Par for the course for women

Written By: - Date published: 9:13 am, March 11th, 2011 - 13 comments
Categories: feminism, sexism - Tags: , , , ,

With the Government’s most useless Minister, Pansy Wong, gone under a cloud of corruption and replaced by a new MP who has been labeled by some as a future Nat leader, we might have hoped that the Women’s Affairs portfolio would get some decent treatment and we would see a real commitment to closing the pay gap. Well, we can stop hoping.

Since we’ve just had International Women’s Day it was only fair that Carol Beaumont ask the new Women’s Affairs Minister, Hekia Parata: “Can she outline a significant improvement for women initiated by the current Government?”

Parata’s reponse:

Tēnā koe, Mr Speaker. Bringing about real and sustainable change in the long tradition of Aotearoa New Zealand is about the leadership of women themselves. This Government has recognised and respected that, by providing resources and tools to support women, and to translate their interests, skills, and ambitions into practical effect through the development of “my board strengths” initiative, the Women on Boards’ self-assessment tool, to be officially launched next week. The toolkit supports women’s own abilities to make smart decisions about developing their governance skills, with a view to lifting women’s representation in governance in the public and private sectors. The “my board strengths” forms part of the new and improved Women on Boards website.

So, after all the waffle, the answer is no, National has initiated no “significant improvement for women”. A ‘toolkit’ for women on company boards, yup, that’s really relevant to most women.

I recommend watching the video.

Honestly, if you just read the transcript and ignore the names you wouldn’t think Wong had gone.

In fact, all Parata seems to have done since becoming minister is induce her ministerial staff to quit.

It’s well-known around the traps in Wellington that Ms Parata can be a ‘difficult’ person to work with or for. She’s said to have been involved in a large number of staff grievance cases against her when she was a public service manager. As a MP she was onto her fifth or sixth executive assistant in two years. It was only a couple of days into her new role as Minister of Women’s Affairs and Ethnic Affairs, one long-serving staff member, who worked for Pansy Wong, has been shown the door – despite earlier assurances to the contrary.

If Parata is, as I’ve heard, now Key’s favoured heir for when he steps down in 2013 if he wins a second term, then National’s in deep, deep trouble. And so are we if she manages to slide in to being PM.

13 comments on “Par for the course for women ”

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  1. just saying 1
    11 March 2011 at 9:57 am

    Pretty sure I heard her waffle to the effect that she didnt support the existence of the ministry of women’s affairs, on Te Karere last night.

  2. RedLogix 2
    11 March 2011 at 10:00 am

    Yeah… another one who’s busy yanking up the ladder behind her.

    • Blighty 2.1
      11 March 2011 at 10:12 am

      Parata’s from one of the wealthiest Maori families. She was born at the top of the ladder already.

  3. randal 3
    11 March 2011 at 10:50 am

    I have heard her commenting a few times in the meeja.
    she thinks she’s doing public service.
    she has no idea that she is supposed to be representing the people that voted for her.
    oh thats right.
    she a list mp and she can do what she likes.

  4. M 4
    11 March 2011 at 10:55 am

    There’s no way she wants improvements for women – she has to have someone to queen it over.

  5. Tigger 5
    11 March 2011 at 11:43 am

    A toolkit? Hardly value for money. The real way to get on a board, especially one appointed by this gummint, is to be owed a favour by one of the ruling parties – knowing Chris Finlayson definitely helps…his appointees are just about everywhere these days.

  6. Maggie 6
    11 March 2011 at 2:30 pm

    Joe Hockey, Treasury spokesman for the opposition Liberal Party in Australia, said this week he saw a need for regulation if Australian companies didn’t improve the number of women sitting on boards of directors.

    A generally pretty sensible cove, Hockey’s comment didn’t go down well with some of his colleagues.

  7. tc 7
    11 March 2011 at 4:22 pm

    Having seen this women on backbenchers and on the parliament channel I can only say she’s in good company on the above shot with cigar boy coleman and that blonde idiot in front whose name escapes me but his performance on backbenchers didn’t….ignore the facts and parrot the party line just like Parata.

    a relentless focus on SFA

  8. Colonial Viper 8
    11 March 2011 at 4:49 pm

    Is she one reason Simon Power went? They signalled that she was higher up on the preferences?

  9. HC 9
    11 March 2011 at 8:08 pm

    Waffle, waffle, waffle, waffle, waffle, waffle, waffle, waffle, snippididoo, snap, snub, snor, snot, snicker di doo da dey. Yeah so much for a bit of new entertainment from the promoted second class runner up from Mana! We hear and shiver under another “shock and awe” by National with its intimidationg convinving approach. Get the needles, irons, brushes, clothes pegs, tea towels and other utensils of essential survival in the feminine world of today out right now. We will equip all graces with the tools that ensure future employment, recognition, equal treatment, fair bondage and slavery forever. Hekia we love you, get the right tool kit out and give us a serving! Love it, love it, love it, we get warm around our hearts and really steamed up by your hot sex appeal. This is the new age modern National feminism that we have all been waiting for sooooo looong! Or do you prefer barrels of nail polish, mascara, facial creams and such to get upper class style emancipation? Get on with it, roll on, roll on, here we come, the National Party girl’s brigade!

  10. Deadly_NZ 10
    11 March 2011 at 9:13 pm

    My god talk about ‘FULL OF IT” does she read Fairy Tales and various other Myth’s and legends for idea’s on how to do her job. Or is is that the perfect world she is living in is in her own mind????

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