Labour is going backwards with their ideal, gender balance, especially in their senior ranks.
In October 2017 (just after she became Prime Minister) Ardern vows to improve Cabinet gender balance
Women would hold just six of Labour’s 16-strong Cabinet posts, and just one of its five ministerial roles outside of Cabinet.
Ms Ardern said that was not good enough and she was vowing to bring more women up to the top level.
“I’m going to make sure that we continue to work on bringing through more of our team”.
“We set ourselves a goal as a Labour Party that we would bring more women into our caucus. When we set that goal we set it at 50 percent, and we came very close to achieving that this election and I’m proud of that”.
“We’ll continue to make sure that we try to see that reflected in our membership as they come up through roles and responsibilities through both our caucus and through our Cabinet.”
That’s not happening yet – in fact it’s deteriorating.
With the resignation of now ex-Ministers Clare Curran and the sacking of Meka Whaitiri there are now:
- 8 female of 26 ministers
- 6 female ministers of 19 in Cabinet
- 3 female ministers on the front bench (top 10)
- 5 female Labour ministers
As a comparison, the last National-led line-up (April 2017):
- 9 female of 27 ministers
- 7 female of 22 in Cabinet
- 2 female ministers on the front bench
- 9 female National ministers
In the Labour-led government, NZ First and Greens balance each other out. NZ First has 1 female of 3 ministers, while Greens have 2 female of 3 ministers.
Labour now has just Jacinda Ardern (1), Megan Woods (6), Carmel Sepuloni (9), Nanaia Mahuta (12) and Jenny Salesa (15) – five out of fifteen.
And there’s not many stand outs there, yet at least.
Gender balance in Parliament and in Cabinet are great ideals, but to achieve that requires enough quality female candidates standing for Parliament, and enough of them capable of handling roles as ministers and in Cabinet.
Both failures as ministers have been Labour MPs.
While I think that most people would like to see approximate gender balances in Parliament, I think that most voters – male and female – would choose competence over tokenism and making up the numbers with MPs not up to the job.
Your NZ 
-D
/ 21st September 2018National’s female contingent is markedly more capable than Labour’s, something they have failed to publicize adequately.
Blazer
/ 21st September 2018like who for instance?
artcroft
/ 21st September 2018National run the table in this event.
Kitty Catkin
/ 21st September 2018Why should they publicise it, as if it was extraordinary to find capable, clever women ? How patronising.
-D
/ 21st September 2018Not for finding them KC. Attracting and deploying them is the accomplishment. That to me is noteworthy and worth highlighting.
PartisanZ
/ 21st September 2018Oooooh … that’s a good point scored against Labour today …
Ray
/ 21st September 2018And if we are honest the ones left are seriously light weight.
Muhutu is famously lazy,(name just one thing she has achieved that doesn’t come from her birth), Woods, I reserve judgement on but judging by her past efforts might surpass Muhutu and nothing much going for the other two.
On the other hand there is some serious female talent in the Labour backbenchers and new-intake.
PartisanZ
/ 21st September 2018However, as a TEAM, Labour-led are outshining National like a searchlight in the fog … albeit a searchlight nowhere near as bright as it could be …
Yesterday in the newspaper National were crowing – via strategic press release – about Matt King’s ‘Coward’s Punch’ legislation being drawn from the ballot …
I’m not against some recognition of Coward’s Punch in law but it turns out the Bill is only for Coward’s Punch causing death …
What about Coward’s Punch causing permanent brain injury or other long-term effects?
And does stiffer sentencing for “causing death” even begin to address the primary cause and main lubricant of Coward’s Punch – ALCOHOL?
PDB
/ 21st September 2018PZ: “However, as a TEAM, Labour-led are outshining National like a searchlight in the fog … albeit a searchlight nowhere near as bright as it could be …”
You’re more delusional then I thought, or else you haven’t noticed in the news how dysfunctional the govt has been up to this point. Ignorance is bliss so they say.
PartisanZ
/ 21st September 2018It’s foggy PDB and artcroft … and you both have your lights on full beam looking through blinkers at the road you know so well … You think it’s the only possible road.
I suspect that someplace else Labour-led are repairing and improving the road less traveled.
artcroft
/ 21st September 2018You can not be serious.
Kitty Catkin
/ 21st September 2018Mahuta, not Muhutu, Ray.
The village idiot would be voted in if their name was Mahuta.
