Canterbury rebuild provides opportunities for women

Women’s Affairs Minister Jo Goodhew has today launched new research which shows there is a pool of women who are available to assist with the Canterbury rebuild work.

Mrs Goodhew was speaking at an event in Christchurch celebrating 120 years of women’s suffrage in New Zealand.

“On 19 September all those years ago we broke down barriers for women in society and subsequently helped change world attitudes,” Mrs Goodhew said.

“This research shows that women want to explore career opportunities in the rebuild, including in traditionally male-dominated occupations, and it signals what employers can do to recruit and retain more women.

“Over half of the women surveyed said that they would be open to working on the rebuild, but many had not actively considered such positions or were not sure how to access them.”

The purpose of the research was to understand women’s labour market experiences in Canterbury and ways in which women’s skills can be used in the rebuild.

“How women’s skills are utilised in Canterbury’s recovery will influence Canterbury’s productivity and future prosperity.  Canterbury businesses, women and their families will all benefit.”

Mrs Goodhew is hosting events in Auckland, Christchurch and Wellington to celebrate the 120th anniversary of women’s suffrage. New Zealand women gained the right to vote on 19 September 1893.

The full report Building Back Better: Utilising women’s labour in the Canterbury recovery is available at www.mwa.govt.nz.