Last week was “Womensfest” at Auckland University. This annual event is “a week long festival that celebrates women’s achievements, highlights particular issues for women and seeks to engage with the female students on campus”.
I was fortunate to be invited to speak on Friday lunchtime in the political forum, in which MPs from New Zealand political parties were to speak on what their party is doing in relation to women’s rights and issues that women in New Zealand face.
Sue Kedgley was invited but unfortunately couldn’t make it, and our other women MPs were also otherwise engaged, so I was lucky enough to have this opportunity to speak, which was lots of fun.
The other smaller parties did not front up, so it turned out to be just the three “main” parties. Jackie Blue was there to represent National and Darien Fenton was from Labour (wearing some lovely bright green shoes I might add)!
All in all it was quite a low key event which unfortunately did not seem to have been particularly well advertised, but we did have a quad full of students having their lunch to entertain for about half an hour, which meant speaking for about 10 minutes each. A stall in the corner selling pink ribbons to raise money for breast cancer set the scene quite nicely too.
It also enabled the provision of a last minute reminder for students to make sure they voted in the Local Body elections.
Womensfest – Auckland University – Green Party – 12th October 2007 midday
Hello, all you beautiful university students! It is great to see you all here today.
My name is Jeanette Elley, and I am here to tell you what the Green Party is doing for women, here in New Zealand.
As you can see, I am not Jeanette Fitzsimons, Sue Bradford, Sue Kedgley or Metiria Turei, so , no , I am not actually a Green Party MP, yet , but I am currently standing as a Green Party Candidate for ADHB in the Local Body elections (that’s the Auckland District Health Board), so , if you haven’t voted yet, vote for me , and take your form in person to the nearest public library before midday tomorrow!
Now, back to business.
Gentlewomen , and gentlemen, the Green Party is doing a huge amount for New Zealand women , in three different ways –
1. Firstly. By setting a good example.
2. Secondly. By our policies and legislative achievements, and
3. Thirdly and most importantly. By caring deeply about the welfare of our planet, and all of the people on it.
I will now elaborate on those three themes.
Firstly – The Green Party is doing a huge amount for New Zealand women – By Setting a Good Example
The Green Party is the only party in Parliament to have more women MPs than men. The Green Party has six MPs in Parliament, and four of these are women. Now that is a pretty good example of walking the talk as far as women’s rights are concerned.
The Green party also sets a good example by aiming for gender balance in everything that we do. We have female and male co-leaders, and female and male co-conveners (which is the equivalent of the party president in other parties). We have female and male policy co-convenors. We also strive to come close to gender balance on our party list.
We have a Green women’s email list and we have one women’s session at every Green Party conference. When debating all issues in the party we attempt to have gender balance in the speaking order.
The Green Party is the party which strives for true democracy amongst our members, which includes ensuring that women’s voices are heard. We do not intend to favour women ahead of men, but we do attempt to give women balanced representation, wherever possible, in everything that we do.
Therefore, as you can see, the Green Party is doing a huge amount for New Zealand women by setting a good example.
Secondly … The Green Party is doing a huge amount for New Zealand women – By Our Policies and Legislative Achievements
The Green Party has a carefully considered women’s policy which includes a long list of goals too numerous to mention here, and which you can find on our website at greens.org.nz at any time.
But here’s a taste. For example, Green Party policies propose –
A universal child benefit paid to the primary caregiver.
Secure financial support for plunket, and for women’s safe houses and refuges.
The establishment of a pay equity commission.
Reduced emphasis on GDP, and more on real measures of wellbeing, like a GPI.
Yes, we want to see tax cuts, but not just for the rich, for everyone! We want no income tax on the first $5,000 of income. This will help low income women.
To help reduce violence against women, we propose a ban on all alcohol advertising and
widespread teaching of non-violent conflict resolution skills.
For students, we propose a universal student allowance.
The Green Party wants to see Write-offs for existing student loans, and the student loan scheme abolished, by the capping and eventual phasing out of university fees. The current student loan scheme disadvantages women because women on average earn at a lower level after leaving University, and therefore take longer to pay back their loans.
As you can see, Green Party policies aim to address the disadvantages that women experience in our society.
Furthermore, the Green Party is only a small party in Parliament, but we do extraordinarily well relative to our size. For example –
The Green Party persuaded the government to include gender pay equity into the terms of reference for the EEO Commissioner.
The Green Party supported the Paid Parental Leave Bill, successfully lobbied to have it extended to the self-employed, and is still working towards seeing it increased in value, and extended in time.
The government is well on its way to increasing the adult minimum wage to $12 per hour by 2008, which was one of the terms of their cooperation agreement with the Greens. This will help many low paid women workers.
We were also recently instrumental in the abolition of Youth rates, which may have affected some of you here today.
Green MP Sue Bradford currently has a bill at select committee which proposes to extend the time that children can stay with their mothers in prison.
And right now, Green MP Sue Kedgley has an important Bill before Parliament called the Flexible Working Hours Bill. This bill, which is based on successful legislation in the UK, will give employees with dependents the right to request flexible working hours, and obliges employers to have a very good reason to refuse.
As you can see, the Green Party is doing a huge amount for New Zealand women by our policies and legislative achievements.
Thirdly, and lastly – The Green Party is doing a huge amount for New Zealand women – By Caring Deeply about the welfare of our Planet and all of the people on it
You may or may not know, but the Green Party in New Zealand started out as the Values Party.
We are very concerned that our society has its values all wrong.
Do you ever stop and wonder the same thing? Is there something fundamentally flawed about our priorities?
How is it that some of us, men and women, are so rich and powerful, while others are so poor and voiceless? Is that fair?
Is there more to life than earning as much money as possible so that we can buy heaps of stuff?
And what happens to that stuff when we discard it?
What will happen to our world when we have cut down all of the trees and fished out all of the fish? When we have polluted all of the land, air and oceans with our discarded waste?
And what will happen when the oil runs out?
Do you ever wonder these things?
The Green Party is vitally concerned with all of these questions. We believe that we all need to reset our priorities and seriously address the world’s many existing, and impending, problems, before it is too late.
And we’re walking the talk. Green MP Nandor Tanczos is currently progressing an important waste minimisation bill, and Green Co-Leader Jeanette Fitzsimons yesterday announced the new energy efficiency and conservation strategy.
As women in the world today, I challenge you to strive for equity, yes. And a voice, definitely. But I also warn you not just to copy what men do, and not just to seek after the power, status and money that men have. Do not simply perpetuate the status quo! Don’t sell your souls for the good life, leaving others to bear the ever increasing cost.
Do instead what you know in your hearts to be right, and while striving for fairness for all, try also to reduce your waste and to live in harmony with the planet , and encourage others to do the same. Before it is too late.
We’ve come a long way, but we’ve still got a long way to go, to create a balanced, peaceful, and environmentally friendly society, which we all can feel proud to be a part of.
In summary,
the Green Party is doing a huge amount for New Zealand women in the following three ways –
1. By setting a good example.
2. By our policies and legislative achievements, and
3. By caring Deeply about our planet and all of the people on it.
Therefore, gentlewomen and gentlemen, make sure that you always vote Green. (Which also means vote City Vision and Regional People in the Local Body Elections. And make sure that you get your local body voting papers to a public library or council office before midday tomorrow!)
If you vote Green, then we can all work together , to solve women’s issues, men’s issues, and all of the important issues facing our world today.
Thank you.