Congress Report 2007

Number of members: 70 financial members; 80 non-paying supporters
Section website: www.converge.org.nz/pma/wilpf

What does your Section need from the 2007 Congress and what are the specific decisions that you would like to see this Congress make to further your work?

We cannot always afford to have a Section representative at Congress, nor someone from the two international WILPF Working Groups we are involved with, which means that our views are not always heard, even when we submit written reports. It would be very useful for Sections, Working Groups and Committees that do not have representatives or members at a Congress to take part in the discussions by email or some other electronic means.

Geneva Office:

We would like some feedback on the section mailing.

We really appreciate the monthly Section mailings which have practical information which is very useful to the section and branches; we like the layout of the email version with a brief summary and links to more information, and the longer paper version is useful too.

What information from the Geneva Office would be helpful to you?

Information on forthcoming issues in the various bodies of the UN based in Europe, in particular on indigenous peoples’ rights, women, human rights and disarmament; prisoners’ rights; specific information about the activities of the New Zealand government when they are not advancing the cause of peace and human rights as information that we get here is often delayed; monitoring and reports from major UN meetings – we have really appreciated the information we have received from you about these in the past year.

What do you see as priority issues for the work of the Geneva Office?

Keeping the sections in touch with each other at what is going on at the international level; working with and through the United Nations; networking with other NGOs on issues of importance to WILPF’s programme and letting the sections know about this.

We would also like to see some acknowledgment of an interest in issues pertaining to the Pacific area in WILPF’s work.

How could we improve communication between us?

We are happy with the level of communication at present; if resources permit, more topic-focused updates and reports would be useful

UN Office (New York)

What information from the UN Office would be helpful to you?

Information on forthcoming discussion at and around the UN in New York, particularly on indigenous peoples’ rights, women, human rights and disarmament; specific information about the activities of the New Zealand government; monitoring and reports from major UN meetings.

What do you see as the priority issues for the work of the UN Office?

Working with and through the UN; networking with other NGOs on issues of importance to the WILPF programme and informing sections of this work.

How can we improve communication between us?

We are happy with the present level of communication from the New York office.

Do you use the Reaching Critical Will website?

Yes; for research and report writing

Do you read the RCW E-news reports?

Yes

Do you use the Peace Women website?

Yes; for research and report writing

Do you read the Peace Women E-news?

Yes; we also distribute it to other women’s groups with an interest in this area.

Does the work of your section relate to the United Nations?

Yes. We work on the New Zealand government’s compliance with the human rights covenants and conventions, particularly around indigenous peoples’, women’s and prisoners’ rights, and use the text of the international human rights instruments, Treaty body jurisprudence in those areas, and Concluding Observations on New Zealand – in our work. Our submissions to government on proposed national legislation usually include references to the relevant Covenants and Conventions, and Concluding Observations where relevant, for example, our submission on the proposed Crimes of Torture Amendment Bill.

We lobby government and the Ministry of Foreign Affairs & Trade around forthcoming UN conferences, albeit with limited success.

Does your section work on WILPF’s International Program?

Yes.

What is your main focus?

Indigenous peoples’ rights and racism; demilitarization and disarmament. We are involved with the Working Group on Racism and the Working Group on Demilitarisation and Disarmament.

Global Economic Justice?

Yes. We have been involved in a campaign trying to get the level of military expenditure accepted as a readily identifiable contributing factor to poverty globally (with limited success); and in the various campaigns trying to persuade the government to raise the level of overseas development assistance to get nearer to the recommended UN level.

Environmental Sustainability?

Yes. Our main work in this area is in support of indigenous peoples’ and we do this at the international level through the Working Group on Racism as Joan Macdonald, contact details above, is Co-Convenor. At the national and local levels, we work with other organizations, in particular Peace Movement Aotearoa, in support of indigenous peoples’ rights, and to oppose the New Zealand government’s attempts to deny those rights.

