Launch Mana Wahine Week

Good evening and welcome to your house, Parliament. I bring greetings from the Prime Minister and my Labour and Progressive colleagues.

I acknowledge other MPs in the audience – Georgina Te Heu Heu, and Edwin Perry and his wife Tawhiwhirangi.

I want to pay special tribute to
·Anne Delamare, our kaumatua tonight and a long-standing supporter of the Ministry of Women’s Affairs;
·Kitty Bennett and Jacqui Te Kani from the Maori Women’s Welfare League;
·Rhonda Kite, a Maori businesswoman who embodies all that is good about Mana Wahine week and is one of the speakers tonight; and
·Shenagh Gleisner, the chief executive of Women’s Affairs.

I also want to acknowledge all Maori women who support the development of their whanau, hapu and iwi, and who contribute so much to New Zealand society. This is your week - a time to celebrate your important role as tangata whenua and to highlight your contribution and achievements.

The Ministry of Women’s Affairs introduced Mana Wahine week in 1993, a fitting acknowledgement of Maori women in a year that was both the International Year of Indigenous People and Women’s Suffrage Centennial Year.

Maori women have always been movers and shakers, and they have always had great entrepreneurial spirit. These qualities are all evident in the often overlooked role they played in promoting universal suffrage.

In May 1893, at the same time as the suffrage movement was gaining momentum, Meri Te Tai Mangakahia became the first woman to address the new Maori Parliament. She presented a motion saying not only should Maori women be given the vote, but they should be eligible to sit in that parliament.

Meri argued that many Maori women owned and administered their own lands, either because they had no male relatives or because they were more competent.

So it was the combined efforts of both Maori and Pakeha women that gave all women in New Zealand the right to vote when the Electoral Act was passed later that year.

In fact, Maori women argued their case so successfully that when the House of Representatives was asked if voting rights should be extended to them, there was a roar of unanimous approval.

More than half a century later, in 1963, Iriaka Ratana - the first Maori woman MP and a founding member of the Maori Women’s Welfare League - said this about the league:
“The spirit of the women is strong: it will never break. They will fight on till they have won.”

Mana Wahine week honours this fighting spirit. It recognises the hard work, innovation and energy that have propelled Maori women to the forefront of business and economic development.

In fact, according to the latest Global Entrepreneurship Monitor Study, released two weeks ago, Maori women are now among the most entrepreneurial business people in the world.

The study, which covers 41 countries and is the largest of its kind, tells us that:

·For the third year in a row, Maori have a higher entrepreneurial rate than non-Maori.
·Globally, the Maori entrepreneurship rate surpasses all but three countries in the study. If Maori were defined as their own country, they would rank as the fourth most entrepreneurial country in the world.
·83 per cent of Maori women identify themselves as ‘opportunity’ entrepreneurs – spotting a business opportunity and running with it – rather than necessity entrepreneurs who aret forced to set up a business because of job loss or redundancy.
·Maori women are more entrepreneurial than non-Maori women, both in New Zealand and globally.

As Mere Te Tai Mangakahia showed in 1893, the political astuteness and business acumen of Maori women is nothing new. It’s just that we have only recently started measuring it.

Rhonda is a great modern-day example – a Maori woman who owns and manages a substantial multi-media enterprise.

The success of Maori women is good for New Zealand in many ways. In the next 40 years, between 30 and 40 per cent of the New Zealand workforce will be Maori and Pacific people. We need that workforce to be successful, educated, well-trained and highly skilled. Successful Maori business women are not only great role models but they are providing important job opportunities for whanau, hapu and iwi.

We also know that Maori enterprises invest in the regions of New Zealand where their success has a real pay-off. One of the reasons that New Zealand is doing better than most other economies at the moment – and we were the fastest growing economy in the OECD last year – is that regional New Zealand is doing well. And part of the secret of that success is that Maori are doing well in those regions.

Underlying growing Maori achievement is the renaissance of Maori language and culture, which has also been driven in large part by Maori women. They have been instrumental in setting up, and running, Tu Tangata, Kohanga Reo, Kura Kaupapa and Matua Whangai programmes.
They have played a vital role in Iwi Authorities, Maori Trust Boards and Urban Maori Authorities. And they have been the driving force behind the success of health and social services by Maori, for Maori.

As we head into the 21st century, there is still much to be done. Across a range of indicators, Maori women are yet to experience the same economic, health and social outcomes as non-Maori.

At the same time, I agree with the concern of many that the ongoing articulation of their status in terms of disparities and disadvantage undermines their positive contribution to our communities and to wider New Zealand society.

Events like Mana Wahine week help dispel those myths, and present the true picture of a vibrant, innovative, entrepreneurial group of women, who get their strength from Maori communities and are the backbone of them.

Women’s Action Plan
Our government wants to support their efforts. The Action Plan for New Zealand Women - that I launched at Parliament last month with the help of more than 300 women - gives us for the first time a ‘whole of government’ approach to women’s issues, and a clear way forward.

The action plan was developed after extensive consultation with women throughout New Zealand, and in partnership with three national women’s umbrella organisations - the Maori Women’s Welfare League, National Council of Women and PACIFICA.

It recognises the special place and role of Maori women, both as the heart and soul of their whanau, hapu and iwi, and also as tangata whenua.

Its three key themes – economic independence, a balanced life and general well-being – include specific actions to improve the lives of Maori women.

By working together, we can create a society where all women are able to achieve their aspirations, have equitable access to resources and opportunities, and participate fully in our communities.

Mana Wahine week provides inspiration and reflection on this journey. As well as tonight’s launch, a number of other celebrations throughout the week include:
·a programme promoting Maori women leaders on TV3 over Easter weekend to promote the week;
·an exhibition of Maori women’s art in Auckland tomorrow;
·a Maori business women’s breakfast, and a debate that Maori women will be the highest income earners in the country by 2020, in Wellington on Thursday and Friday respectively.
I hope these events are well supported and encourage all New Zealanders to become more aware of the huge contribution made by Maori women in all walks of life. And now it is my great pleasure to declare Mana Wahine week officially open.

Thank you.