Annual Reports
Introduction
This Annual Report covers the period from 1 July 2004 to 30 June 2005. NACEW produced a Strategic Plan to cover the period from 2004-2007 as the basis for its ongoing work programme. The NACEW vision of “a good deal on women and work” is reinforced by its mission to open as many doors as possible for women, in the world of quality work. The three strategic themes which will focus the NACEW work programme over the next three years are:
- the promotion of valued, quality work
- equipping women with choice
- influencing future directions for women in the workplace.
Summary
NACEW applies a sub-committee structure to progress its work programmes and has focused on three key issues for women’s employment: Maori and Pacific enterprise development, precarious employment and pay and employment equity. The year’s highlights included:
- a very successful visit by Julie Mellor, Chief Executive of the Equal Opportunities Commission (EOC), (UK), who effectively advanced discussion in New Zealand on the business case for pay equity and equal employment opportunities amongst Chief Executives and business leaders.
- the development of a brochure, ‘X+Y = ??, Discovering the Potential of Women in Small Business’, which outlines some of the challenges and benefits of self-employment for Maori, Pacific and Asian women.
- The development of an original research proposal on contracting in the government sector to identify the key attributes of contracting, particularly in the cleaning and homecare areas, in order to identify levers for reducing precariousness for the employees in these sectors. This research will continue during 2005/06.
Strategic Plan 2004-2007
NACEW’s vision of ‘a good deal on women and work’ is reinforced by its mission to ‘open as many doors as possible for women, in the world of quality work’. To support this mission, NACEW looks across a broad spectrum of women - those not presently in work, those in work now and women in work in the future. NACEW recognises the importance of transitions and choices along this spectrum, as women strive for successful outcomes for themselves, their families and communities. Three strategic themes provide the Council’s focus:
- Promoting valued, quality work
- Equipping for choice
- Influencing future directions
Women’s Enterprise Development
The Maori and Pacific Women in Enterprise sub-committee, chaired by Colleen Tuuta, continued with the three-year, (2002-05) three-stage project, ‘Discovering the Potential of Women in Small Business in New Zealand’. The focus of the work programme is on women in small business, with a view to understanding the status, motivations, experiences and ultimately their potential to contribute to the growth of the wider economy. Following the publication of a status report on self-employment in 2003-04, work has been focused on exploring the challenges and benefits of self-employment, motivational factors for women entering self-employment and the needs of specific segments of the female self-employed population.
During 2004, a focus group study project looked at the benefits of being a self-employed woman from a minority ethnic perspective. A simple brochure to inform and assist women to make informed choices when considering ‘self-employment’ has been developed for release in 2005/06. Further work on more in-depth case studies is currently in progress.
Work-Life Balance / Childcare
NACEW worked closely with the Department of Labour on the Government’s Work-Life Balance Project. Suzanne Snively, in her capacity as Chair of NACEW, was a member of the Work-Life Balance Steering Group which consulted broadly, undertook research and then in November 2004 recommended to the government, a three-year work programme on work-life balance, which was endorsed by Cabinet.
Pay and Employment Equity subgroup
A New Zealand conference on Pay and Employment Equity for Women was held on 28-29 June 2004, led by sub-group chair, Martha Coleman. The conference provided an important focus for discussion, debate and exploration of pay and employment equity issues, both from an overseas and New Zealand perspective. Julie Mellor, Chair of the EOC (UK) continued these important discussions with public and private sector leaders, when NACEW arranged a visit to New Zealand from 14-19 June 2005. Ms Mellor championed the introduction of voluntary pay equity audits in the UK and has been prominent in progressing pay and employment equity for UK women.
Precarious Employment
In the last year, the Precarious Employment subgroup has begun a research project with the aim of informing decisions to improve the situation of women in precarious employment in New Zealand. This involves work on contract employment and the nature of contracting, research on mechanisms used internationally to control the negative aspects of contracted employment, and consideration of options that could see the public sector taking a lead in this regard. A brief research overview of the New Zealand and international contracting situation was completed in February 2005. Research is currently being progressed on the existing situation in New Zealand with government contracting in the home care and cleaning sectors. It is expected to be completed in 2005-06.
New Research Proposal: Women and Participation in Work- ‘Making decisions about paid work and caring responsibilities’
NACEW developed and approved the scope for a project, ‘Making Decisions about Paid Work and Caring’, in late June 2005. This aims to increase understanding about the decisions made by women and men who have caring responsibilities, and especially about whether, how, when and why they participate in paid work. It will examine what impact this information might have on decisions and the implications/consequences of decisions.
NACEW will in 2005-06 seek to work with other interested organisations on the project and to facilitate the involvement of its partners as key stakeholders in this work.
