PRIME MINISTER WELCOMES MORE WOMEN IN DECISION MAKING POSITIONS

"I want to see more skilled and experienced women appointed to statutory boards and committees" the Prime Minister and Minister of Women's Affairs Jenny Shipley said today in her Ethel Benjamin Commemorative Address to the Otago Women Lawyers Society.

"In 1996 over 31 percent of appointments or reappointments made by the Cabinet Committee on Appointments and Honours were women, up from 25 percent in 1993. I want to see this percentage increase over the next few years."

?Like all decision making bodies, government appointed boards and committees can only benefit by increasing their numbers of women and including members from all parts of society, provided they have the necessary skills.

"The Government is supporting women to achieve these skills through a series of training seminars organised by the Ministry of Women's Affairs and the Crown Company Monitoring and Advisory Unit. These seminars offer practical, hands-on training on the roles and responsibilities of a director, as well as suggestions for increasing the chances of ?getting on board?," Mrs Shipley said.

?The first two day seminar was held in November last year. Several of the women who attended that seminar have already been recommended for appointment to Crown company boards.

?The Ministry of Women's Affairs has also embarked on a project of profiling Maori women achievers through the media in order to increase the number of Maori women on decision making bodies. Maori women have always played a critical role in their own communities. Many have the ability to carry that role into the boardroom."

The Prime Minister noted the Justice Sector is also improving its appointments with the establishment of the Judicial Appointments Unit, announced by the Minister of Justice last October.

"This unit will provide a more formal and transparent approach to the appointment of District Court Judges. Candidates for appointment will be identified from who have expressed an interest or been nominated through other agencies such as women's lawyers'associations" Mrs Shipley said.

"One of the biggest barriers is the fact that women are often reluctant to nominate themselves for positions. We must stop being overly modest and stand up and say I can."

"Ethel Benjamin is a model for women today. 101 years ago she was the first woman to practise law in New Zealand. She would not be alone today. Today, in seeking to increase the number of women in decision making position we are not starting with one women and I hope that not in 100 years from now but in less than 10 years from now, we will see women equally represented in boards at the highest levels of decision making"

ENDS

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Copies of Status of Women in New Zealand 1998, the CEDAW report, are available from:

Corporate Relations Unit
Ministry of Women?s Affairs
P O Box 10 049
Wellington
Tel: 04 473 4112
The CEDAW report is also available on the Ministry?s website: www.mwa.govt.nz