E nga mana, e nga reo, e nga hau e wha, tena koutou, tena koutou, tena koutou katoa.

Welcome everyone to Parliament and thank you Sue for the kind introduction. Thank you also to the Wellington Zonta Club and UNIFEM, particularly Liz Brown, for again organising this International Women's Day breakfast.

I would also like to acknowledge my Parliamentary colleagues, Katrina Shanks and John Hayes, the Honourable Margaret Shields, who was a Member of Parliament in 1974, her Worship, Wellington Mayor Kerry Prendergast, Chief Ombudsman Beverley Wakem and International Zonta Ambassador Heidi von Lesczynski, who has come all the way from Germany to see her granddaughter and also to help us celebrate the achievement of women here today.

Also I would like to extend a special welcome to the young college students who are able to join us to celebrate International Women's Day. It is these young women who will be our leaders of the future and will carry on to shine the torch on the path of gender equality; a path whose foundation stone was laid by Kate Shepherd in the area of women's suffrage.

The theme of this year's International Women's Day is "women and men uniting to end violence against women", which is timely even though it is tragic that we have to highlight it at the International Women's Day celebrations

Every 26 days a woman dies at the hands of someone they know in this country.

Every 26 days.

Close to one in five women - 19 percent - will experience sexual assault or sexual interference at some point in their lives and the incidence of violence for Maori women is almost two times higher than that of women overall.

One in five.

These are shocking figures, but figures and statistics like these are not just confined to New Zealand, they resonate around the world. Domestic and sexual violence are a scourge that affects all societies in all countries.

It is a worldwide problem and that is why the United Nations chose the elimination of violence against women as the theme for this year's International Women's Day

But, given New Zealand's international reputation as being a world leader in terms of women's rights after becoming the first nation to give women the vote back in 1893, we should all be more committed about eliminating violence against women, starting within our homes.

Because nestled among our proud history is the overwhelming black mark of domestic violence, where one in three women will experience physical or sexual abuse at the hands of their partner over their lifetime.

One in three.

This is a figure that every New Zealander should be horrified at and one that every New Zealander should be committed towards changing.

We should all be united and committed to becoming the first nation to eliminate domestic violence and ensuring safety for the 51 percent of our population who we gave equal rights to vote more than 115 years ago.

New Zealand was the first country to give women the vote, now we must follow that up by challenging ourselves to become the first nation to eliminate domestic violence.

It is time for us to live up to our image on the international stage and have true gender equality in all aspects of a woman's life.

No woman should ever feel unsafe in her own home for any reason. All New Zealanders - whether they be man or woman - must work together to "break the cycle" and ensure that domestic violence no longer prevails in our society.

In the New Year, I gave a speech in Singapore where I talked openly about the achievements of women as well as domestic violence in New Zealand.

Many in Singapore were amazed that I would talk about such a subject, but like I explained afterwards; I am proud of our country's attitude towards resolving problems, I am proud to live in a country where abuse against women is not swept under the carpet and most of all I am proud to be part of a government that is determined to keep women safe.

One of the first laws the National-led Government introduced was the Domestic Violence (Enhancing Safety) Bill, which will give police the power to issue on-the-spot protection orders to protect victims of partner abuse.

Currently before select committee, the Bill takes away the need for victims of domestic violence to have to apply to the courts for protection, with police officers able to order alleged offenders to stay away for up-to five-days.

One of the most powerful aspects of the Bill is that it will allow police to issue the protection order with or without the complainant's consent, meaning greater protection for victims, who are often too scared or unwilling to act against offenders.

Last month, we also introduced the Sentencing and Parole Reform Bill, which means repeat offenders sentenced to five years or more for violent or sexual offences will no longer be eligible for parole.

Research has shown that many women stay in abusive relationships because they are too scared to leave, which keeps the power firmly in the offenders' hands.

That is why I challenge each and every one of us to speak up for our friends, colleagues and others who we know to be in a violent relationship.

Domestic violence is not a problem that can be solved by government or legislation alone.

It is a serious problem that will take serious commitment by every man, woman and child in this nation to no longer let our women suffer at the hands of their partners.

It is a problem that can be solved if we all work together, the sooner the message of "It's not okay" rings true in all New Zealanders' ears, the sooner we will be able to stand up to domestic violence.

Last month, I was truly touched when I met with four Northland brothers - Jack Paki and Roger, Mervyn and Mathew Rawiri -- on the steps of Parliament.

Collectively calling themselves the Super Maori Fullas, these tough men with hearts of gold were touring the country on their Harley Davidson motorbikes to promote the message that domestic violence is never okay.

These four burly men had mortgaged their homes, bought motorcycles and had set out to send a message of hope to every woman in every home in New Zealand.

The Super Maori Fullas are a shining example of the willingness of New Zealanders from all walks of life to work together to ensure the safety of our women in their homes.

They proved that as a nation, we can do more towards addressing domestic violence if we all work together, if men and women say "No" to abuse and "Yes" to doing more to tackle the ongoing problem.

As Minister of Women's Affairs, I am strongly committed to significantly reducing the terrible toll of family and sexual violence, both of which impact heavily on women.

This commitment is shared by the rest of Government and I can assure you that it will remain near the top of our agenda because it is an issue that affects every New Zealander.

There is nothing more destructive to women than violence or the fear of violence. Being safe and having the freedom to feel safe are the most basic of human rights and they are rights that every New Zealander has the right to enjoy.

That's why it is so important that every New Zealander speaks out against domestic violence, that every New Zealander interferes when they know wrong is being done and that every New Zealander helps to empower women to say "No, it is not okay"

As the United Nations' theme makes clear, this will require men and women to work more closely.

Together we can demonstrate that New Zealand is leading the way in terms of addressing domestic violence and we can match reality to our international image of being a world leader in terms of women's rights.

Again, thank you for joining us here this morning. Your support not only sends a strong message that domestic violence is never okay, but it also means a lot to UNIFEM, with all the proceeds from this fantastic breakfast going towards their wonderful Pacific Island projects.

I would also like to note the significance of the yellow Zonta roses each of you will be given at the end of this breakfast. The roses symbolise the celebration of a happy women's day and I encourage you all to take them with pride.

Happy International Women's Day to you all and let us all work together for New Zealand to be the first nation to eliminate violence against women.