Margaret K. Shields

Regional Councillor
Wellington
New Zealand

Entering Local Politics

I have a Bachelor Degree in Social Science that I gained as an adult student, whilst our two children were quite young. I have been married since 1960. I became involved with political issues, although I would not have described them as such at the time, whilst I was a young housewife and became a co-founder of the Society for Research on Women in New Zealand. This activity inevitably led me into politics as we produced objective evidence of the inadequacy of policy provisions to meet the needs of women. I joined the New Zealand Labour Party with the intention of becoming involved in policy making at the end of 1969, because during the election campaign the Labour party had shown a clearer commitment to change than had the other main party

When entering politics, I was encouraged to run by a variety of people, both men and women. I first became a candidate for an unwinnable seat in the General Election of 1975. Then, during the local authority elections of 1977 one of our candidates for the Wellington Hospital Board withdrew and I stepped in, topping the poll. I served one term on that body but did not stand again as I wanted to stand for Parliament. I was elected to Parliament in 1978 but the result of that election was overturned on a technicality, later ruled against by a declamatory judgment of the Court of Appeal but too late for me! I subsequently served three terms as a Member of Parliament from 1981 to 1990. During that period I served six years as a Cabinet Minister from 1984-1970.

There have always been members of my family who have had an interest in politics but most, including all my immediate family have been members of the conservative (National) party. Once I became a candidate I discovered that I did have at least two relations (third cousins) who were in parliament. However they did not influence my entry into politics

At present, I serve as a Councillor. My responsibilities include; attending full council meetings, Policy and Finance, Environment, and Transport Committee Meetings and numerous other Council Meetings as required. In addition I try to attend as many community group meetings as possible to keep contact with the needs of the area that I represent.

A Woman's Perspective

When running for office, of course, the fact that I was a woman created some problems for me. It was more difficult at that time for women to be selected and women were subjected to much greater scrutiny by the media and the public. This was both a plus and a minus. It probably meant that I got a good deal more publicity at times but also meant that I had to be rather more careful about questions of dress and general presentation. It also meant that I did not have the automatic support of the male service clubs and other men's groups that often acted as a support network for male candidates. I was fortunate to be able to build my own support network and campaign team. I concentrated hard on the issues and made sure that most of my press releases focused on issues of general concern. However at joint candidates meetings I was frequently asked if, as a woman candidate I would be "favouring women". My response to this has always been when elected I would be representing the needs of both women and men and that if women do not take other women seriously one could scarcely expect men to do it.

Once in office there were again difficulties due to being a woman. Meetings were often held at times that conflicted with family responsibilities and because the remuneration was not generous it was not possible to hire much in the way of help with housework. I was fortunate to have a very supportive family. On the Board itself I found that women's interventions were not always taken seriously although when their suggestions were repeated by male Board Members they were treated quite differently, frequently being adopted. In addition questions asked by women were often ignored unless another member insisted on a response. To overcome this problem some of the women members formed a small, very informal, caucus. On one occasion that I remember several million dollars were saved through a woman Board Member, with my support, asking whether it was still necessary to build the top two floors of a new hospital block. It wasn't but there was extreme reluctance to re-visit the earlier decision and to reverse it

As a member of the Wellington Regional Council I do not face much in the way of discrimination but this is partly due to the fact that I had more central government experience than anyone else on the Council and have a good reputation from my time as a cabinet minister. However I was aware that this "history" would also have its downside. There was a degree of resentment and watchfulness - as if I might want to "take over". I believe that if I had been a male former cabinet minister I would have been given a committee chairmanship but all chairs were given to second term councillors. As it is I am deputy chair of the Transport Committee, a position with which I am very comfortable as it leaves time for a variety of other activities while learning the intricacies of this tier of local government.

Breaking The Barriers

I believe the main factors that prevent and restrict women from entering the political arena are: lack of confidence, the pressure of other responsibilities, lack of money to help out with fulfilling other responsibilities, the perceived need for appropriate networks and support, social and cultural barriers and an unwillingness to challenge these, and lack of flexibility in political structures to accommodate the needs of younger women. The most potent influences on changing women views about participation are good role models and training sessions in the skills needed.

With regard to women taking an active role in the governance of cities, my observations suggest that women's motivation for entering politics is often different from that of their male counterparts. Women are more likely to enter politics out of a desire to achieve particular political ends, rather than to be politicians, per se. The reverse seems to be true of men. However the main reason for women to take a more active role in the governance of cities is that they bring a different perspective to the decision making process arising out of different experience of life. Women's concerns and priorities differ from those of men on a multitude of issues in many different ways, arising out of different life experience and roles. Women and men use the city in different ways and have different requirements that result in differing policy imperatives.

For many years I have been directly involved in programmes to encourage women to consider candidacy at both central and local government levels. These ranged from policy seminars to workshops designed to teach specific political skills. Most of the work that I have been able to do to improve the status of women in general was accomplished while I was a Cabinet Minister and a member of parliament. This is due to the fact that it was the longest period of my political life so far. During that period I assisted in the development of the Ministry of Women Affairs and later I served for three years as the Minister of Women Affairs. I was responsible for a methodological study to test methods for measuring the extent and the value of unpaid work, the implementation of the Government policy on the Early Childhood Education Policy, as well as, materially assisting in the development of our employment equity policy and legislation, against a considerable amount of opposition. As New Zealand's first Minister of Consumer Affairs, I was responsible for setting up a new ministry and promulgating a new consumer legislation that has proved to be both durable and effective in creating a fairer marketplace. This is of particular concern to women as principal consumers in most households. During the period that I served on the Wellington Hospital Board I was very involved in achieving a code of patients rights and in supporting the efforts of fellow women board members on behalf of the Family Planning Association. During the relatively brief time in which I have been a member of the Wellington Regional Council I have worked to try to ensure that my fellow women colleagues are encouraged into positions of responsibility. I have also been doing work in the Pacific to help train aspiring women politicians

I believe that all women politicians ought to take some responsibility for increasing women participation in politics at all levels and increasing the capacity of women in every facet of community life. However this cannot be to the exclusion of other responsibilities or they will have a very short career in politics

I believe that there has been a very considerable change in people's perceptions of women in politics over the past ten years. Between 1981 and the 1994 the number of women mayors in this country increased from 4.6% of the total to 16.4%. During the same period the proportion of women councillors increased from 14.7% to 26.4%. On the Wellington Regional Council there are four women at present out of a full council of fourteen members (28.4%). Clearly there has been a considerable change in both the willingness of women to stand for office and their acceptance by the public at large. (The change in the number of women in parliament has been even more dramatic - from 8.7% to 20.2%). Currently the Leader of the Opposition is a woman. The increase in women in Parliament has been materially assisted by a change in the electoral system to a form of proportional representation.

I am turning more and more to the need to empower and encourage other women to take a larger part in political life. However there are still a number of issues that I am pursuing through my work on the Regional Council. These issues are of a more general type but are still of particular importance to grassroots women. For example the preservation and enhancement of public transport systems is one issue in which I am deeply involved.