Deputy Prime Minister Winston Peters and his Pacific Island travelling entourage.
Deputy Prime Minister Winston Peters and his Pacific Island travelling entourage.
Opinion
EDITORIAL
The post by Deputy Prime Minister Winston Peters to his X (Twitter) account pictured with his travel companions will have a number of people up in arms, particularly women.
It is important that political delegations are fully representative of MPs, both male and female, from both sides of the Parliament.
New Zealand trade and business delegations must show leadership and portray that we are a progressive, inclusive society.
New Zealand has led the world on a number of issues - especially when it comes to the rights of women.
In 1893, Governor Lord Glasgow signed a new Electoral Act into law, and New Zealand became the first self-governing country in the world to enshrine in law the right for women to vote in parliamentary elections.
The representation of women in Pacific parliaments is some of the worst in the world.
Winston Peters' delegation visiting Papua New Guinea
That’s why the picture of Peters and his entourage - Labour MP and former minister David Parker, Pacific Peoples Minister Dr Shane Reti, Climate Change Minister Simon Watts and National list MP Tim van de Molen on the New Zealand Air Force plane travelling to close and important Pacific neighbours - would have got up the noses of quite a few MPs.
Our Pacific Island female MPs have earned the right to be part of these important trade and business trips.
The delegation will visit Solomon Islands, Papua New Guinea, Vanuatu, New Caledonia, and Tuvalu.
”New Zealand has deep and long-standing relationships across the region, and this trip will provide the opportunity to reaffirm these connections and demonstrate our bipartisan commitment to our key Pacific partners,” Peters said.
”We will be sharing and discussing views on priority issues in each country, including the impacts of climate change, development priorities, and challenges to broader stability.”
The political classes of 2020 and 2023 saw eight new MPs of Pacific Island heritage enter Parliament. But the blue wash of 2023 also saw many lose their seats.
Many countries and organisations have rules governing delegations travelling abroad.
Perhaps it is time we adopt some of those policies?
To be fair to the Foreign Affairs Minister, Peters has made a point of ensuring he has always had Pacific representation in his delegations to the Pacific. But this time he’s missed the boat.
Or is the real reason for a lack of Pasifika representation on this trip because of the coalition’s lack of Pacific Island MPs?
