9. CAROL BEAUMONT (Labour) Link to this
to the Minister of Women's Affairs
Can she outline a significant improvement for women initiated by the current Government?
Hon HEKIA PARATA (Minister of Women’s Affairs) Link to this
Tēnā koe, Mr Speaker. Bringing about real and sustainable change in the long tradition of Aotearoa New Zealand is about the leadership of women themselves. This Government has recognised and respected that, by providing resources and tools to support women and to translate their interests, skills, and ambitions into practical effect through the development of the “my board strengths” initiative, the Women on Boards’ self-assessment tool, to be officially launched next week. The toolkit supports women’s own abilities to make smart decisions about developing their governance skills, with a view to lifting women’s representation in governance in the public and private sectors. “My board strengths” forms part of the new and improved Women on Boards website.
Why were most of the achievements recently outlined by the Government in the report on progress on the Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination Against Women initiatives of the previous Labour Government, while the negative changes from National were left out?
The Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination Against Women report was the fifth report over the last 50 years. I think it is somewhat arrogant to suggest that all of the changes somehow occurred in one administration. As I said in my previous—
I raise a point of order, Mr Speaker. The question was specifically referring to the last report, not all five reports.
Mr SPEAKERI think the member is being a little hasty in raising a point of order. My greater concern was that a question was asked and an answer was being given, and the noise was pretty excessive.
Hon Annette KingAs I said in my response to the primary question, Aotearoa New Zealand has a long tradition of New Zealand women themselves taking responsibility, taking leadership, for the decisions about the lives they lead. The Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination Against Women report captures some parts of that journey—the parts that the Government contributes to—but there is a whole wide world that women themselves are in charge of, and that is what this Government is committed to supporting.
What is the Ministry of Women’s Affairs saying or doing about the changes to the Employment Relations Act that will enable the dismissal of workers without reason or recourse from 1 April, and that will disproportionately impact on women?
The Government has taken a widespread approach to the way in which we can engage women across the entire economy. That means we are looking for opportunities for them to be given chances to be taken on into employment areas where they might not otherwise be taken on. That means we have seen that the occupational segregation that has forced women into lower-paid opportunities must be addressed. That means we have focused on the pay disparity gap that that side of the House has generally focused on. We have seen that gap, for instance, moving in the right direction, and falling from 13 percent in 2008 to 11.3 percent in 2009, and to 10.6 percent in 2010, an indicator only—
I accept that the question contained a couple of statements that were certainly capable of being disputed. But it did not actually invite a prolonged speech. I think the answer has been quite long enough.
I raise a point of order, Mr Speaker. I think the question was quite specific in referring to the changes to the Employment Relations Act—
No, no—the member will resume her seat now. I am not going even to invite her to repeat her question, because in it she made a couple of assertions that were completely capable of being commented on by the Minister. The Minister chose to respond to the latter part of the question, and if the member wants to have a question answered she should keep it short—for instance, cutting out the last two parts of that last question.
Does the Minister agree with her colleague Kate Wilkinson that New Zealand women who are underpaid and who are facing ever-rising prices and struggling to make ends meet should be “grateful that there is a National Government that has a focus of lifting economic performance and ensuring the well-being of families and communities.”?
As I have already said, this Government is committed to raising opportunities for all women to participate in the economy, and in ways where their work and their potential is properly rewarded and valued.
Catherine Delahunty Link to this
Tēnā koe, Mr Speaker. Despite the generic figures she has mentioned, does she agree that we do not have enough information on the gender pay gap to know whether the problem is one of equal pay, or pay equity, or both; and how can we close that gap if we do not report robustly on these problems?
The gender pay gap as it is discussed in New Zealand at the moment is one indicator only. It compares the average of women’s and men’s work across the entire economy, so it does not take into account texture of qualification, places of work, length of service, and so on and so forth. So, yes, there needs to be more work on a wider range of issues so that we can address the causes of that gap.