New Horizons for Women Trust – celebrating 15 years

CPIT – Christchurch Polytechnic Institute of Technology
Christchurch
11:30am

Rau rangatira ma, tenei te mihi ki a koutou i runga i te kaupapa o te ra – mana wahine. Tena koutou, tena koutou, tena ra tatau katoa. .

Ellen McCrae, Chair of the New Horizons for Women's Trust, other trustees & distinguished guests.

Thank you for the invitation to join you today. As Minister of Women's Affairs I always enjoy occasions that are about enabling women to achieve their full potential in life. The New Horizons for Women's Trust has been contributing to this goal for 15 years.

Can I also acknowledge Margaret Sweet and Julie Grenfell who were the driving force behind the Elsie Locke Endowment Fund which funds the SROW Elsie Locke Award. I was Elsie Locke's MP for a period of time and I know how much this Award that supports research in her areas of passion would mean to her. I would also like to acknowledge the Zonta Club of Christchurch for their support for the Trust. I spoke at their conference last week which led me to do a bit of work of their history – started in 1919, it was designed to be a strong network of women in executive positions who would work to take their rightful place in the professions next to men. The name comes from Zhonta - a word meaning honest and trustworthy, derived from the language of the Native-American Sioux peoples. Zonta is founded on being true to oneself and to others through a trusted network.

And, of course, Suzy Thomson. Suzy – you and all the award winners who've gone before are an inspiration to all of us. Congratulations.

One of the things I really enjoy about these events is that we hear the stories of women who have benefited from the Trust’s work. Hearing those personal stories is important – and it is particularly important for those of us who work at a decision-making or policy-making level. Personal stories are a reminder that the policies we are developing have real impacts on people. Positive stories reassure us that we are making good decisions – not so positive stories guide us to think again.

An example of how powerful women’s stories can be, was contained in a report on protection orders I received last month. The most vital aspects of the report for me were the accounts it contained of the 53 women who shared their personal experience of domestic violence. Their descriptions of the problems they faced in seeking protection spoke loudly and clearly about what works and what does not. Their voices, telling their own stories, were what made the case for change both real and compelling.

The stories your Trust helps to create are all positive. Your stories are about the transformative power of education. And because your focus is on second-chance education, your award represents a significant milestone in the recipient's journey that we get to share on occasions such as this.

But the education is only part of that journey – there is the re-entry into a workforce that may have changed significantly in the time you have been away; or the setting up of a new business, something that more and more women are doing in order to claim the work-life balance or work-life integration that more and more of us are seeking. And there is the issue of indirect discrimination – both gender and age – applying to older women.

So how do we counter that discrimination?

The EEO Trust has identified a range of qualities that older workers often have, such as reliability, diligence, loyalty, motivation, initiative, and the ability to communicate well and to train others, as well as a customer service focus, all of which I suppose would come under the umbrella of "people skills". New Zealand's current shortage of skilled labour also works in favour of newly qualified mature women. This has been acknowledged by Diana Crossan, the Retirement Commissioner, who noted last year that as the labour market tightens, older workers will have more choices.

There are anecdotal reports that employers are having to become more flexible about things like working hours; time off for school holidays; and providing opportunities for staff to return to study. They are also having to look more widely at what candidates offer, and having to be prepared to take people with the potential, and perhaps the qualification, but who do not have recent work experience in exactly the area they are trying to fill. This is good for young graduates, but it is also good for mature women who have taken the big step of upgrading their skills, but who lack the ‘track record’ because they do not have the recent job experience.

I’m not trying to suggest that the job market has somehow suddenly become easy for women trying to get that first good job after retraining or returning to the workforce after children – but there is more opportunity. It doesn’t matter that it may be a tight job market that is forcing employers to be more flexible and to consider the potential in candidates, not just prior experience. Employers who do that will have a competitive advantage. They will find – and retain – good staff, and others will have to follow. Over time, it will become the norm.

So I’m positive about the future. Second chance education makes a difference. It provides opportunities and the women who are prepared to put the effort into second-chance education are also the kinds of women who will grasp those opportunities. Suzy Thomson is another such woman. I hope that today's award helps bring about your dream of becoming a great chef. The granting of the Award says that we all have faith in you that you can achieve your goal. Good luck.