Here in role as Minister for Women

Minister for Women Jan Tinetti speaking at a dinner for Gisborne Business and Professional Women this week. Picture supplied

Minister for Women Jan Tinetti addressed more than 40 people who attended the Business and Professional Women (BPW) Gisborne dinner at the Tatapouri Fishing Club on Tuesday.

Speaking of her day in Gisborne, Ms Tinetti, also the Minister of Education, praised the work she had observed at the schools she had visited here, before going on to speak about her journey into politics.

BPW Gisborne had asked the minister to Gisborne specifically in her role as the Minister for Women. Ms Tinetti highlighted many of the issues BPW are passionate about and, as a national body, lobby the government on for change. The key issues are around pay equity for women, where men are still paid 9.2 percent more than women in the workforce. The deficit in retirement savings for women is another area of concern as women average $900,000 less than men at the time of their retirement in their savings.

Women in leadership roles is something BPW members believe is a long-fought win for women with 50 percent equality alongside men on boards and as parliamentarians.

MsTinetti spoke to each of these issues, concluding her talk by acknowledging that women had come a long way, “but we have a long way to go.”

BPW Gisborne president Fiona Evans said the evening was a great success, giving the audience the opportunity to hear first-hand about government thinking on issues that directly relate to women.

BPW is an all-volunteer, apolitical organisation but provides its members with information to be advocates, empowered and proactive around issues affecting women and girls.