As a person of Arabic origin in New Zealand, I often encounter claims that women in the Middle East suffer from inequality that women in the west do not.  However it is true that New Zealand society is divided in a number of ways. One of the divisions is along the lines of gender.  Inequity between women and men in New Zealand society can be seen in a variety of ways in the workplace. 

Firstly, the Gender Pay Gap (GPG) shows that men are paid more than women for the same jobs and across professions.  For example in June 2011 there was a 28% GPG in weekly earnings. This shows gender inequity horizontally across employment. 

Historically, New Zealand prided itself on the 'family man’s wage' where a man was paid enough to look after a wife and children.  Women were deliberately paid less than men as they were seen to not have this responsibility.  In 1972 the Equal Pay Act was passed however in 2011 statistics there was still a marked inequality between the pay of men and women. Now the case is that an average income family needs two incomes to survive.

Secondly, gender inequality runs vertically through employment.  Women are under-represented in leadership roles in New Zealand and this is particularly evident in the professions that have high numbers of women.  The terms used to explain this are the ‘glass ceiling’ and the ‘glass elevator’. 

The glass ceiling is where women find that they reach a level of leadership and then are overlooked for promotion.  Arguments for this discrimination have included that that women have children and can’t commit to a job the same way men can.  This shows how capitalism is androcentric as men are valued for their ability to commit to work, but that availability only comes from the unpaid work done by women to enable the man to be available.

On the other hand, the glass elevator is where men in women dominated industries, such as education and nursing, are promoted quickly to positions of leadership.  Research has shown that white men in particular need to work hard to not be promoted into management as many people, including men and women, feel uncomfortable if a white male stays in what many consider a woman’s job.  An example of this in New Zealand is that in over 70% of teachers are women, but 53% of principals are men.  This is an example of hegemonic masculinity where men are placed in a dominant position of power by the desire and consent of society.  

Women face inequality all over the globe and New Zealand in no exception.

As a new migrant to New Zealand, I know that New Zealand’s national day is Waitangi Day, celebrated on the 6th February. This day is a national holiday, conveniently placed at the height of the summer. It is a perfect day to go to the beach and enjoy the New Zealand cultural activities of water sports and BBQs.

Why does New Zealand celebrate Waitangi Day? I read that this is the day in history, in 1840, that the Māori chiefs and the British colonial administration signed the Treaty of Waitangi.  The Treaty was explained to me as the legal document that joined the two nations together under the authority of the Queen of England making New Zealand an official British colony.  The Treaty is the constitution that makes New Zealand a legitimate country.  This is the story I was told and this is the story that most New Zealanders believe. It is this belief that has many New Zealanders and new migrants questioning why Māori keep on agitating for their rights and asking the government to honour the Treaty.

The reality is that according to many scholars and Maori leaders, this story about the Treaty of Waitangi and the legitimate New Zealand state is a story. It is a story that was created at the time of signing and has been maintained and embedded in legislation ever since. In reality, the Treaty of Waitangi, written in English, was not agreed to by Māori. What Māori leaders understood and signed in 1840 was Te Tiriti o Waitangi, written in the Māori language, and this is a document with a completely different nature and intent.

Te Tiriti o Waitangi is the contract where the British agree to bring their own people under control under British law, the British acknowledge the Māori as having sovereignty over all land and what is precious to them and that the Māori would be given free access to the trade and benefits that came with showing hospitality to the British.  In 1840, it would have been logical for Māori to have expected to make this kind of agreement. Europeans were a minority and Māori were still by far the majority. In many ways the Europeans residing in New Zealand were still dependent on Māori for much of their survival.  It is estimated that in 1840, Māori probably had a population of about 70,000 – 90,000 whereas the Europeans were probably as few as 2000 in number (Mutu, 2010, 16). 

For Māori, Te Tiriti o Waitangi was an agreement of friendship, shared responsibility and recognition of mana (authority).  Almost 500 Māori signed Te Tiriti o Waitangi, whereas a very small number of Māori signed the Treaty of Waitangi and those that did sign would not have understood the English it was written in.

As a new migrant to New Zealand, I am now becoming more aware of the complexities of Waitangi Day. Having come from the Middle East, where displacement from land has caused death and devastation in recent history, I am aware of how deep and real injustices can be made legitimate through state sanctioned lies, manipulation and stories.  Those who have stolen control decide what truth is and what is understood as ‘history’.

References

Mutu, Margaret, 2010, Constitutional Intentions: The Treaty of Waitangi Texts. In Malcolm Mulholland and Veronica Tawhai (eds.), Weeping Waters: The Treaty of Waitangi and Constitutional Change, Wellington, Huia, 13-40.