We are working with other groups to oppose the way the government is trying to control the sale of land that is under claim for return to Maori, and to oppose the way the government is trying to control the use of fresh water (rivers, lakes, etc.).

The New Zealand government is one of the states most forcefully opposed to the Draft Declaration of the Rights of Indigenous Peoples including any substantive affirmation of the inherent and inalienable rights of indigenous peoples.

Disarmament and Demilitarisation?

Yes. At the international level, we do this in part through the Working Group on Demilitarisation and Disarmament as Edwina Hughes (see contact details above) is Co-Convenor; and partly through contact with other sections. We work with West Papuan women on demilitarization and decolonization issues in West Papua.

At the national and local levels we work with other peace and disarmament groups, in particular No WARP! (Network Opposed to Weapons and Related Production), the National Consultative Committee on disarmament, and Peace Movement Aotearoa, with whom we have a joint project, ‘Saying NO to militarism and war’.

Our main focuses are opposing New Zealand military production and export, and government support for that; the deployment of combat troops; and support for the reduction of military expenditure. Some of our members are closely involved in monitoring the use of depleted uranium and publicizing the effects of its use on civilians and military.

Branches organize events around relevant international days, for example, the anniversaries of the atomic bombings of Hiroshima and Nagasaki. Members take part in peace vigils and anti-war protests.

This year is the 20th anniversary of the passing of the Disarmament and Arms Control Act which confirmed this country’s nuclear-free status, so we are organizing activities to commemorate this event.

Water?

Yes. SUSTAINABLEWATER ACTION PLAN???

SCR 1325/Women and Peace and Security Issues?

Yes. We work with UNIFEM on issues related to this.

Women’s political participation?

Yes. We write submissions and speak to government select committees on proposed legislation with a particular impact on women, for example, on employment issues such as flexible working hours. Most of our work in this area is with and through the National Council of Women – we contribute to their submissions, and we currently have two remits being considered by them for their 2007 annual meeting – one asks the government to continue its work to abolish cluster bombs; the other asks the government to consider introducing new ways for women to report rape complaints so that they have support when they make a complaint to the police.

We have been very active in a campaign for the repeal of a section of the Crimes Act which currently allows parents to use ‘reasonable force’ in the disciplining of their children. The Bill which would repeal this section of the Act is now before parliament, and there is an incredible amount of opposition to it. The MP who has introduced the Bill is a supporter of WILPF.

Sexual and gender based violence issues?

Yes. We work with other groups which are active in this area. See also our remit to the National Council of Women annual meeting above.

We are currently working on developing a section action plan about women in prison in New Zealand and developing alternatives to imprisonment.

What is the political situation in your country?

The major party of the ruling coalition is a Labour party (which calls itself a centre party), it is generally regarded as centre right, and the parties with which it governs are even more conservative.

The pursuit of ‘free trade’ agreements with countries such as China, Singapore and the United States, has continued, with no analysis by bureaucrats or the majority of politicians of the harm that they may cause. While unemployment is at a thirty-year low, there is still a disproportionate number of Maori who are unemployed. The government continues to address issues of poverty, poor health and education outcomes, although with mixed success and in a discriminatory way. For example, anyone who is on a benefit does not qualify for the Family Tax Credit, the intention of which it to raise the income of low waged workers.  It has little obvious concern with the high imprisonment rate of Maori and Pacific peoples, although it has recently gone some way towards acknowledging that, thanks to its own legislation, the number of prisoners is unacceptable. It has introduced training schemes, etc., in prisons although these have had little discernable effect yet.

There is a high rate of political representation of women at both national and local levels. The high number of women members of parliament is partly a result of our mixed member proportional electoral system, but it does not seem to have altered the thrust of political parties’ policies.

Since the last election (2005) we have had four MPs from the new Maori Party, which means there is now a strong independent voice on indigenous rights.

N.B. We would like to add that WILPF Aotearoa is a small group which does not have the capacity to work intensively on many issues. As a result, a great deal of our work is in association with other like-minded NGOs.