Category: MIL-OSI

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Nelson-based Lisa Lawrence (Ngāti Kahungunu and Ngāti Ruapani) has been named the new President of the National Council of Women.

Lisa is the first Māori woman appointed to this role, and has served as Vice President since 2017. She says Māori leadership in mainstream spaces like NCWNZ is happening more than it was.

“The College of Midwives appointed its first Māori president this year too which is pleasing to see. The challenge is in indigenising mainstream areas like this while ensuring it is not seen as tokenism, and also supporting the membership to grow and recognise themselves in a Tiriti o Waitangi based society,” says Lawrence.

As Kaiwhakahaere of the Motueka Family Service Centre, Lisa fills numerous leadership roles across the region and nationally including with NZ Psychology Board and Pharmac. Previously she has worked for an iwi-based health and social service, NZ College of Midwives, St John, Family Planning NZ, and was a governor of Nelson Bays Primary Health.

Lawrence has acknowledged the huge mahi undertaken by outgoing President, Vanisa Dhiru who was appointed in 2017. She served on the board for over six years, and led the public launch of the Gender Equal NZ campaign, and represented NCWNZ at a variety of events and meetings, including during Suffrage 125 and at the United Nations CSW (Commission on the Status of Women) and CEDAW meetings (Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination against Women) in 2018.

“Not many people realise that this role is an entirely voluntary position and we maintain a full time job as well. Vanisa did an enormous amount of work and has certainly set the bar high when it comes to effective representation and achievements,” says Lisa.

Vanisa will remain on the board to support handover tasks until the end of February 2020, and recruitment for new board members will commence in the new year.

The World Economic Forum Global Gender Pay Gap report released this week saw Aotearoa move up one place internationally in its rankings. Lisa says pay equity continues to be a major focus for the Council of Women.

“Pay equality and value for the work we do is not our reality. Looking at the latest Global Gender Pay Gap Report, we need to keep progressing the pay parity conversation. While it’s a positive shift from 7th to 6th and we need to keep moving forward as that’s still not good enough.”

2020 will be the council’s 124th year in existence; the first founding President was suffragist leader, Kate Sheppard.

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Media release
EMBARGOED to 5.30am, 19 September 2019

The National Council of Women NZ has today welcomed the news that the Government has purchased Kate Sheppard’s house in Christchurch, the base for the NZ suffrage campaign.

“We are pleased to see the home of our founding president purchased by the government for use as a heritage venue, public space and educational centre,” says Vice President of the National Council of Women NZ, Lisa Lawrence (Ngati Kahungunu).

“Given New Zealand was the first country in the world to provide women the right to vote, having this house as a base for collaboration, teaching and academic research for the public is a way to ensure the importance of the Suffrage movement is recognised.”

Lawrence says that while the National Council of Women NZ was founded by the suffragists of the 1890s, the Council of today is working to increase the recognition of the history of other influential women, particularly of Māori women.

“With the recent announcement that all schools and kura will be expected to teach New Zealand history by 2022, we are hopeful that this is another step towards the recognition of Māori women leaders.

“We are nation changed by the work of wahine such as Meri Te Tai Mangakāhia of Te Rārawa – the first woman to address the Māori Kotahitanga parliament, and Iriaka Rātana of Te Āti Haunui-a-Pāpārangi – the first Māori woman MP, and Dame Whina Cooper of Te Rārawa – land rights and social justice activist.

“It’s time to see these women recognised.”

ENDS

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Media Release
EMBARGOED until 5am, Thursday 19 September 2019

Inclusion for trans women/men and non-binary peoples has today been announced as the cornerstone of a new resolution for the National Council of Women New Zealand (NCWNZ).

The resolution, which was passed by the Council’s members, supports the Gender Equal NZ movement which works to achieve equality for all genders in Aotearoa New Zealand.

“Progress has been made in gender equality for women, but the same cannot be said for those who do not neatly fit into a gender binary, or prefer not to define their gender, or for people who transition from one gender to another,” says President of the National Council of Women NZ, Vanisa Dhiru.

“Without acknowledging the rights of all genders, we will be unable to achieve our goal of complete gender equality.

“Non-binary and trans people face discrimination as much as women do, if not more. A gender-equal Aotearoa New Zealand will not be achieved if non-binary and trans people are not able to express their identity fully and freely.” says Vanisa.

