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May-June 2023, Issue 641 | Action Hubs | News | GenderEqual NZ | |
Table of Contents
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| Suzanne Manning, NCWNZ President |
President's kōrero
Tēnā koutou e hoa mā,
Aotearoa has just celebrated Volunteer Week, so it seems appropriate to give a “Big Shout Out” to all our fabulous volunteers. We rely on our operational volunteers to run our organisation – the Board, administrators, finance and communications teams; and on our volunteers in the Parliamentary Watch Committee, Action Hubs and the Branches to do the advocacy mahi.
It is important that we all invest in our volunteers and be considering how we as an organisation can reward them: is it by providing mentoring, training, or experience? Or is it by providing collegiality and friendship, and/or the satisfaction of having impact in the community through our advocacy?
We should all be making it our mission to ensure that every volunteer who spends time working with us gains something that makes their lives better.
Some of the NCWNZ Volunteers in June 2023:
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Board Administrator |
Emma Catteau (intern from France) |
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Office emails |
Alison Watkins |
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Membership Coordinator |
Soraiya Daud |
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Communications team |
Kerri du Pont, Rhianna Crawford (intern from Massey, Wellington), Katie Thomas, Jordan Tomkins |
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The Circular Editor |
Randolph Hollingworth |
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Gender Equal website support |
Alex Matthews (XEqual) |
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Finance team |
Susan Bingham, Iris Christopher, with help from Carmen Fitzi-Gordon |
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Parliamentary Watch Committee |
Beryl Anderson & a team of volunteers |
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Climate Change and Environment Sustainability Action Hub |
Christine Caughey & a team of volunteers |
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Decision-making and Influence Action Hub |
Sue Kedgley, Amy Rice & a team of volunteers |
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Education Action Hub |
Margaret Sinclair-Jones, Alison Watkins, Randolph Hollingworth & a team of volunteers |
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Economic Independence Action Hub |
Gabriel Brettkelly & a team of volunteers |
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International Action Hub |
Eva Hartshorn-Sanders & a team of volunteers |
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Safety, Health and Wellbeing Action Hub |
Eileen Brown, Raewyn Stone, Bernice Williams & a team of volunteers |
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Branches |
Many teams of volunteers |
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Diversity Committee |
Betty Ofe-Grant & a team of volunteers |
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Board |
Suzanne Manning, Betty Ofe-Grant, Carol Beaumont, Kerri DuPont, Anmar Taufeek, Nina Santos |
Congratulations to our two newest National Life Members, Jane Prichard and Christine Low. Thank you to all those who voted: members are obviously getting more used to the idea of online voting, as we reached a quorum for this vote. We will now look to arrange suitable presentations for these fabulous women, which is likely to be in conjunction with the AGM on Saturday 23 September. We are busy organising the papers for the AGM (what am I going to do without Emma, our Board administrator for the last five months?), which will have a call for nominations for the Board and for Distinguished Service Award. With our new structure of individual and organisational members, I would encourage organisational members and Action Hubs to consider whether they would like to nominate members for Distinguished Service Awards. We don’t want any of our volunteers to miss out on being recognised for their work.
This year we will be trying a new process for supporting candidates for appointment as Aspiring Board members, the position on Board which we keep for people who have not yet had governance experience but would like to gain some. Nina Santos has ably filled this position for the last year and will be moving onto other things. Using Lotteries grant money for training that has also been used for Board training and leadership training for Branches and Action Hub volunteers, we are planning an in-person training day and Board meeting in Wellington on 12 August and inviting some of our organisational members to send an interested person to participate. After the day, those who wish to be considered for appointment can put their name forward, and the day’s activities will take the place of our usual interview process. Two places are being reserved for individual members who might like to take the opportunity for governance training – look out for the information in an NCWNZ Update email.
I look forward to the plethora of events and initiatives planned in the next couple of months by our awesome volunteers in the national, branch and Action Hub teams. Kia kaha!
à bientôt, ka kite anō, see you soon.
Suzanne
Meeting with Hon Minister Priyanca Radhakrishnan on equity for women with disabilities
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| (l-r) Hon Minister Priyanca Radhakrishnan, Lorri Mackness, Betty Ofe-Grant, 24 April 2023 |
On Monday, April 24th, Lorri Mackness and I met with the Hon Priyanca Radhakrishnan, Minister for Disability Issues. Lorri Mackness is a NCWNZ member and a leader of the Disabled Women’s Forum, and I represented the NCWNZ Board.
We discussed some of the work NCWNZ is doing in the disability space. Only a few days earlier, the Minister had announced $1 million funding boost for the expansion of a regional disability leadership model "Enabling Good Lives" piloted in demonstration sites in Waikato, MidCentral and Christchurch. (Read the press release here: https://www.beehive.govt.nz/release/boost-disabled-voice-system-gears-transformation.)
The Minister met us at my office at AUT University, and we shared mochachinos and chocolate biscuits. We had a very fruitful and enjoyable conversation. The Minister was very impressed with the work that is being done at NCWNZ.
Lorri and I were so pleased with the outcome of the meeting where the Minister expressed her desire to continue having a relationship with NCWNZ. A second meeting is forthcoming.
In Memoriam: Queenie Amy Ballance QSM
NCWNZ Nelson Branch mourns the loss of their Life Member Queenie Ballance who died on 16th April 2023. She was well known and respected by many in NCWNZ.
Queenie joined NCW Auckland in 1985, representing Federation of University Women. She was the convenor of the NCWNZ Environment Standing Committee from 1992-1998 and, through her leadership, the members of NCWNZ became much more educated and proactive about conservation and environment issues. She served on the Auckland Branch Executive and was Branch President 1998-2000.
After retiring to Nelson for family reasons, Queenie joined Nelson NCW in 2002, serving as Branch secretary very ably for 11 years and continuing on the Executive for a further 5 years. During this time she was also a very active Convenor of the Local Issues Group. Her advocacy for social and environmental issues and her outstanding skills in collating and presenting submissions meant that our voice was heard and respected at the Local Government level.
