Harawira Hone: Human Rights (Women in Armed Forces) Amendment Bill — Third Reading 
Harawira Hone: Human Rights (Women in Armed Forces) Amendment Bill — Third Reading 
[Volume:638;Page:8932] 
HONE HARAWIRA (Maori Party—Te Tai Tokerau) 
: 
Tena koe Mr Assistant Speaker. Tenatatou te Whare. The Maori Party also supports the Human Rights (Women in Armed Forces) Amendment Bill. But I too have grave reservations. Members may call me old-fashioned—as the previous speaker said—but I do not know whether human rights considerations and the fight for human rights have properly taken into account the role of women as nurturers of their families. I know particularly that the issue of Maori women on the front line and the historical role that Maori women have played within Maori society have not been properly addressed in this bill. 
I also know that if I were ever to have to be in a war I would be more than happy to have my older sister and younger sister alongside me because when it comes right down to it they are a lot tougher than my whanaunga Mahara Okeroa on the other side of the House there. I would back my sisters to back me in any situation. But that is only in a situation where we are pushed into that arena. On the question of whether I would be comfortable about accepting women going into that situation on a normal basis and being thrust into that situation I do not know that that is necessarily something I would personally go along with. 
This is a speech that the honourable Tariana Turia was supposed to make. She has had to leave the building so I am delivering it. In May 1999 Makere Harawira—no relation of mine—stood at the Hague Appeal for Peace Conference and said: “It has been said that when women regain their rightful place within the world wars will cease. It has also been said that women will refuse to give up their sons and daughters to war wars will cease.” As she points out women have always occupied a central place in any discussion of war—and indeed peace. So it is not unusual to be considering the status of women in the context of the armed forces when we consider our histories throughout Aotearoa. 
Women have served in the armed forces since 1914. It was not until 2000 that the restrictions that prevented women from serving in combat roles were formally rescinded by a defence order. Indeed during World War II some 10000 women served in the armed forces. As of 1 July last year some 2555 women were serving in our defence forces. The greatest number of course—42 percent—were employed as civilians but 24 percent were in the Army 17 percent in the Navy and 16 percent in the Air Force. So the reality is that this debate is not really about the question of whether women should be allowed to serve; instead the bill is a technicality legislating to provide for what is now in operational practice. 
The bill amends section 33 of the Human Rights Act 1993 to remove an exemption that allows discrimination against women by preventing them from serving in combat positions. It is then in many ways a mere formality as New Zealand no longer prevents women from serving at the front line. But it is a formality that is important insomuch as the removal of the exemption will enable us to fully ratify our obligations under the United Nations Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination Against Women. The bill allows the legislation to be updated to fit with changes in practice and it also allows compliance with international law. 
Why is that so important? Quite simply it is because New Zealand’s reputation has been significantly tarnished as a good international citizen. Our exemplary human rights record was rubbished on 22 March 2005 when the United Nations Committee on the Elimination of Racial Discrimination released its finding on the Foreshore and Seabed Act 2004. The committee consisted of 18 independent experts in the area of human rights. It was petitioned by Te Runanga o NgaiTahu the Treaty Tribes Coalition and Te Runanga o Te Arawa to invoke its early-warning measures and urgent-procedure jurisdiction to require New Zealand to withdraw the foreshore and seabed legislation. Just to put that into context the early-warning measures and urgent procedures are not often invoked. Over recent years they have been invoked for situations in Darfur Israel Guyana Laos the Ivory Coast and Surinam. Now to our eternal shame they have been invoked right here in Aotearoa. 
The finding of the committee is now on the international record. This House must recall that the committee concluded that the foreshore and seabed legislation: “appears to contain discriminatory aspects against the Maori in particular in its extinguishment of the possibility of establishing Maori customary titles over the foreshore and seabed and its failure to provide a guaranteed right of redress notwithstanding the State party’s obligations under articles 5 and 6 of the Convention.” That was not all. It was then only a matter of time before the UN called upon its rapporteur to pay a visit down under and report on the situation here in Aotearoa. That report concluded that the passage of the foreshore and seabed legislation was an important human rights issue for Maori and all New Zealanders and indeed that it was a backwards step for Maori in extinguishing all Maori rights to the foreshore and seabed. So the status of Aotearoa in the field of human rights has been dramatically and adversely affected by retrograde legislation in the last few years. 
The Maori Party is therefore pleased to continue to support this human rights bill— 
The ASSISTANT SPEAKER (H V Ross Robertson) 
: That’s better. 
HONE HARAWIRA 
: —getting back to the bill—before the House tonight in an attempt to somehow begin to remedy our tragic human rights record which includes censure from the United Nations Committee Against Torture for our poor treatment of remand prisoners particularly youth remand prisoners. We note also that five of the six submissions received by the Foreign Affairs Defence and Trade Committee supported this bill because of the significance of the commitment in making New Zealand a signatory to the Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination Against Women without reservation. In practical terms that means that this bill removes the only reservation blocking Aotearoa from full participation in the Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination Against Women and that has to be a good thing in terms of restoring our reputation. 
The National Council of Women supported the bill because it will not only achieve international compliance but also be in line with current practice in the defence forces. We acknowledge here the good work the defence forces have done in addressing employment opportunities for women in their ranks. The defence forces have made substantial progress in gender integration over recent years earning praise in a report dated October 2005 for achieving a significant culture change—a change that was desperately needed. The Burton report of 1998 followed a high-profile Navy sexual harassment case taken to the Human Rights Commission which urged the need for change. 
It appears that change has occurred on a wide-scale basis. Harassment has decreased dramatically from 129 complaints in 1997 to just 34 in 2005 and there are increasing numbers of women in all three branches of the defence forces. Women in the Navy ranks have risen from 12.3 percent to 20 percent since 1990 and Air Force numbers have increased to 17 percent over the same period. 
Ron Mark 
: 22.9 percent. 
HONE HARAWIRA 
: To 22.9 percent. So we also take this opportunity tonight to praise the New Zealand Defence Force and we extend our appreciation to Lieutenant General Jeremiah Mateparae son of Kahungunu and Tuwharetoa who holds the country’s top military post as the Chief of Defence Force. Tangata whenua are proud of Jerry. He is the highest-ranked Maori officer in the New Zealand Defence Force and also the youngest military chief to head the New Zealand Army. 
We believe the progress the Defence Force has made in recent years to ensure that women can enjoy the same employment opportunities as men is impressive and we look forward to the same advancement of equal employment opportunities being extended towards Maori. The issue is about ensuring the incentives and measures are in place to achieve cultural systemic and attitudinal change continuous improvement and the journey towards institutional cultural competency. Numbers show that Maori are strongly represented in the Army and Navy but not in the Air Force. Comparatively Maori are overrepresented in the non-officer ranks including that of senior NCO but are strongly under-represented at the officer level. So we look forward to a companion bill coming forward in the House to sustain progress in Aotearoa—that is the Human Rights (Maori Officers in Armed Forces) Amendment Bill. 
In the meantime we in the Maori Party are happy to support this bill in order to ensure that Aotearoa can improve its questionable international reputation in human rights and can also keep up with current practice. Tena koe Mr Assistant Speaker. Kia ora tatou te Whare.