Vanisa says that while the Human Rights Commission and the Convention on the Elimination of all Forms of Discrimination Against Women Committee both advocated for better recognition of the rights of trans people last year, some feminist organisations still seek to exclude trans women.

“We firmly believe that gender equality will only be achieved when everyone is free from discrimination and all genders are visible, valid and respected. This remit seeks to make these human rights principles into official policy for NCWNZ, and reminds us all of the principles we were founded upon in the lead up to Suffrage Day.”

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Role:  Board Members (2)

Term: 3 years

Location: National position

Closes: 12noon, Monday 1 July 2019

Applications are invited for two board members for the period of up to three years.

Do you believe in a Gender Equal New Zealand? If so, consider becoming a Board member of New Zealand’s iconic gender equality organisation – the National Council of Women New Zealand, founded by Kate Sheppard.

We’re in the midst of re-positioning ourselves to finish the job Kate started, and you could be a part of our new movement. Building on our long, proud history of achieving social and economic change, we’re now leading a new movement that is more modern, vibrant and relevant for New Zealanders today! Gender Equal NZ aims to harness the growing interest in gender equality and to take collective action for change.

We are looking for experienced, action-orientated governance professionals who are committed to our cause, with proven skills in one or more of the following areas:

• Business enterprise/growth
• Brand and digital strategy
• PR and media
• Fundraising, sponsorships and revenue diversification
• Investment and asset management.

In addition to governance, you will also be able to leverage your networks and provide “hands-on” strategic leadership and support for our small Wellington based office.

The Board wishes to reflect the diverse nature of our population. Applicants representing tangata whenua, of Pacific Island descent, Auckland, and regional representation are desired.

Our seven member pro bono board meets at least seven times per year (either face-to-face in Wellington or by video conference), and the commitment from each board members averages around 8 hours per week.

Board members will be elected at our Conference on 30 and 31 August.

The full information can be found on our website, www.ncwnz.org.nz.

To apply, please send a cover letter (no longer than 500 words, your current CV and weblink to a 2 minute video to Lisa Lawrence (Vice President) at [email protected] by 12noon, Monday 1 July 2019.

Links (www.ncwnz.org.nz):

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International Women’s Day is on Friday 8 March 2019

Balance for better this
International Women’s Day means including all genders

National Council of Women of New Zealand President
and Gender Equal NZ spokesperson, Vanisa Dhiru, says that if we are aiming to
‘balance for better’ this International Women’s Day we need to include all
genders.

“This means as well as women who were assigned
female at birth, we also need to include all genders – of all ethnicities – to
create true gender balance” says Vanisa. 

“The theme for International Women’s Day 2019 is ‘balance
for better’ – and this means we need a better gender balance in income
equality, in leadership, in safety and health, in education and all areas of
life. This would look like a gender-balanced boardroom, a gender-balanced
government, gender-balanced media coverage, a gender-balance of employees, more
gender-balance in wealth and gender-balanced sports coverage.”

We don’t currently have gender balance. For
example, our brand new Gender Dashboard shows that women and men work the same
number of hours each day – but women only get paid for 35% of their work, while
men get paid for 63% of theirs. Pacifica women earn just 72 cents for every
dollar that Pākehā men earn. 

“It’s not just in income that we see that gender
inequality” says Vanisa. “The World Economic Forum’s 2018 Global Gender Gap
Report shows that true gender equality could be over 170 years away. This is
absolutely unacceptable and it’s worse for some groups of women than others,
because of racism, transphobia and other forms of discrimination”.

“Results from our recent award winning Gender
Attitudes Survey show that most New Zealanders (79%) agree that gender equality
is a fundamental right for all of us.  But
the results also show a pocket of New Zealanders that hold old-fashioned views
about gender stereotypes and roles.”

• 19% of New Zealanders think it is seen as
  more important for men to be in a position of power
• 20% of New Zealanders think it is seen as
  more important for women to be physically attractive

“These ideas about what makes a “real man” or a
“real woman” are limiting for all of us” says Vanisa. “They don’t allow most
people to express all of who we are.  The
reality is that most people have both characteristics that are seen as more
masculine and characteristics that are seen as more feminine, and that’s just
fine.”

“If we could break down these rigid expectations
around gender, we’d create more room for everyone. Getting rid of the norms
that cause gendered violence, pay inequality, the devaluing of caregiving work
and parenting and inequalities in leadership roles – just to name a few
outcomes – would change our world for the better, and help to achieve a gender
balance in critical areas.”