Former National President Barbara Arnold recalls: "Queenie was a generous contributor of her time, knowledge and energy. She wrote some of the first submissions from NCWNZ (around 1993!) expressing concerns around climate change and the action that needed to be initiated - and she was a delightful companion as well.”
Queenie was awarded a QSM in 1999 for her conservation and Amnesty International work and received the very prestigious Old Blue award from Forest and Bird in 2009. She was recognised with a NCWNZ Distinguished Service award in 2012.
Queenie is remembered with great affection and respect for what she achieved but also how she did it - she was unfailingly supportive and encouraging to those she worked alongside, the ever reliable ‘go to person’ in many situations and a good friend to many.
Mary Gavin QSO
Nelson Branch Life Member
Farewell from NCWNZ Intern Emma Catteau
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| Kurawaka exhibition launch at the National Library in March with Amy Rice, Suzanne Manning, Aleisha Amohia, Kerri Dupont and me, Emma Catteau. |
Kia ora tātou
My name is Emma, and as some of you might know, I have been an intern at NCWNZ for the past five months, working as a Board Administrator, providing support to the Action Hubs, Parliamentary Watch Committee and Diversity Committee. However, this enriching experience comes to an end as I am ready to start the next steps of my studies back in France, starting my Masters in Political Sciences, specializing in Strategy, Intelligence and Risk Management.
Working with Te Kaunihera Wāhine o Aotearoa | National Council of Women of New Zealand has been an incredible opportunity that I am truly grateful for. I did not only learn how to work and execute tasks for an organisation, but I discovered what it is like to be part of it. It has been a pleasure to engage with the different bodies of NCWNZ, whether it is by participating in Wellington Branch’s meetings, organising the Misogyny Webinar with the Influence and Decision-making Action Hub, collaborating with the CEDAW group on the written response to the Draft CEDAW Report, or coordinating the meetings of the Diversity Committee.
 
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| Pictures taken at the Fiordland National Park and Milford Sounds by Emma Catteau. |
I have had countless occasions to meet new, inspiring, and hard-working people carrying values of respect, inclusivity, diversity and constantly fighting and advocating for gender equality. I had a glimpse of what it is like to take part of New Zealand’s political climate, its development of gender equality policies and the importance of intersectionality in the very specific context of New Zealand’s commitment to Te Tiriti o Waitangi.
Living in New Zealand has been amazing, and I’ve been extremely lucky to be able to travel around the country. I got to see some mind-blowing landscapes, learned about the history of the country and its Indigenous people, witnessed some amazing art pieces and, obviously, got to go to a number of touristy spots. Kiwis are incredibly welcoming, always made me feel at home and taught me a lot about their culture and about myself, and I believe there will always be a little part of me that stays here, in Aotearoa.
Thanks a lot to everyone who has joined me in this journey. I would like to finish with this Māori proverb that emphasizes on the importance of collaborating to reach our objectives, which I think is a great way to describe the way NCWNZ works towards gender equality.
“Ma whero ma pango ka oti ai te mahi”
With red and black the work will be complete
Some of what's happening at local branches
NCWNZ Ōtautahi Christchurch Branch and Students Against Sexual Harm (SASH) at Christchurch Girls’ High School (CGHS) collaborated to hold an action workshop for high school students in Greater Christchurch at Tūranga Library in central Christchurch 4-6 pm on Tuesday 11 May 2023. The workshop was attended by twenty students from five different high schools, as well as two representatives of the Empowerment Trust, two counsellors from one of the schools attending, and NCWNZ Ōtautahi Christchurch Branch members who had worked with students to organise the workshop. The eight male students who attended were from three different high schools (one a high school for boys); the others were female students, overwhelmingly from two large girls’ schools in the city.
After a welcome, and some information about SASH, students were engaged in small group discussion of workshop questions with two breaks for refreshments and informal talk. There was a lively buzz throughout the two hours and a group photo was taken at the end.
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| SASH Workshop Attendees at Tūranga Library, 11 May 2023. Image courtesy of NCWNZ Ōtautahi Christchurch Branch. |
Background to the workshop
SASH had its origins in 2021 when a group of CGHS students actively voiced their concern about various forms of sexual harm experienced by students at Christchurch Girls’ High School. The Principal of CGHS commissioned a survey of students that revealed significant levels of sexual harassment as well as incidences of rape among those who responded to the anonymous online survey. (See previous article on this at https://www.ncwnz.org.nz/high_school_group_in_christchurch). SASH was established at the school in 2022 by students keen to address the issues raised by the survey. NCWNZ Ōtautahi Christchurch Branch highlighted these issues at its annual Hilda Lovell-Smith suffrage event in November 2021. In October 2022 SASH student leaders were panellists at the Hilda Lovell-Smith event, when Minister Marama Davidson presented on ‘Tackling Family and Sexual Harm – What works, What needs to Change and How?’ As a result, NCWNZ Ōtautahi Christchurch Branch has established a relationship with students at CGHS who have continued to work on issues relating to sexual harm.
2023 Workshop focus – strategies to address sexual harm
Hawwa Niyaz and Hope Anderson Gardner, the first SASH leaders at CGHS, left school at the end of 2022, and Charlotte Ferrier and Kayla Pringle became leaders of SASH. They started working with Rosemary Du Plessis, Louise Tapper and Zoe Cummins of NCWNZ Ōtautahi Christchurch Branch in December 2022 to plan an International Women’s Day 2023 workshop for high school students that would brainstorm action needed in schools to address issues related to students’ experiences of sexual harm. SASH leaders were keen to run a workshop that focused on what students could do in their high schools. The workshop was initially planned for 7 March 2023, but was postponed until 11 May to allow more time to advertise the event.
