22 November 2008
Women’s forum boosts action hopes
18 September 2006
By Dyani Baggenstos: Te Waha Nui Online
Race Relations Commissioner Joris de Bres hopes a women’s forum on diversity will prompt positive action among different communities.
“It’s not just about talking, it’s about doing things,” he says. “It’s about creating positive action between business and faith communities.”
Last month’s forum attracted more than 150 women to Te Papa in Wellington after the first venue posed too small for the big crowd.
The forum, entitled “Women making connections”, was organised by the Ministry of Women’s Affairs and the overall themes were cultural diversity and harmonious relationships.
Bullying, isolation and loneliness were problems common to many women who attended the forum.
Women from ethnic communities shared some of their heartbreak.
Sheena Gleisner, Chief Executive of the Ministry of Women’s Affairs, says it was accepted that some women’s communities have more tools to access support than others.
“It was very sad listening to some women, particularly Muslim women, whose children go to school and get teased and bullied,” she says.
“So that’s why we want to keep making connections and in a year’s time see if another forum will be worth while, particularly in terms of settlement strategies.”
Helping ethnic women
The importance of not judging others was a key point for Sheena.
“There were a lot of positive suggestions, particularly for Maori and Pacific Island women”, she says. “And it was about helping ethnic women break through the fog of settling into another country.”
Margaret Chapman, national vice-president of Rural Women in New Zealand, says the forum helped people to understand more about the differences of New Zealand women.
“We talked a lot about isolation and loneliness and making others aware that there are those feelings in the rural community as well,” she said.
“It’s important that an understanding of that is needed by everybody.”
Regional meetings for refugee and migrant women in the Wellington area hosted by the NZ Federation of Ethnic Councils, lead up to the forum and included discussion on the strength women gained through establishing relationships with other women both inside and outside of their communities.
A communications advisor for the Ministry of Women’s Affairs, Amanda Gregan, says the initiatives to launch a diversity forum were sown during these meetings.
“We have agreed to keep building stronger networks and work to provide opportunities for different women’s groups to work together.”
The Office of Ethnic Affairs launched the Wellington Regional Ethnic Women’s Network just two days before the forum.
Raising awareness
Its aim is to bring together ethnic women to share information and raise awareness of issues that affect them.
Executive director Winifred Mahowa says the forum strengthened this new project.
“The forum brought us together,” she says.
“All ethnic women, whether they were Maori, Pacific Island, or Indian found that the most common issue was the need for further support for each other and a unified voice.”
Winifred says the Ethnic Women’s Network will begin by focusing on employment measures for ethnic women.
“We want to focus on CV presentation for women,” she says. “Because the ways you present a CV in New Zealand may be totally different to the ways you might in another country.”
The Ministry of Women’s Affairs has expressed their faith in the launch of this new co-creative network.
“We have a great deal of faith in them,” says Sheena Gleisner.
“They are a very capable group of women and we will definitely keep in touch and help them where we can.”
Links:
- Ministry of Women’s Affairs
- Rural Women in New Zealand
- New Zealand Federation of Ethnic Councils
- Office of Ethnic Affairs
