The gender balance in the Royal Honours lists is "unacceptable" and Tauranga people should help rectify this by nominating more deserving women, a women's rights spokeswoman says.
To mark Suffrage Day tomorrow, National Council of Women Tauranga branch President Trish Hanlen is calling on the Tauranga district to act to achieve gender balance in the Royal Honours lists by nominating local women who make a difference.
![Trish Hanlen. File](https://www.nzherald.co.nz/resizer/v2/4JITAVRHZMX4J36L7W5AH7TU7Y.jpg?auth=d96818b43156a38152c07357d2e1d91da2da8921173322e002260bf8d619825a&width=16&quality=70)
Dr Hanlen said women contributed a significant amount of skill and time to making Tauranga and wider community a better place. However, the Royal Honours awards did not adequately recognise this.
The Department of Prime Minister and Cabinet, in response to an Official Information Act request from the council, said 37 per cent of nominees for the 2015 New Year's Honours Awards were women and the number of awards given was proportionate to this.