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| Charlotte Ferrier, SASH co-president, speaking at SASH workshop. All images courtesy of NCWNZ Ōtautahi Christchurch Branch. |
Workshop planning – a student-driven collaboration
Planning for the workshop was student driven. Students decided on the title for the workshop, created a logo for SASH, designed the poster and organised the distribution of information about the event. Kayla Pringle and Charlotte Ferrier set up a meeting with members of the Empowerment Trust who had a mentoring relationship with SASH, and got their advice on how to run the workshop effectively. Students favoured a venue that was not a particular school, but a neutral place where students from different schools could meet. Notes taken during small group discussion would be written up by SASH.
NCWNZ Ōtautahi Christchurch Branch supported planning for the workshop (venue booking, refreshments, consultation meetings, feedback on workshop plans, etc.). NCWNZ at a national level provided resources which met the costs of expert input into the poster design, venue hire and refreshments for those attending. SASH members greeted students when they arrived, recorded attendees contact details at the workshop, set out the refreshments and cleared up after the workshop.
Summary of workshop discussion
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| SASH workshop small group |
After hearing about the establishment of SASH, students at the workshop discussed what could be done at their school. They said that student to student resources were needed, and not just material that was prepared by teachers, counsellors and experts in the field. They identified a need for clear processes, protocols and protections which would make it easier for students to speak up about their experiences of sexual harm. They focused on a need for much more awareness about sexual harm and the need to remove the stigma often associated with talking about such experiences.
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| Kayla Pringle, SASH co-president, (second from right) in a small group discussion. |
A number of students thought that parents/guardians need to be “educated” about sexual harm, and they wanted staff who worked in student health/support services like nurses and counsellors to set up clear protocols for reporting experiences of sexual harm. They identified the need for drop boxes to be available in schools where students could anonymously report experiences of sexual harm.
There was support for schools to survey their students to find out about their experiences of sexual harm. Some students thought these surveys should be done in form time. Schools needed more information about student experiences and students needed more education about the topic – students needed information about the “realities” about what was happening or might happen.
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| Workshop participants taking notes for a small group discussion. |
Some students had ideas that would be useful in particular schools, for example connections among Christian schools to talk about sexual harm. Also, collaboration between brother and sister single sex schools could be encouraged to raise awareness on the issues, especially the ways LGBTQ+ students are often targeted for being different – and how to end this.
Students then discussed the possible impact of a group like SASH at their school. Generally students from other schools thought such a group could help to make students feel more comfortable about voicing about sexual harm and abuse. They thought a SASH type group would need to work with a range of organisational structures in schools to be effective. It was important to identify people who could take on leadership and also engage in actions that involved both junior and senior students. They would have to work on the issues consistently and collaboratively.
When they were asked about what actions would have most impact at their school, having a box in which students could post messages was identified as a key action. It would take the fear out of coming forward. However, they said it might not be taken seriously and just used as a “rubbish bin”. Leadership by those in Years 12 and 13 was seen as important, but teacher mentors were also seen as valuable. Getting all the teachers involved in programmes directed at addressing sexual harm would be important. Some students suggested that teachers needed “lessons as well”. Students thought that any programme directed at addressing these issues must be “hands on” and “interactive” to get students engaged and also involve all age levels, even if older students were leaders.
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| Christchurch Girls High School students during a break. |
Attendees thought that support from subject teachers, form teachers and deans as well as school councils, prefects and parents was necessary to achieve change in how schools responded to issues relating to sexual harm. Sexual harm, and action on it, should be addressed at assemblies, especially by the school principal at the first assembly of the year. Since most of the harassment and harm happens outside school, changes would depend on engagement with these issues outside schools and in communities.
Impacts of participating in the workshop
Students indicated that participating in the workshop made them feel more comfortable about talking about sexual harm. It encouraged them to think that students need to have a voice and that as individuals they were not alone. They thought that connections with other students and engagement with them about these issues was the key to change, and there was a need to “put words into action.” They discussed the need for support from teachers and the importance of connections with other students. They saw change as requiring consistent action, a capacity to engage other students and the need to be open-minded and accepting. Some of them were confident that the culture of the school could be used to educate students about what was acceptable and unacceptable behaviour.
Issues of consent and consent education
At the end of the workshop the focus shifted to issues relating to consent education in schools in Aotearoa New Zealand. These were the questions that were posed:
- What is missing from current consent education in NZ or at your school?
- What can students do to promote consensual relationships?
- What would help students to be able to say no/actively consent?
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| SASH Workshop leaders Charlotte Ferrier and Kayla Pringle, with two Empowerment Trust mentors. |
Students thought that consent education was not adequate in schools. Sometimes it was a component of self-defence training for girls, but it should be available to all students. Workshop participants thought that consent education should include student-led discussions and would ideally involve interactions between senior and junior students. Students across all year groups should have access to consent education, not just those studying Health as a subject. Programmes should cater for different personalities and cultural groups and be age appropriate. It should be designed by those with professional expertise but also involve student input. Several students mentioned the Tea Consent video (copyright ©2015 Emmeline May and Blue Seat Studios available on YouTube at https://youtu.be/fGoWLWS4-kU) and how it could be used effectively with students.
Students were asked what students could do to promote consensual relationships. They said that both student-led discussions about consent and input from effective out of school speakers was important. They thought that students needed to have access to what to do and what not to do – practical examples from a range of different people, including other students. Efforts at improving students’ communication skills were seen as a way of promoting consensual relationships.
Students were asked to discuss what would help students to say no or actively consent? They suggested open student-led discussions, education about consent from a young age, normalising talk about consent and what counts as consent. They thought it would be helpful to educate everyone, teachers as well as students, and that consent education needed to be taught separately, not just as part of sexuality and relationships education. Comfortable and relaxed student/teacher spaces during school would be a good environment to access information about how to effectively say no or actively consent. They said it was very important for everyone to know that ‘no means no’ and also that ‘maybe’ means no. Input from outside the school environment about consent was also seen as important.
