March 27, 2024
Māori women invisible in new policies
Māori Women’s Welfare League past president Prue Kapua says the Government’s refusal to look at the impact of its policies on women and especially wahine Māori will have long term consequences.
She says history shows the economic and social policies now being talked about by coalition parties will have an adverse effect on women.
She’s also concerned at the refusal to refer to issues as Māori issues.
“Political rhetoric around ‘we’re just going to talk about New Zealanders and not about Māori’ is just a political game really. At the end of the day if you want to talk about people in need you are going to have to be talking about Māori,” Ms Kapua says.
Ms Kapua and current league president Hope Tupara have just returned from the United Nations Commission on the Status of Women in New York, which this year had a special focus on the way gender perspectives in financial institutions contribute to poverty and inequality.