The election is just around the corner and Te Kaunihera Wāhine o Aotearoa National Council of Women of New Zealand (NCWNZ) has a clear message: it matters who’s in government – and that means your vote matters. It especially matters for women, for other marginalised groups, and for future generations.
When we elect the next Government, it will have the power to pass legislation, implement policy, and direct funding to the benefit of the things it cares about and the detriment of the things it doesn’t. During its term, the current government has clearly shown that it doesn’t prioritise the rights and needs of all New Zealanders, especially women. And in a few short years the catastrophic changes it has made will begin to have an intergenerational impact.
Backward progress
The Government’s actions to prevent thousands of women being paid what they are worth, to remove relationships and sexuality education from school curriculums, to remove funding from organisations supporting survivors of sexual and domestic abuse, and to marginalise gender-diverse people are just some of the most visible ways it has chosen to reverse or negate gender equality in less than three years.
“Since the Coalition Government took office in November 2023, it has enacted a series of changes that collectively undermine the rights and wellbeing of women and gender-diverse people. More than 130 years since women won the right to participate in elections, these actions are taking Aotearoa even further from our goal of a gender equal New Zealand.” said NCWNZ Co-President Carin Sundstedt.
The issues that the current government has failed to prioritise – the effects of climate change, the cost of living crisis, the underperforming health system, high rates of sexual violence – disproportionately affect women. Giving these issues the solutions they deserve will greatly improve the lives of our wāhine, our tamariki and our whānau.
Vote to change our future
To call attention to these issues, we asked the major political parties to share their views and proposed actions if elected. The results are available on our website.
The opportunity to shape a gender-equal New Zealand has never been more urgent and it starts with exercising our right to say who holds the power for the next three years. NCWNZ urges all New Zealanders to do what this Government has not and consider the women and girls that they cherish and the generations that will follow when they cast their vote.
Co-President Katie Thomas adds, “For several years we’ve watched as women’s equal status around the world has eroded. What we’ve seen in the past three years in our own motu is a shocking track record for a country that once led the world in suffrage – and others who used to praise our progress are noticing. We have to reclaim our leadership on equality.
“These are not just women’s issues. When we undervalue women, we have poorer communities, poorer families and poorer futures. On Election Day, we need everyone who can vote to show up – to stand beside women in all their diversity, and be visible and vocal against these attacks on our freedoms.”
If you want a fairer, more equal Aotearoa, who you vote for matters. Vote for equality for all New Zealanders on 7 November.