Report compiled by Charlotte Ferrier and Kayla Pringle (SASH, Christchurch Girls’ High School) and Rosemary Du Plessis (Co-President, NCWNZ Ōtautahi Christchurch Branch). For more information about this workshop, please contact NCWNZ Ōtautahi Christchurch Branch at [email protected].
Newly elected life members of NCWNZ 2023
Life Membership is awarded to women who have rendered significant service at a national and/or international level, over and above the performance of duties of elected office. Currently, NCWNZ National Life Members include:
- Beryl Anderson ONZM, of Porirua
- Elizabeth Bang CNZM, of Hamilton
- Sue Barker, of Wellington
- Rae Duff ONZM, of Wellington
- Christine Knock, of Auckland
Our national life members represent valued members of NCWNZ, providing us with constant support and advice. Congratulations to our newest life members: Christine Low and Jane Prichard have been elected.
Christine Low has been involved in NCWNZ Ōtautahi Christchurch Branch since the 80s, was on the NCWNZ Board from 1998 and National President from 2004-2008. Recently Christine was a member of the Constitution review committee, having been invited because of her institutional knowledge and clear thinking.
Jane Prichard has been involved in NCWNZ Auckland Branch since 1990, was on the NCWNZ Board from 1996 and National Vice President from 1998-2002. She has been involved with our international body the International Council of Women (ICW-CIF) as a Standing Committee Convenor, Board member and Vice President, and was a founder of the ICW-CIF Asia-Pacific Regional Council (APRC). Outside of NCWNZ she has been President of Presbyterian Women, and a founder of both Bridgebuilders International in Aotearoa and Pacific Women's Watch NZ. She was awarded a CNZM in 2019 for services to women. Her memoir, Creating Space – An Experience of Gender, was published in March 2023.
Debriefing on the Global Women Leaders’ Summit 2023
Anmar Taufeek, Board member of the National Council of Women of New Zealand, was funded through a Lotteries Ministers’ Discretionary Fund grant to attend the Global Women Leaders Summit in Dubai in March 2023.
With the remaining funds, she reported on her experiences and her learnings to the members of the Good Deed Group, Auckland, in an informal gathering on 28 May.
Anmar describes the event below:
The Good Deed Group and invited guests met in a casual gathering at the Divine Patisserie café, Auckland for conversation, drinks and muffins. I had the privilege as a Board member of the National Council of Women of New Zealand to discuss the admirable work being done by the organisation and share my experiences of attending the Global Women Leaders’ summit early in the year. The women were interested and engaged in the conversations. The relaxed atmosphere of the café provided a comfortable and inclusive environment for us to connect, unwind, and strengthen connections between ourselves as women from ethnic communities.
Kia ora and thank you to Lotteries MDF for the support both to attend the conference and to share this with my community group afterwards. [Photos courtesy of Anmar Taufeek.]
Parliamentary Watch Committee welcomes new members
Parliamentary Watch Committee (PWC) welcomes three new members:
- Harita Gandhi-Kashyap is a Management Accountant with the Treasury. She is involved with the Wellington Branch, holding positions on the executive, first as Treasurer, now as Secretary.
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Dani Mao is an Employability Manager at Otago Polytechnic in Auckland, with nine years experience in coordinating undergraduate student internships, developing and retaining industry partnerships and designing in-house employability training programmes.
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Dr Vanessa Ward is secretary for Graduate Women New Zealand and Graduate Women Wellington. Vanessa has extensive experience of lecturing to young people and has published several journal articles.
NCWNZ Action Hubs
On Friday 16th June 2023, the Influence & Decision-Making Action Hub of the NCWNZ organised and hosted a webinar on the topic of "How Do We Counter Misogyny?" The recording is viewable on the NCWNZ YouTube channel at https://youtu.be/H7Z9BRV3iMc. Five hundred and thirty people registered for the webinar, and over two hundred showed up - with several registrants hosting viewing parties in their local organisations. This event was a follow-up to last year's successful webinar, "Countering Misogyny" (available at https://youtu.be/JCHnvPVarkI).
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| Aimee Tang |
This year's webinar focused on online misogyny. When targeted with online misogynistic abuse and harassment, women (and bystanders) can feel powerless to stop it from happening. The session explored how we can counter online abuse both as individuals and as a society and community.
Aimee Tang, a NCWNZ member who works at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Trade and is co-host of "Conversations with Wāhine," graciously served as the moderator for the event. The panelists included:
- Linda Clark, a Wellington lawyer and partner in Denton Kensington Swan, who is a former journalist and political commentator;
- Charlotte Ferrier, Year 13 student at Christchurch Girls' High School and (together with Kayla Pringle who was unable to attend that evening) lead the Christchurch chapter of Students Against Sexual Harm (SASH);
- Amokura Panoho, Director of Kura Consulting Limited, member of Poutaki Matauranga Māori Netsafe, Inaugural Chair Shakti Asian Women’s Community Council and member of the Domestic Abuse and Sexual Harm strategy, Te Aorerekura Strategy; and,
- Louisa Wall, Ambassador for Gender Equity (Pacific), former MP, Silver Fern and Black Fern, and former Co-Chair Commonwealth Women Parliamentarians.
Aimee Tang introduced the topic with a powerful and timely challenge for us all to think about how online abuse results in harmful and violent impacts. Louisa Wall, former MP and current Ambassador for Gender Equity (Pacific), shared her own experiences of misogynistic abuse. Wall emphasised how abuse tends to target women in particular but also members of the LGBTQIA+ community -- and why. She stated, "Most of the abuse I encounter comes because of my advocacy for the Rainbow Community." The abuse she specified comes in the form of:
- psychological violence,
- cyberbullying, and
- hate speech.
