Ministry for Women
The Ministry for Women (Māori: "Manatū Wāhine") is the public service department of New Zealand charged with advising the government on policies and issues affecting women. It was formerly called the Ministry for Women's Affairs (MWA), but it was announced that the name would be changed to Ministry for Women in December 2014. The minister in charge of the department is the Minister for Women (previously Minister for Women's Affairs), currently Jan Tinetti. Main roles. The Ministry was established from 26 July 1984; the first minister was Ann Hercus. It is the smallest core government  agency with a staff of 28. At the time of its establishment, a foundation goal of the Ministry was to "work towards its own abolition;" however, it continues to provide dedicated services and functions. The Ministry's main responsibilities are:<ref name="http://www.mwa.govt.nz/about"></ref> Achievements. Since its formation, the Ministry has worked with external stakeholders to improve outcomes for New Zealand women. Examples of these achievements include: In 2011, the New Zealand Institute for Economic Research ranked the Ministry first out of 22 government departments for the quality of its policy advice and briefings to the Minister. Areas of focus. The  Ministry's policy work is focused on three priority areas: These three priorities feed into the Government's objectives of lifting New Zealand's economic performance and building a safer New Zealand. Greater economic independence. The Ministry's work in the 'greater economic independence' area focuses on "enabling women to make informed choices that lead to better lifetime incomes". Efforts in this area focus on the factors that can support women to more fully access economic opportunities and resources, such as: There are two performance indicators to measure the impact of the Ministry's work in this area: Women in  leadership. There is compelling evidence that greater gender diversity in governance correlates with better decision making and organisational performance, providing economic and other benefits. Having more women in leadership roles ensures a wider range of views for key decisions, and brings stronger connections with customers, stakeholders and investors. There is a need for a dual focus on demand for and supply of women board members. The Ministry assists decision makers to achieve greater diversity in governance, in both the public and private sectors, by making the case for change and advising on effective strategies to realise change. The Ministry also  assists women to know about the type of governance roles that align with their skills and interests and how to pursue those roles. The Ministry provides women candidates for vacancies on state sector boards and, on request, for other entities. The Ministry also operates a Nominations Service, which puts forward appropriate women candidates for a range of governance roles. Safety from violence. Intimate partner violence and sexual violence are the most common forms of violence against women in New Zealand, and are of great cost to individuals, their families and the economy. Treasury has estimated that sexual offending costs the  New Zealand economy $1.2 billion a year and is by far the most expensive crime per incident. The consequences of this violence can be long-lasting, with adverse effects on health, relationships, children's welfare and education, employment, productivity, earnings, and quality of life. The Ministry works with other government departments on issues of intimate partner and sexual violence, with particular attention to minimising the incidence of revictimisation, and an increasing focus on prevention. Its recent work has focused on: There are two performance indicators to measure the impact of the Ministry's work in this area: Ministry for