5. CATHERINE DELAHUNTY (Green) to the Minister of Women's Affairs: Does she stand by her statement: "it is important that women and men stand shoulder to shoulder in our boardrooms"?
Hon PANSY WONG (Minister of Women's Affairs) : Yes.
Catherine Delahunty: How can women and men stand shoulder to shoulder on the Government-appointed National Infrastructure Advisory Board when it consists of eight men and no women?
Hon PANSY WONG: The member will be pleased to know that the Government looks at the overall result, and in the quarter from October to December 2009, 47 percent of the board members appointed to Government boards and committees were women. I acknowledge my National Cabinet colleagues for recognising and appointing competent women to their boards.
Catherine Delahunty: How can women and men stand shoulder to shoulder on the Government-funded Tax Working Group when it consists of 13 men and no women?
Hon PANSY WONG: On this side of the House, we look at the overall picture We want to win the battle, not just little individual boardrooms, boardroom by boardroom.
Dr Russel Norman: I raise a point of order, Mr Speaker. The Minister completely failed to address any part of the question.
Mr SPEAKER: The House is quite noisy, so I will stand while I respond to that point of order. The dilemma I have in terms of trying to require a more precise answer from the Minister is that it is difficult for the Minister to give any particular answer to that kind of question, because it is really seeking an opinion from her. The Minister is saying in answer that the Government looks at the issue differently. That is why I think there is no way I can intervene. I might also add that, in fact, that the Minister of Women's Affairs has no ministerial responsibility for those individual boards. She has an overall interest, as Minister of Women's Affairs, in women's affairs across the spectrum, and that is the way she is answering. I believe we are hearing reasonable answers.
Catherine Delahunty: How can women and men stand shoulder to shoulder on Don Brash's 2025 Taskforce, when it consists of five men and only one woman?
Hon PANSY WONG: It just shows that one good woman is worth more than four men.
Catherine Delahunty: And one woman is all we are going to get. [Interruption]
Mr SPEAKER: I ask members-[Interruption] I am on my feet. I tell the Hon Paula Bennett that she knows she should be silent when I am on my feet. It is not reasonable to make too much noise when a member towards the back of the House is asking a question.
Catherine Delahunty: How can men and women stand shoulder to shoulder on the new independent advisory group on national standards when it consists of four men and only one woman, and when most of the teaching profession is female?
Hon PANSY WONG: I am not too sure I want to add to my last answer. All I can say is: good on those women who are out there showing the men the way
Catherine Delahunty: How does the Minister think the 12 percent pay gap between men and women will ever be closed when women have no voice on Government groups shaping the future of our economy, our infrastructure, and our education system?
Hon PANSY WONG: I have very good news for that member. For 9 long years under the previous Labour Government, the 12 percent pay gap increased to 12.8 percent for the year ended June 2008. For the year ended June 2009, the pay gap had gone down to 11.3 percent. The National Government is working for women.
Catherine Delahunty: I raise a point of order, Mr Speaker-[Interruption]
Mr SPEAKER: A point of order has been called, and the Minister of Housing will respect it.
Catherine Delahunty: It has gone up to 13 percent. I seek leave to table the Red Bag Day bag, with no money in it for women; my male colleagues are welcome to donate.
Mr SPEAKER: We will not be doing that, and I just warn members that only the person speaking can use a visual prop.
Charles Chauvel: I raise a point of order, Mr Speaker. I wonder whether the Minister, when she referred to the statistics showing that the pay gap had decreased, was quoting from an official document-
Mr SPEAKER: Order! Oh, I beg the member's pardon.
Charles Chauvel: -and if so, whether she might table that document under the Standing Orders.
Mr SPEAKER: I beg the member's pardon. Could the Hon Pansy Wong please clarify whether she was quoting from an official document.
Hon PANSY WONG: I was thinking I would seek your leave to table those statistics, Mr Speaker, but I did not think that you would allow it, because they came from the annual New Zealand Income Survey, prepared by Statistics New Zealand. The lazy Labour member cannot-
Mr SPEAKER: I warn the honourable member that the only reason why I am not going to deal with her more severely is that one might accuse me of picking on a woman member, and I do not want to be accused of doing that. But I say to the Hon Pansy Wong that that comment is totally unacceptable.
Charles Chauvel: I raise a point of order, Mr Speaker. I take exception to the description the Minister just used.
Mr SPEAKER: The Hon Pansy Wong will withdraw and apologise.
Hon PANSY WONG: I withdraw that statement.
Mr SPEAKER: I ask the Minister, the Hon Pansy Wong, to stand, withdraw, and apologise.
Hon PANSY WONG: I apologise and withdraw.
Hon Clayton Cosgrove: I raise a point of order, Mr Speaker. I ask you to reflect on your ruling, because in your ruling in respect of Ms Wong you suggested that members of this House-I suspect that is who you meant-would somehow take umbrage if you dealt with a member in relation to the fact she was a woman. I suspect that no one in this House, Mr Speaker, would have any conflict with you if you were to deal with members, irrespective of their gender. This member attacked a Labour colleague who was not even asking the questions; the questions came from a member of another party Regardless of what gender members are, they should be disciplined, and that is what we on our side of the House would expect.
Mr SPEAKER: Order!
Hon Gerry Brownlee: No sense of humour.
Mr SPEAKER: I am on my feet, and the Leader of the House should know that I believe that members should accept the comment I made in the spirit in which it was made-in the reasonably good humour of the House. But I also accept the offence taken by the member to whom the unnecessary comment, the objectionable comment, was directed. That is why I asked the Hon Pansy Wong to stand, withdraw, and apologise for it. I believe that that is now the end of the matter.
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