The abuse derives from cultural, socio-economic and political history, and it is intertwined with the story of colonialisation. Amokura Panoho reminded us that there is no translation for misogyny in te reo Māori. Much scientific evidence has already been gathered to show evidence of misogyny's impact on women Ministers of Parliament. The online abuse of Jacinda Ardern has been well documented as unprecedented in its intensity and persistence. Panoho decried the silencing of women by misogyny and systemic racism. She gave as an example that the reports of the military destruction of Parihaka in 1881 was the first official recording of rape and other abuses of Māori wāhine and tamariki, though it certainly was not the first instance of mahi tūkino (bad action). Panoho insisted we campaign for us all, especially for Māori wāhine, not to hide away from the public in the face of this abuse. She charged us to reclaim our identity, demand a full history including specifics of harm in the past and today.
Charlotte Ferrier, a student leader, described how she and Kayla Pringle are working through a youth-led group Students against Sexual Harm (SASH) and in Ōtautahi Christchurch NCWNZ branch to address misogyny and sexual violence in schools. SASH had formed in response from the results of a survey in 2021 by Dr. Liz Gordon in which respondents from the Girls High School described incidents of sexual harassment and even rape. Ferrier explained that SASH was now focusing on a wider community engagement since "online abuse is a big issue" and girls are scared to put themselves out on the Internet. Even younger girls, aged 9 and 10 are fearing that a digital public identity is not safe since rolemodels who have millions of followers on social media are being attacked. We need to change behavior norms, not just reform laws or tweak existing policies. She suggested that schools have a role to play in supporting their students, including those who step into public life or take up leadership positions. This led some viewers to think that private sector organisations could explore how to stand strong in support of those in their employ who are suffering from misogyny - even, if necessary - publicly. Ferrier posited that stronger accountability measures and compulsory curriculum in teaching consent education for our youth can have long lasting results.
Online violence impacts not just individuals but our whole community when white supremacists and misogynists are allowed to attack online without response. Panoho recited a famous Māori whakatauki to encourage us:
“Me aro koe ki te hā o Hine-ahu-one” which means
“Pay heed to the dignity and power of women.”
Linda Clark reminded everyone that this is a global issue so we cannot just reply in individual responses but we need a concerted effort nationally and across the globe with a range of partners. Clark warned us of the precedent that when the new law on Digital Harm was rolled out and Netsafe was funded to address online safety, the initiative has always been underfunded and under-resourced. Clark worried that it takes creativity and imagination to even see future iterations of online abuse, for example the expanding use of artificial intelligence, much less developing foresight as to what will come in the next five years. Clark said, "We need to be as imaginative as those developing this technology." She gave examples of initiatives in the European Union, Australia, and Canada who are already ahead of New Zealand. "Our victims are different due to our population here in New Zealand and experiences are unique to us, but some solutions and strategies can be the same." Panoho encouraged NCWNZ to work closely with groups such as the Māori Women's Welfare League, the Rural Women of NZ (once the Women's Division Federated Farmers of NZ) to be forward-thinking and inclusive. New Zealand can be world-leading in addressing this global problem as it has been historically with women's suffrage rights and the first openly gay and transsexual political leaders.
Louisa Wall spelled out specific steps we could take to counter misogyny and online abuse:
- Raise awareness: Increase public awareness about the prevalence and impact of online violence and abuse against women. Share personal stories, statistics, and research findings to highlight the seriousness of the issue. Use social media, traditional media, and community platforms to amplify the message and engage the public. Work with media outlets to raise awareness about the issue and encourage responsible reporting on cases of online violence and abuse. Write op-eds, give interviews, or contribute to articles to provide perspectives on the impact and urgency of the issue.
- Collaborate with women's organizations: Work closely with women's rights organizations, advocacy groups, and Non-Government Organisations (NGOs) that focus on gender equality and women's safety. Form alliances and partnerships to leverage collective expertise, resources, and advocacy efforts.
- Advocate for policy changes and support survivor-led initiatives: Engage with political parties and policymakers to advocate for the development and implementation of comprehensive policies and legislation addressing online violence and abuse. Write letters, organize petitions, and participate in public consultations to voice concerns and demand action. Be sure to include (and amplify) the voices and experiences of survivors of online violence and abuse. Support survivor-led initiatives that focus on advocacy, support, and raising awareness. Elevate their stories and call for action based on their lived experiences.
- Engage with politicians and elected representatives while fostering multi-party support: Reach out to politicians and elected representatives from various political parties to discuss the issue and share concerns. Attend town hall meetings, community forums, or other public events where you can directly communicate your expectations and urge them to take action. Seek to build bipartisan or multi-party support for initiatives addressing online violence and abuse against women. Highlight the importance of this issue as a matter of public safety, human rights, and gender equality, transcending political divisions.
- Support research and data collection: Encourage and support research initiatives that investigate the nature and impact of online violence and abuse against women. Highlight the need for data-driven policymaking and funding for research projects that shed light on the issue.
The NCWNZ Influence & Decision-making Action Hub is currently planning an upcoming webinar to highlight the ongoing and growing research in online harm. Watch for announcements of this event on the NCWNZ Facebook community page (https://www.facebook.com/ncwnz.org.nz/).
Resources to share in meetings and with your networks
The Backbone Collective, a charity that works with women (and their children) who have experienced violence and abuse, created a new information guide to share with agencies and organisations that work with victim-survivors who have Family Court proceedings. You can read this guide on their website: "Reducing risk and harm when going to Family Court: An information guide for victim-survivors."
Given the statement posted in March 2023 about the NCWNZ's policy of recognising the rights of transgender people, it is useful to provide a quick primer of terms. This primer is borrowed and adapted from an article published in my college alumnae/i magazine (Vassar Quarterly, Summer 2022). The terms and definitions may differ from individual transgender, nonbinary, and gender-expansive people may use, however this list might be helpful for those not accustomed to what transgender inclusion educators are working on these days.