Submissions
Annual Review of the Minimum Wage
NACEW was invited to submit comments to the Minister of Labour on the annual review of the minimum wage. A letter to the Minister noted that the view of NACEW are still consistent with the submission tabled in 2003 and noted that the benefits of increasing the minimum wage are significant for those for whom NACEW represents as women are disproportionately represented in lower paid and more precarious, casual work. NACEW also noted that it is important that longer term work be undertaken to monitor and research the cumulative effects of low pay for women, their children and communities, so that broader and loner term consequences of raising the minimum wage are understood as well as any immediate impacts. Research will provide decision makers with an objective understanding of the benefits, as well as the costs, of any intervention.
Conferences
Two NACEW members, Suzanne Snively and Martha Coleman represented NACEW at the June 2005 International Association for Feminist Economics (IAFFE) and the Institute of Women’s Policy Research (IWPR) Conferences in Washington, DC. Valuable feedback on pay equity and precarious employment issues was provided to NACEW members after the conferences, which will help scope some of the future work programme. In addition, Martha visited the US Department of Labour to discuss the EEO obligations arising in federal contracting; the Brennan Centre for Justice at New York University to discuss living wage requirements arising in state, county and city contracting and business subsidies; and met with the Women and Work Commission in the UK.
Communications
The NACEW website (www.nacew.govt.nz) which went live in March 2004 is a key portal for accessing information and supports the dissemination of information on the employment of women in New Zealand and overseas.
Partner Organisations
NACEW has affiliations with several partner organisations - the National Council of Women, the Maori Women’s Welfare League, Pacifica, Rural Women New Zealand and the YWCA. NACEW appreciates the networks which these organisations provide in supporting women in New Zealand and plans to reaffirm these in the coming year.
Secretariat
Siew Chan, Executive Officer, provided support to NACEW until her resignation in January 2005. Philippa Yasbek provided policy support for NACEW until September 2004. Both positions were covered until June 2005 by Department of Labour policy staff, until the appointment of Christine Simpson as the Executive Officer in June 2005.
Council Membership
Several changes in departmental representation occurred, with the new Ministry of Women’s Affairs representatives Rowena Phair and Nicky Lynch from February 2005, replacing Margot Anderson and later Pam Daniel. The Ministry of Pacific Island Affairs representative Sela Gaualofa was replaced in February 2005 by Theresa Fabricius. Jude Bleach was replaced by Kim Aiomanu in February 2005 as the SSC representative. There was a change in the Department of Labour’s representation on NACEW, when Lis Cowey was replaced by Penny Nelson from August 2004. Replacements for positions left vacant as at June 2005, due to resignations by Katrina Ings (Ministry of Social Development), Pat Colagate and Ailsa Mannell (Ministry of Economic Development) and Kath Fox (Te Puni Kokiri), are currently being considered.
NACEW Membership: composition of the Council 2004-05
| Ministerial Appointees | ||
|---|---|---|
| Suzanne Snively, Chair | Wellington | Partner PWC |
| Trudie McNaughton | Auckland | Company Director, Consultant |
| Beverley Main | Wellington | Chief Executive, HRINZ |
| Mary Marshall | Auckland | People Relations Manager, the Warehouse |
| Jane Scott | Auckland | Independent consultant, Academic |
| Ronda Tokona | Dunedin | Solicitor, Farry & Co |
| Colleen Tuuta | New Plymouth | Company Director, Consultant |
| Pauline Winter | Auckland | Strategic management consultant |
| Expert Advisor | ||
| Martha Coleman | Wellington | Ministerial appointee, (Crown Law) |
| Employer and Employee Organisation Representatives | ||
| Barbara Burton | Wellington | Business New Zealand |
| Sheryl Cadman | Wellington | New Zealand Council of Trade Unions |
| Eileen Brown | Wellington | New Zealand Nurses Organisation |
| Governmental Department Representatives 2004-05 | ||
| Lis Cowey Penny Nelson Heather McDonald |
Wellington | Department of Labour |
| Margot Anderson Pam Daniel Rowena Phair Nicky Lynch |
Wellington | Ministry of Women’s Affairs |
| Katrina Ings | Wellington | Ministry of Social Development |
| Carolyn Holmes | Wellington | Ministry of Education |
| Pania Tyson Nathan Kath Fox |
Wellington | Te Puni Kokiri |
| Sela Gaualofa Theresa Fabricius |
Wellington | Ministry of Pacific Island Affairs |
| Jude Bleach Kim Aiomanu (Feb 05) |
Wellington | State Services Commission |
| Pat Colgate Ailsa Mannell (till May 05) |
Wellington | Ministry of Economic Development |
| Secretariat | ||
| Siew Chan till Jan 05 Philippa Yasbek till Sept 04 Gitika Mangar Jan-Jun 05 Kataraina Maki Jan-Jun 05 Christine Simpson from June 05 |
Wellington | Executive Officer Policy Support EO and Policy support EO and Policy support Executive Officer |
