The National Council of Women of New Zealand, Te Kaunihera Wāhine o Aotearoa, is today releasing the results of questions posed to political parties on gender equity and women’s issues.

“The survey identifies issues of importance to New Zealand women and enables voters to compare the positions stated by parties on those issues ,” Dr Suzanne Manning, President of NCWNZ, said today.

Te Kaunihera Wāhine o Aotearoa National Council of Women of New Zealand supports the peaceful protests against anti-transgender activist Kellie-Jay Keen-Minshull. The events being organised in Wellington and Auckland will give a platform and legitimacy to her inflammatory hate speech which has no place in Aotearoa New Zealand.

On March 8th we celebrate International Women’s Day (IWD) and in 2023 we mark the 130th anniversary of women’s suffrage in New Zealand, but women in Aotearoa New Zealand and around the world still don’t have access to equality. What is holding us back?

Te Kaunihera Wāhine o Aotearoa National Council of Women of New Zealand welcomes the National Party’s announcement of its policy on increased support for childcare. This shows that both the major parties recognise the value of providing safe, affordable and appropriate childcare.

We are devastated by the impact the floods have had on families and businesses in the upper North Island. If you or your family or friends have been affected by flooding and need access to resources to get back on your feet, please check the links and contact details below.

Te Kaunihera Wahine o Aotearoa National Council of Women of New Zealand welcomes the Government’s announcement of increased access to childcare subsidies. Resetting the threshold for low income earners will ensure almost all sole parents are able to benefit from this significant step forward.

Rising costs of childcare over the last decade have eroded parents’ ability to choose whether or not to work. High housing costs and increasing inflation mean many families with children are simply unable to pay for childcare. In these cases, it is mostly women's choices that are limited and women who have to drop their hours at work or bring their babies with them. Increased access to childcare subsidies will have far-reaching effects on the ability to work, on lifelong earnings and economic independence, and on access to more choices for sole parents – who are primarily women.

The National Council of Women of New Zealand (NCWNZ) welcomes the Fair Pay Agreements Act. Extending collective bargaining has the potential to improve minimum wages and conditions of employment for all those in low paid work and in particular Māori, Pacific, disabled and migrant women. The President of NCWNZ, Dr Suzanne Manning, says:

“We believe that collective employment agreements are good for women. They can promote the value of women’s work, provide enhanced provisions such as additional paid parental leave, and actively support equity in the workplace by reducing the gender wage gap. NCWNZ believes that the Fair Pay Agreement Act will benefit workplace productivity in Aotearoa New Zealand by balancing the interests of employees and employers, and fostering collaboration, stability, and greater workplace harmony.”

The National Council of Women New Zealand Te Kaunihera Wāhine o Aotearoa (NCWNZ) is disappointed that our state-owned broadcaster, TVNZ, is not screening one of the major international women’s sporting events of the year, the 2021 Rugby World Cup, and has instead chosen to screen the T20 International Men’s Cricket Tri-Series live in a competing time-slot.

“This was a golden opportunity to celebrate and showcase a major women’s sporting event hosted in New Zealand, and instead TVNZ has chosen to ignore it and prioritise men's cricket. We are deeply disappointed in this decision," NCWNZ President Dr Suzanne Manning said today.

Descendants of suffragists Kate Sheppard and Meri Te Tai Mangakāhia, will be present at a special event in Parliament on 13 September 2022 to celebrate the 125-year anniversary of the National Council of Women of New Zealand, Te Kaunihera Wahine o Aotearoa, one of the leading women’s organisations in New Zealand.

“The National Council of Women has a long and proud history of promoting women’s equality,” Suzanne Manning, President of NCWNZ said today. “But it’s extraordinary that over 125 years later, New Zealand women have still not achieved some of the changes our foremothers campaigned for, such as equal pay for work of equal value, protection for low-paid workers and economic independence.” 

Role: Board Member
Term: 3 years
Location: National position
Closes: noon 21 August 2022

Applications are invited for a board member for the period of up to three years.

Do you believe in a Gender Equal New Zealand? If so, this is an exciting opportunity to join the board of New Zealand’s iconic gender equality organisation founded by Kate Sheppard – the National Council of Women New Zealand Te Kaunihera Wāhine o Aotearoa.