BPW NZ Issues 1998 – 2002
We have addressed many issues such as
Matrimonial Property, Student Loans, Employment
Relations, Disability Strategies, Prostitution
Reform, Pay Equity, Health & Safety
in Employment, Paid Parental Leave and
the Ministry of Women's Affairs Action
Plan for Women. The following items are
a selection of our activities.
1998
- Maureen Eardley Wilmot made a submission
to a Select Committee on the Matrimonial
Property Amendment Bill.
- We wrote to politicians of all the
parties opposing the Multilateral Agreement
on Investment and received much support
from them.
- Lobbied the government to comply with
the Human Rights Act
- Lobbied: for victims of domestic violence,
against a proposed Holidays Act that would
increase the Gender Pay Gap, against casinos,
our concern at the deterioration of Maternity
Services.
-
Auckland club began
association with Shakti and started
the cooking classes for migrant women.
-
Eleven submissions
this year: Impact of Student Loans on
Women, NZ Health Strategy Policy group,
Inquiry into the Role of Human rights
in Foreign Policy, Matrimonial Property
Act, Disability Strategy discussion
document, Prohibition of Child Pornography
Bill, Guardianship Act Review, Prostitution
reform Bill.
-
General Lobbying
on: Waste Minimisation, Access of Communities
to Potable Water, Paid Parental Leave,
-
Clubs lobbied directly
on: Property Relationships Bill, Prostitution
reform Bill, Waste Minimization.
-
Letters to the Editor
of the Christchurch Star: Prostitution
reform.
-
Lobbied re closure
of District Courts.
-
Submissions on:
National Cervical Screening Programme,
Bioethical Issues and Fuels, NZ Climate
Change Programme, Health and Safety
in Employment , Family Court Dispute
Resolution.
-
Major work on a
Women’s Legal Rights Project was
steered by Dianne Glenn over the previous
two years, with workshops held at many
clubs and many women informed of their
legal rights.
-
Sexual Harassment
of Women in the Workplace was a major
project of the year with questionnaire
being sent out to clubs to inform members
how to identify it, of their rights
and how to ensure their workplaces are
safe.
2002
Submissions were made to select Committees
of Parliament on Pay Equity, and on Prostitution
Law Reform. The latter decriminalized
prostition.
Viokence Against Women
In 2002 Maureen Eardley Wilmot, as a
member of the BPWI UN Committee, chaired
a Task Force on Violence Against Women.
She was asked to give a workshop on the
paper at the 47th Session of the Commission
on the Status of Women at the UN and attended
as part of the New Zealand Government
delegation. The workshop was entitled
“Good Practices for Handling High
Priority Issues on Violence Against Women”.
She focused on domestic violence legislation
in NZ and Te Rito, our interdisciplinary
programme for tackling domestic violence.
NGO Report to CEDAW 2002 & 2005
BPW clubs and the national exec have
attended meetings with NGO’s working
on the NGO Repors to CEDAW that were made
in 2002 and2005. On both occasions BPW
member Anne Todd-Lambie was nominated
by BPW NZ to participate in presenting
the report. BPW had much input and influence
on the final report as it did the subsequent
one in 2005.
2003
Refugee and Migrant Women
Workshops at Conference 2003 focused
on issues for refugee and migrant women.
The records of these work shops were edited
into a booklet that was deposited in the
National Library and has been acquired
as a source of information by many community
and government agencies.
Bullying in the Workplace
Past President Jean Park undertook a
survey and report on bullying of and by
women in the workplace. The information
has been utilized by many members, clubs
and external agencies in addressing this
issue.
2004
Policies on the following issues were
notified to Government Ministers -
-
Work/life balance
-
Bullying in the
work place
-
Water for Women
– BPWI international project
-
Paid Parental Leave
evaluation
-
Women on Boards
of Directors
Bills upon which BPW NZ made submissions
to Government and that were passed into
law included –
2005
BPW NZ submitted 3 remits to BPW International
Congress in June 2005:
-
AIDS and gender
discrimination against women
-
Gender implications
of landmines
-
Discrimination against
migrant women workers.
A report on the Resettlement Issues for
Refugee and Migrant Women was included
in the BPW International Vice President’s
UNESCO report “Monuments of Peace”.
This report was also one of those submitted
by BPW NZ for the BPW I “Beyond
2000 : Helping Women Help Themselves”
competition for Congress 2005.
The report of our BPW NZ Water Project
was also presented to Congress. BPW NZ
continues to lobby decision makers in
NZ on access to safe drinking water for
all people.
2006
Submissions were made on -
- Regulation of alcohol advertising Submitted
October 2006
- Human Rights (Women in Armed Forces)
Amendment Submitted October 2006
- Repeal Section 59 of the Crimes Act.
Submitted February 2006
2005
Paid Parental Leave for Self-employed
Persons - We made a submission to
the Select Committee regarding this which
has subsequently passed in to NZ Law.
Flexible Working Hours –
This proposed legislation required employers
to give fair consideration to requests
for flexible working hours from employees
with dependents. After presenting our
argument to the Select Committee we were
invited to a Workplace Leader's Summit
where participants looked at how we could
increase flexibility in the workplace.
We were asked to join a Coalition to lobby
for this and our VP Issues, Angela McLeod
became involved on our behalf. Angela
was one of three National Spokespeople
for the Coalition and parts of her media
launch speech were used in National radio
coverage. Media releases, editorial and
letters to the Editor made it in to several
papers nationwide. After lobbying politicians
for just over a year the law was passed
in Parliament in December 2006
Country of Origin Food Labelling -
We lobbied the Food Safety Authority on
our policy asking that this be mandatory.
At the end of 2007 we were invited to
be a member of the Coalition formed to
lobby for this. We have accepted and the
media launch received wide coverage with
parts of the BPW speech being reproduced
in the media.
2006
Anti Smacking Legislation
We made a submission to the Select Committee
in support of the Repeal of Section 59
of the Crimes Act. This change in the
legislation made it illegal to smack children
and became law in 2007.
Human Rights (Women in Armed Forces)
Amendment Bill
We made a submission to the Select Committee
in support of this legislation. It was
passed in to law and means that Women
can now be involved in all areas of armed
combat.
2007
Retirement Policies
Participated in a Government Forum to
discuss retirement income policies.
Electoral Law Reform
Attended Justice and Electoral Select
committee hearing on the Electoral Finance
Bill and spoke to our submission,\
Maternity Services
Submitted Mana Club Presented a submission
regarding maternity services in the Wellington
region, to their MP and followed up by
also sending it to all health spokespersons
of other parties.
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