First, we need to agree on what gender identity means. This is one's internal, deeply held sense of one's gender as male, female, both, neither, or another gender. Gender expression includes external representations of gender - for example, one's name, pronouns, clothing, haircut, behavior, voice, or body characteristics. Many identify these as masculine or feminine, however we need to remember that what is considered masculine and feminine varies by culture and changes over time. All of us have both a gender identity and gender expression, whether or not you are a transgender person.
Transgender comes from trans, a Latin prefix meaning "across." Transgender is an umbrella term for people who do not identify with the gender that correlates with the sex they were assigned at birth (usually male or female). A transgender man was assigned female at birth, and a transgender woman was assigned male at birth.
Nonbinary people - or people who do not identify strictly as a man or woman - fall under this transgender umbrella.
Cisgender people are those who do identify with the gender that correlates with the sex they were assigned at birth. Cis- is a Latin prefix meaning "on the same side as."
While NCWNZ members and leadership continue the important work of peace and justice, we remember that this organisation was founded to empower those who lacked access and opportunities because of their gender.
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For further reading:
- Ahmed, S.; Beach, L.; Safer, J.; Veale, J.; Whitley, C. "Considerations in the Care of Transgender Persons," Nature Reviews Nephrology 19, pages 360–365 (2023). [Open access via Dr Jaimie Veale's publications webpage: https://profiles.waikato.ac.nz/jaimie.veale/publications.]
- Besnier, N. "Polynesian Gender Liminality Through Time and Space." In Third Sex, Third Gender: Beyond Sexual Dimorphism in Culture and History. Ed. Gilbert Herdt. New York: Zone Books, 1994.
- Fraser, G.; Brady, A.; Wilson, M.S. "'What if I’m not trans enough? What if I’m not man enough?': Transgender young adults’ experiences of gender-affirming healthcare readiness assessments in Aotearoa New Zealand," International Journal of Transgender Health 22 (2022): https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/abs/10.1080/26895269.2021.1933669?journalCode=wijt21
- Hollingsworth, R. "Milestones: Legal Status and Sexual Orientation/Identity" The Circular, 638 (15 Dec 2022): https://www.ncwnz.org.nz/milestones_lgbtq-laws
- Te Awekotuku, N. "He Reka Ano – same-sex lust and loving in the ancient Māori world." In Outlines: Lesbian & Gay Histories of Aotearoa. Eds. Alison J. Laurie & Linda Evans. Wellington: Lesbian & Gay Archives of New Zealand, 2005.
- "Transgender People who Experience Discrimination and Stigma are more Likely to have Poor Mental Health Outcomes," The University of Waikato News and Opinion (13 Oct 2020): https://www.waikato.ac.nz/news-opinion/media/2020/transgender-people-who-experience-discrimination-and-stigma-are-more-likely-to-have-poor-mental-health-outcomes
- Turban, J. "The Disturbing History of Research into Transgender Identify," Scientific American (23 October 2020): https://www.scientificamerican.com/article/the-disturbing-history-of-research-into-transgender-identity/
Chart: 2023 King’s Birthday and Coronation honours
The 2023 King’s Birthday and Coronation honours were announced on 5 June. The list included women receiving 95 (52%) awards and men 87 (48%) – a total of 182 awards. Over 60% of QSMs were awarded to women. Women also received more MNZMs than men.
Following tradition, Her Majesty The Queen Camilla, the King's consort, was awarded the ONZ. Her Majesty has become Patron or President of more than 90 charities, focusing her charitable work on health and wellbeing, literacy, sustainability, the arts, animal welfare and survivors of rape and sexual assault. Both Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth The Queen Mother and His Royal Highness Prince Philip Duke of Edinburgh have held this honour.
The Queen’s Service Order (QSO) and Queen’s Service Medal (QSM) will be renamed in honour of King Charles III. Transitional matters currently being worked through include the Royal Warrant governing the order needing to be updated and approved by the King, and revised insignia designed and manufactured for presentation at future investiture ceremonies. The first honours using the KSO and KSM titles are likely to be announced as part of the King’s Birthday Honours in 2024.
|
2023 King’s Birthday and Coronation honours |
|||||||
|
Award |
Male |
Mx |
Female |
total |
% Male |
% Female |
|
|
ONZ + additional / honorary |
0 |
0 |
1 |
1 |
0% |
100% |
|
|
GNZM / DNZM / KNZM / hon |
3 |
0 |
4 |
7 |
43% |
57% |
|
|
CNZM + honorary member |
8 |
0 |
5 |
13 |
62% |
38% |
|
|
ONZM + honorary member |
24 |
0 |
18 |
42 |
57% |
43% |
|
|
MNZM + honorary member |
32 |
0 |
34 |
66 |
48% |
52% |
|
|
QSO |
0 |
||||||
|
QSM + honorary member |
18 |
0 |
32 |
50 |
36% |
64% |
|
|
NZAM |
0 |
||||||
|
DSD |
2 |
0 |
1 |
3 |
67% |
33% |
|
|
NZBD + NZBM |
|||||||
|
Total |
87 |
0 |
95 |
182 |
48% |
52% |
|
|
sport-related |
25 |
14% |
|||||
|
arts-related |
26 |
14% |
|||||
|
ONZ to MNZM |
67 |
0 |
62 |
129 |
52% |
48% |
|
|
QSO & QSM |
18 |
32 |
50 |
36% |
64% |
||
Congratulations to all the winners, especially the following who were acknowledged for their contribution to women:
- CNZM
- The Honourable Lianne Dalziel, former Minister of Women’s Affairs.
- Deb Gilbertson who founded the Emergent Māori Women’s Leadership Programme and the Women in Agriculture Network.
- ONZM
- Dr Shirley Jülich, who has been involved in the restorative justice community in New Zealand since the mid-1990s, focusing on facilitating survivors of sexual abuse to experience a sense of justice.
