19 July 2012
Media Release
UN Committee expresses concern about the status of women in New Zealand
The UN committee which monitors discrimination against women today expressed concern about the current status of women
in New Zealand
Minister of Women’s Affairs, Hon. Jo Goodhew, presented New Zealand’s seventh report to the UN under the Convention on
the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination Against Women (CEDAW) in New York – and she faced a number of tricky
questions.
The Committee noted that given New Zealand’s position as a world leader in achieving equality for women in many areas -
such as giving women the vote - they were concerned about the present situation.
Speaking from New York, National Council of Women of New Zealand (NCWNZ) representative, Beryl Anderson, commented: “The
Committee arrowed in on several issues that are hampering progress towards equality for women including the gender pay
gap; the lack of maternal mental health services; the restrictions on abortion under New Zealand law; the low rate of
women’s participation on boards and in other leadership roles; the lack of an action plan for New Zealand women; the low
level of Paid Parental Leave entitlements compared to other developed countries; and neglect of issues faced by ethnic
women.
“The Minister also faced questions about the impact of recent changes to the Family Court and legal aid and whether this
will impact on women’s access to justice.”
Julie Radford-Poupard, Director of Women's Health Action Trust, added: “The committee raised many important issues today
and it is clear that committed government action is needed to progress equality for women. The committee's report will
give good guidance on priority areas.”
ENDS