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
particularly 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.
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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.