- Professor Lynette Tippett, a leader in neuropsychology and dementia research, who has played a major leadership role in the promotion of women and Māori at the University of Auckland.
- Honorary ONZM
Honorary awards are made to people who are not New Zealand citizens or citizens of nations of which the Sovereign is head of state.- Dr Maysoon Salama chaired the Islamic Women’s Council of New Zealand between 2012 and 2020 and is currently Emeritus National Coordinator. She has been co-founder and Coordinator of the National Islamic Sisterhood Association (NISA) since 2000.
- Dr Maysoon Salama chaired the Islamic Women’s Council of New Zealand between 2012 and 2020 and is currently Emeritus National Coordinator. She has been co-founder and Coordinator of the National Islamic Sisterhood Association (NISA) since 2000.
- MNZM
- Mary Aue has been a key advocate for getting Māori and Pacific learners into science, engineering, technology and mathematics (STEM), leading a group of women to establish South Auckland STEM (SAS) in 2019.
- Kendal Collins is a social worker running wellbeing and creative programmes for Māori and Pacific young women, to develop resilience, self-esteem and body positivity. The mentoring programme Young Queens and Crown Yourself was launched in schools for young women
- Ruahei Demant (Te Whānau-ā-Apanui, Te Whakatōhea, Ngāti Awa) has been involved in women’s rugby in New Zealand since debuting in 2013 with the Auckland Storm. She Co-Captained the Black Ferns to winning the 2021 Women’s Rugby World Cup in 2022, and was named by World Rugby as the Women’s 15s Player of the Year and as a member of the 2022 Dream Team at the 2022 World Rugby Awards.
- Joy Dunsheath has contributed to human rights, gender equality and sustainable development in New Zealand and overseas for more than 40 years. She was a Board member of the United Nations Women Aotearoa New Zealand from 2007 to 2014, and member of Graduate Women New Zealand since 1986, serving on the National Executive, and as Wellington branch President from 2012 to 2014. She was elected as a committee member to the Graduate Women International Hegg Hoffet Fund (Geneva) in 2010 to assist refugee and displaced women to study towards academic qualifications, and has been an active member of the Ministry for Women’s International Caucus for more than ten years.
- Michelle Hooper led the implementation of the 2021 Women’s Rugby World Cup occurring in 2022, regarded as one of the most successful women’s sporting events in history.
- Alexis LewGor has made a significant contribution to multiculturalism in Rotorua, the Bay of Plenty District and nationally for more than 20 years. She was National President and Chair of the New Zealand Federation of Multicultural Councils’ Ethnic Women’s Council for three years and played a key role in assisting migrant women recently resettled in New Zealand.
- Qiane Matata-Sipu (Te Waiohua, Waikato, Ngāpuhi, Ngāti Pikiao, Rarotonga, Mangaia) whose practice focuses on culture and land, principally reclaiming Māori and Indigenous women’s knowledge and identity in the wake of colonisation.
- Stacey Mendonca established the National Association of Women in Construction (NAWIC) in 1996 along with two others.
- Andrea Nelson was the Chief Executive Officer of the International Cricket Council (ICC) Women’s Cricket World Cup 2022
- Amy Satterthwaite has been part of the New Zealand cricketing community for 20 years as a player, captain, mentor and as coach, appointed as the Assistant Coach for the Adelaide Strikers in the 2022/2023 Women’s Big Bash League.
- Kennedy Simon (Tainui) has been involved with women’s rugby in New Zealand since debuting in 2013 for Waikato. She Co-Captained the 2021 Women’s Rugby World Cup in New Zealand in 2022.
- Awerangi Tamihere (Ngāti Kauwhata, Rangitāne, Ngāti Porou, Rongowhakaata, Kāi Tahu) has been a member of the Māori Women’s Welfare League Henderson Branch since 2008.
- QSM:
- Heniaka August (Ngāti Kahungungu Ki Te Wairoa, Rongomaiwahine), Coordinator for the Ngāti Toa Māori Wardens in Porirua. She was named as part of the 25 Influential Wāhine of Porirua in 2018 by Porirua City Council in commemoration of 125 years of women’s suffrage.
- Di Buchan was President of the Whangārei Branch of the Women’s Electoral Lobby, and served 10 years on the Wellington Civic Trust, seven as chair. For six years Ms Buchan served as Vice-President of the Environment Institute of Australia and New Zealand and now co-chairs the working group established to integrate indigenous environmental knowledge into mainstream environmental practice.
- Reverend Alofa Ta’ase Lale is the only ordained Pacific woman minister in the Dunedin Presbyterian community and the immediate past National President of PACIFICA Inc.
- Karen McClintock has been involved with Rural Women.
- Miraka Norgate (Ngā Puhi Nui Tonu), Kuia for all Kohanga Reo in the Nelson-Tasman region. Chair of the Whakatu Māori Women’s Welfare League between 2003 and 2005, promoting breast cancer screening, cervical cancer smear testing, obstetrics and paediatric women’s and children’s health.
- Reverend Penny Sinnamon has held offices with her local Rural Women branch.
Congratulations also to Superintendent Rakesh Naidoo, partner of Vanisa Dhiru, who was awarded an MNZM.
Information about nominating someone for an honour is available on the Department of the Prime Minister and Cabinet website. Nomination forms are accepted throughout the year, but the processing and consideration of nominations is likely to take at least six months prior to the announcement of an honours list at King's Birthday or New Year.
Readings to consider
Eva Hartshorn-Sanders, Director of Hartsheba Limited and Convenor of NCWNZ International Action Hub, has written a useful and action-oriented article about countering online hate speech. Read it here:
Eva Hartshorn-Sanders, "Online harm - and why it matters," Transparency International New Zealand (June 8, 2023): https://www.transparency.org.nz/blog/online-harm-and-why-it-matters
As the former Head of Policy at the international NGO, The Center for Countering Digital Hate, Hartshorn-Sanders addresses research on why online harm is happening now more than ever. She calls for us to read and discuss the discussion document of the NZ Department of Internal Affairs (see the DIA document at https://www.dia.govt.nz/safer-online-services-media-platforms-consultation#Discussion).
