant of the people. To serve our people is a great honour.

Pacific women are natural leaders because we have been raised in a culture of tautua – that is why we are great servants of the people.

I wish to leave you with a poem, called ‘Women of the Pacific’. This poem sums up for me the essence of why we are here at this conference.

We, the women of the Pacific are strong.
We gain our strength from our ancestors, our sisters,
our extended families and our places of belonging.

We do not stand alone.
We gain our strength from our cultures,
our Pacific Island languages,
our stories, our art and our traditions.
They shape our past, our present and our future.

We also gain our strength from the sacred waters of the Pacific.
The ocean birthed us and our many islands;
she sustains and connects us together.

We the women of the Pacific are strong.
One people, our family, the Pacific.

Soifua ma, ia manuia.