Moroney Sue: Questions for Oral Answer — Questions to Ministers 
Moroney Sue: Questions for Oral Answer — Questions to Ministers 
[Volume:660;Page:9048] 
10. 
SUE MORONEY (Labour) 
 to the  
Minister of Women’s Affairs 
: What highlights if any on gender equality and women’s empowerment will she report to the United Nations special general meeting in March? 
Hon PANSY WONG (Minister of Women’s Affairs) 
: 
 I am surprised that the Labour spokesperson for women’s affairs has not read the New Zealand Government’s response—[ 
Interruption 
] 
Mr SPEAKER 
: In fairness the question simply asked what highlights if any on gender equality and women’s empowerment she will report to the United Nations special general meeting in March. It is not an excuse for the Minister to be surprised about anything that Labour might be doing. It is asking what the Minister is planning to do. To deviate from telling the House what the Minister is planning to do is to treat the House with some contempt. 
Hon PANSY WONG 
: The highlights etc. are contained in the New Zealand Government’s response to the United Nations questionnaire on gender equality and women’s empowerment October 2009. I would seek leave of the House to table this 19-page document but I know you would disallow it Mr Speaker because it is publicly available. The member can go to www.un.org\womenwatch. 
Sue Moroney 
: Will she report that last year 27000 women lost their jobs in New Zealand that 60 percent of the newly jobless are women and that she stood by while her Government axed the pay and employment equity unit? 
Hon PANSY WONG 
: Unfortunately the period covered is the last 10 years so the recent occurrence of the recession is just on the edge of that report. That is why our Prime Minister the Hon John Key has placed so much focus on economic growth in his Prime Minister’s statement. Part of that unemployment figure was due to the growing workforce because the number of jobs has not decreased significantly. 
Sue Moroney 
: Will she then report that now New Zealand is out of recession her Government will reinstate pay equity investigations for school support staff and for social workers which her Government axed last year because of the recession? 
Hon PANSY WONG 
: The National Government does not operate in looking through a rear vision mirror. We forge forward. The Ministry of Women’s Affairs got $2 million over 4 years to construct four work streams that will absolutely take our women forward not backwards as would happen under Labour. 
Sue Moroney 
: Was she so desperate to claim any achievement for women under her Government that she instructed her officials to report to the United Nations— 
Hon Dr Nick Smith 
: I raise a point of order Mr Speaker. A member cannot ask a question with that sort of inflammatory material at the front of it. The Standing Orders are very clear just as you were with the Minister about ensuring that answers are straightforward; that member equally needs to follow the same Standing Orders. 
Mr SPEAKER 
: Again I think the Minister has raised a reasonable point that although the language was not in itself objectionable the assertion that a Minister might have been desperate is not an acceptable way to start a question. I invite the member to reword that question. 
Sue Moroney 
: Why has she instructed her officials to report to the United Nations that paid parental leave was extended to 14 weeks in 2009 when in fact that happened in 2005 under Labour and National voted against it? 
Hon PANSY WONG 
: Unlike Labour we never instruct our officials. They do their research and they put it forward objectively. We do not instruct for any cover-up unlike Labour. 
Sue Moroney 
: I seek leave to table a document from the New Zealand Government’s response to the UN questionnaire showing that it has reported to the United Nations— 
Mr SPEAKER 
: Leave is sought to table the New Zealand response to that questionnaire. Is there any objection? There is no objection. 
Document by leave laid on the Table of the House. 
Sue Moroney 
: I seek leave to table a document from the Business and Professional Women of New Zealand on Red Bag Day 18 February 2010. This is the document— 
Mr SPEAKER 
: Let me be very clear: is this a press release? 
Sue Moroney 
: No it is a fact sheet. 
Mr SPEAKER 
: Leave is sought to table that document. Is there any objection? There is objection. 
Sue Moroney 
: I seek leave to table a document showing that the male-female wage gap has gone from— 
Mr SPEAKER 
: The member will resume her seat. The practice that the member has just adopted is unacceptable. She should describe what the document is before she goes into a lengthy diatribe about what is in it so that the House at least hears what the document is. 
Sue Moroney 
: This is from the Parliamentary Library a statistical bulletin on salary and wage rates. I note that the Minister said that she would table a document— 
Mr SPEAKER 
: Is this a statistical release from our own library? 
Sue Moroney 
: It is a statistical bulletin from the Parliamentary Library research— 
Mr SPEAKER 
: It is available to all members. We will not seek leave to documents that all members have. 
Sue Moroney 
: No it is not available to all members. One has to ask for it to be researched. 
Mr SPEAKER 
: I want to establish whether this document is a document provided in response to a request from the member to the library. 
Sue Moroney 
: Yes it has been provided on a request from a member. 
Mr SPEAKER 
: I apologise to the member. 
Sue Moroney 
: It is a statistical bulletin salary and wage rates showing that in 2008 the male-female wage gap was 13.8 percent and in 2009 it was 14.8 percent. 
Mr SPEAKER 
: Leave is sought to table that document. Is there any objection? There was too much noise while a point of order was being heard and I could not hear whether there was any objection. I will put the leave again. Leave is sought to table that document. Is there any objection? There is objection.