Address New Outlook for Women Celebrations

Address ‘New Outlook for Women’ 30th Celebrations
CPIT Te Matauranga Maori Wharekai H#, Next Step Centre (off Coventry St), Christchurch

11.00am, Tuesday, 23 September 2003

Rau rangatira maa,
tenei te mihi ki a koutou i runga i te kaupapa o te ra.
Tena koutou, tena koutou, tena koutou katoa.

[Distinguished guests, greetings to you gathered here for this purpose today. Greetings once, twice, three times to you all.]

Good morning and welcome. I am delighted to be here today to celebrate the 30th anniversary of the New Outlook for Women programme. This excellent programme has been the springboard for many Christchurch women to establish a new direction in their lives after time out of the workforce to have children, or simply because they feel the need for a career change.

One of the people in the first intake of students – way back in 1973 – was Jenny Heal, who came up with the idea for the course in New Zealand after reading about a British programme that was helping women get back into the workforce after raising children.

Jenny was not only instrumental in setting up the course, but tutored it for 20 years, and her continuing passion and support for women was evident in Saturday’s article in The Press.

There are a number of other people I also want to acknowledge today, including:
·John Hercus, the head of Christchurch Polytechnic at the time the course was set up, and Dame Ann Hercus who opened the Next Step Centre Building when it got a physical home 15 years ago;
·John Scott, current chief executive of the polytech;
·programme leader Gillian Rose;
·past and present students, staff, families, friends and supporters.

Education
We know that women are keen to keep on learning throughout their lives. In fact, women’s participation in post-compulsory education is now higher than men’s at all ages and across all providers, including polytechs, universities and community education programmes.

The beauty of New Outlook is that it helps women identify the direction in which they want to go, and supports them to get there.
According to Gillian, there is huge diversity among the women who take part in the programme. Some may focus on practical skills to get back into the workforce. Others may decide they want to study for a higher qualification, or do something more meaningful with their lives.

Whatever the women’s motivation, the popularity of the programme is undisputed. Over the years, 2500 women from many walks of life have completed it, and the fact that this demand continues unabated is a measure of its continuing relevance in today’s world.

Tertiary education
The government’s vision for a New Zealand knowledge society is clear, and closely matches the aims of New Outlook.

As a small country at the bottom of the world, we need all New Zealanders to be performing to the best of their abilities, to be acquiring new skills as a matter of course and to be applying these with confidence and knowledge.

We must actively encourage more innovation, fresh thinking and research.

We are looking to build on our already record numbers in industry training and Modern Apprenticeships and we will make sure that all learners are equipped with the foundation skills to participate in the workforce.
We are looking to be a society where tertiary learning is seen as a lifelong activity, not a teenage rite of passage.

Our plans for achieving these vital goals are all set out in the government’s Tertiary Education Strategy, which provides a clear picture of what the sector needs to achieve over the next five years. Responsibility for implementing the strategy rests primarily with the Tertiary Education Commission, strongly supported by a broad range of stakeholders.

Progress for women
In the article in The Press, Jenny admits that, when she set up New Outlook, she assumed that by the start of the 21st century, the world would be a perfect place and there would be no need for such a programme for women.

It’s true that we have made huge strides. Today, women hold the four constitutional positions in New Zealand - Governor-General, Prime Minister, Attorney General and Chief Justice, while the proportion of women in Cabinet has increased from 13 per cent to about 31 per cent.

In fact, there have been great improvements in women’s participation across the board, particularly in the paid labour market. So much so that the United Nations CEDAW Committee – to which I reported in June on the status of women in New Zealand (something we have to do every five years) - “cautioned against complacency in a seemingly ideal situation”. This is a genuine reaction which we often take for granted in New Zealand - we are well ahead of other countries with regard to our valuing of women.

But, in spite of this progress, the future continues to pose challenges for New Zealand women. There is still significant inequality between men and women, and between different groups of women.

Work-life balance and pay equity are two obvious examples that come to mind, and I am delighted that both issues are back on the political agenda.

So, yes, Jenny, we are working to create the perfect world – but in the meantime, women still need the sort of practical encouragement, teaching and support so ably provided by New Outlook and the Next Step Centre.

Once again, congratulations to everyone involved in making the programme so successful for so long. I applaud your vision and your commitment, and I wish you all the best for the next 30 years.

Thank you.