"'They don't care if you live or die': Battling The System," Emily Writes Weekly (6 June 2023): https://emilywrites.substack.com/p/they-dont-care-if-you-live-or-die
A blog post about her family's experience in applying to Whaikaha - Ministry of Disabled People, for support for her medically fragile son and care-giver burnout. Emily Writes is the pen-name of a New Zealand parenting writer based in Wellington.
From a campaign message by the UN on Twitter:
Hate speech online can lead to cruelty and violence in real life. From fact checking to supporting vulnerable communities, we can all take action to protect our common humanity and say #NoToHate:
https://www.un.org/en/hate-speech/take-action/engage
At 17, Cadence Chung sent a complaint to the New Zealand Qualifications Authority about a NCEA exam question that included the poetry of a white supremacist. Yet, in this interview two years later she still does not see herself primarily as an activist. Among generation Z there is great pressure to have an opinion on every issue, she says, “and if you don’t, then you’re a bad person. To me, the best form of activism is speaking to what’s true to you.” Gen Z, even the poets, often hide their feelings beneath layers of irony and black humour, Chung says. Sincerity in this day and age can come across as anything from off-putting to even kind of gauche. Nobody wants to be piteous or, worse, cringe. Don Rowe, "Cadence Chung, A dissection," New Zealand Geographic (May-June 2023): https://www.nzgeo.com/stories/a-dissection/
Stories to celebrate
Women's Memoirs
Why do we as women in the public eye write memoir? What is the difference between memoir and autobiography? Dame Fiona Kidman reflects on the publication of Barbara Else’s memoir. Fiona Kidman, "Book of the Week: ‘My wife is two people’" Newsroom (18 June 2023): https://www.newsroom.co.nz/readingroom/book-of-the-week-my-wife-is-two-people
Read the "Short story: The Mysteries of My Sister, by Barbara Else," Newsroom (17 June 2023): https://www.newsroom.co.nz/readingroom/short-story-the-mysteries-of-my-sister-by-barbara-else
A Personal Story of an Activist Scholar of Māori descent
This powerful interview of Jacquie Kidd shows how one's personal life intertwines with and informs one's professional and political identities. She speaks forcibly about Te Aka Whai Ora (the Māori Health Authority) and that it is under-resourced and over-scrutinised "so that it ends up looking like a failure when it was never given the opportunity.... I’m a firm believer that getting it right for Māori means we’ll get it right for everyone." She works particularly toward cultural health literacy for services involving Māori. "I went on to get a PhD partly because I was so under-recognised at high school. For the most part, school was just an exercise in following the rules. That’s why I say to a lot of kids, school isn’t make or break. School’s just a step on the ladder. You can decide later on what you want to do." She emphasises the need to focus on the values of whanaungatanga (forming and maintaining relationships and strengthening ties between kin and communities, providing the foundation for a sense of unity, belonging and cohesion). Read the autobiographical interview with Professor Jacquie Kidd, former nurse and Auckland University of Technology's Associate Head of School, Māori Advancement, Clinical Sciences. Dale Husband, "Jacquie Kidd: We need to get whanaungatanga right," e-Tangata (25 June 2023): https://e-tangata.co.nz/korero/jacquie-kidd-we-need-to-get-whanaungatanga-right/
Dates to note for July-August 2023
July 11: World Population Day
July 14: Matariki
July 20: International Moon Day
July 30: World Day Against Trafficking in Persons
August 1-7: World Breastfeeding Week
August 9: International Day of the World's Indigenous Peoples
August 12: International Youth Day
August 17: Women in Governance Summit 2023, hosted by Women on Boards. Online and in person at AUT, Auckland. Register at https://www.governancenz.org/Category?Action=View&Category_id=864
August 19: World Humanitarian Day
August 21: International Day of Remembrance and Tribute to the Victims of Terrorism
August 22: International Day Commemorating the Victims of Acts of Violence Based on Religion or Belief
August 23: International Day for the Remembrance of the Slave Trade and Its Abolition
August 29: International Day against Nuclear Tests
August 30: International Day of the Victims of Enforced Disappearances
August 31: International Day for People of African Descent
Quotation to ponder
I have watched the river and the sea for a lifetime. I have seen rivers rob soil from the roots of trees until the giants came foundering down. I have watched shores slip and perish, the channels silt and change; what was beach become a swamp and a headland tumble into the sea. An island has eroded in silent pain since my childhood, and reefs have become islands. Yet the old people used to say, People pass away, but not the land. It remains forever. Maybe that is so. The land changes. The land continues. The sea changes. The sea remains.
Keri Hulme, The Bone People: A Novel (LSU Press, 2005). p.336
Whakataukī to share
Kia whakatōmuri te haere whakamua.
I walk backwards into the future with my eyes fixed on my past.
This whakataukī speaks to Māori perspectives of time, where the past, the present and the future are intertwined. This offers a view of one's life as a continuous cosmic process in which time has no restrictions – it is both past and present. The past then is central to and shapes both one's present and future identity. It makes us all stronger when aware of this. By knowingly carrying one’s past into the future (and emotionally aware that ancestors are present), we expand our outlook to see the far-reaching consequences of our actions.
To understand how (and why) to use whakataukī as a resource to support leadership practice through conversations and critical reflection, read Kathryn O’Connell-Sutherland, "Growing shared leadership and bicultural understandings through whakataukī," School News New Zealand (21 July 2020): https://www.schoolnews.co.nz/2020/07/growing-shared-leadership-and-bicultural-understandings-through-whakatauki/
-=-=--=-=-
The Circular is the official organ of The National Council of Women of New Zealand. Archived copies are available at the National Library of New Zealand (ISSN 2815-8644).
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