PDB
/ 21st September 2018Why hasn’t Louisa Wall had a look in? Has to be some internal bias against her for some reason?
spanish_tudor
/ 21st September 2018She’s internally quite unpopular (a bit full of herself?), and was always seen as being too close to David Cunliffe.
NOEL
/ 21st September 2018And what about the tokenism in the Public Service when the Greens demand for gender balance on quota is putting inadequate people in positions by merit they would not obtain.
Kitty Catkin
/ 21st September 2018Yes, that is very patronising.
robertguyton
/ 21st September 2018“The Prime Minister has made the right call by deciding to sack Whaitiri.
…
Labour Ministers ought to treat their staff with dignity and respect. No ifs no buts.
The decision will reinforce for Ardern a deserved reputation for toughness. She is a lot more than stardust.”
Two of Labour’s women in the news; one tough and the other … a little too tough…
Alan Wilkinson
/ 21st September 2018Are any of the survivers competent?
Kitty Catkin
/ 21st September 2018No.
robertguyton
/ 21st September 2018They certainly are, Jacinda in particular is exhibiting a high degree of competence and toughness. The Maori caucus are expressing their confidence in Whaitiri, so she to must be competent in the areas they value.
Alan Wilkinson
/ 21st September 2018Thuggery?
robertguyton
/ 21st September 2018It may be that they’ve implemented measures to prevent the behaviour that got her into trouble, believing that her skills in other areas are worth supporting. So quick to slight, you are, Alan. Maggie – do you believe bullies should receive support? Better to help them change behaviour than to condemn them. I expect that’s what a team that regard aroma highly would do.
Alan Wilkinson
/ 21st September 2018Apart from thuggery what do you see as her areas of competence?
robertguyton
/ 21st September 2018The Maori caucus are in a better position to me to answer that question, Alan. Aside from the (alleged) behaviour that got her in trouble, what do you regard as behaviour by Whaitiri that is not competent? She had attained a significant position in Government; she must have competence.
Alan Wilkinson
/ 21st September 2018I have no idea. Normally competent people do not have to use thuggery and have good relations with their staff so my expectation is that she probably is generally incompetent though possibly just has psychological issues.
Florence
/ 21st September 2018Thuggery comes in all shapes. Just ask Hekia Parata what was the nature of her employment history with her staff members. The Nats are just better at making problems go away. Big coffers help.
Maggy Wassilieff
/ 21st September 2018What a tragedy that the Maori Caucus are supporting a bully.
How much better for all NZers would it be if they stood firm against Whaitiri and told her that Leaders do not bully; Leaders do not use violence against employees;
She has shamed them and no longer has their support?
robertguyton
/ 21st September 2018How do you know the Maori caucus hasn’t stood firm…and told her leaders don’t bully? Yours is prejudice.
Dave K
/ 21st September 2018…and yours is tribalism (..no pun intended). Rewind 2 years and it would appear a totally different Bobbyg was commenting here.
https://www.psychologytoday.com/us/blog/bias-fundamentals/201806/tribalism-in-politics
David
/ 21st September 2018Good to know Robert that going through an entire rotation of staff and physically handling your staff is seen by you as a positive.
Wonder what your position would be if a staffer at your council was pushed and shoved and screamed at by one of the councillors.
Maggy Wassilieff
/ 21st September 2018They have supported her.
https://www.radionz.co.nz/news/political/366988/senior-maori-caucus-members-met-with-pm-during-investigation
Why does your attack on me remind me of the tactics the Catholic Hierarchy employed by attacking those who accused them of supporting pedophile priests?
But if you call my life-long stance against people who bully and resort to violence, then I’ll put my hand up as PREJUDICED.
robertguyton
/ 21st September 2018I asked, “how do you know” – you don’t.
robertguyton
/ 21st September 2018Maggy – you may be right, or you may be wrong but you’ve judged before the legal judgement has been made, therefore, you have pre-judgeded=prejudiced.
David
/ 21st September 2018Again Robert your principals are fungible and flexible depending on what the persons politics are.
adamsmith1922
/ 21st September 2018As usual Robert Guyton is delusional
Blazer
/ 21st September 2018as usual Smith pops in with a very brief ad hom.
robertguyton
/ 21st September 2018adam – Blazer’s right.
Gezza
/ 21st September 2018(Had to happen sooner or later 😉 )