-
Source: ONE News
A group representing businesswomen is upset only 20 women out of 78 people have been appointed to the Polytechnics councils.
Angela McLeod, president of the New Zealand Federation of Business and Professional Women (BPWNZ), says nearly 50% of graduates from polytechnics are women and it's proven world-wide that gender diversity on boards increases the bottom line.
"The Minister for Tertiary Education, Steven Joyce, surely deserves the brickbats award," says McLeod.
But BPWNZ is applauding the Welfare Working Group set up by Social Welfare Minister Paula Bennett which has a gender balance of six women and four men.
"This government is sending the women of New Zealand mixed messages," says McLeod. "One day, one minister appoints a group with great gender diversity and the next, quite the opposite."
She says Bennett "deserves a bouquet" and has obviously taken into consideration the skills and gender of her appointees so that the impact of their decisions on beneficiaries and their families will be well analysed.
McLeod says former National Party Prime Minister Jenny Shipley promised we would have 50% of women on boards by the year 2000 but today it is a measly 8.6% in the public sector.
However the Minister of Women's Affairs, Pansy Wong, has said she is "determined to be the catalyst of change" for gender diversity on boards".
