Feminism in New Zealand
This can be seen to have taken place through parliament and legislation, and also by actions and role modelling by significant women and groups of people throughout New Zealand's history.
New Zealand was also the first country in the world in which the five highest offices of power were held by women, which occurred between March 2005 and August 2006, with Queen Elizabeth II, Governor-General Silvia Cartwright, Prime Minister Helen Clark, Speaker of the New Zealand House of Representatives Margaret Wilson and Chief Justice Sian Elias.
Prior to European settlement of New Zealand Māori women had varied responsibilities as tribal leaders, military strategists, warriors, poets, composers and healers.
Today, numerous Māori iwi and hapū descended from such women insist on identifying themselves as being "the people of" that particular female ancestor.
Scholars have suggested that the solidification of a patriarchal structure in Māori societies was shaped by colonial contact, largely through the expectations and prejudices of European settler-traders and Christian missionaries.
Over the past 30 years this idea has changed due to bringing in different cultural ideals, family patterns, and contributions.
[25] As a result, mana wāhine is, in contrast to the broader projects of ‘feminism’, a self-deterministic approach that gives effect to the intersections of female and Māori identities.
[26] Multiple theories of Māori feminism (mana wāhine) exist concurrently due to the diversity of iwi, ‘tribes’, across Aotearoa/New Zealand.
[2] In order to encompass a wide-view of issues facing women of Māori heritage, many argue that te reo Māori me ona tikanga (Maori Language and Culture) are necessary inclusions in mana wāhine,[28] and this epitomises the differences between mana wāhine and Pākehā feminism.
[29] Mana wāhine, therefore, acts as a tool which allows Māori women to take control over their history and future.
[27] That is, mana wāhine, by necessity, takes into account sexism, racism, colonialism and class and overlaps with the political aspirations for self-determination.
[22] Mana wāhine allows for the provision of analysis unique to the position held by those lying in the intersections of Māori and women.
[14] Biculturalism continues to be a key emphasis for mana wāhine as it informs wider debates about colonisation and decolonialism, ethnicities and politics.
[21] There are critical differences between Māori women and men in relation to health, education, employment, and family structure and support.
[33] When this is combined with Pākehā feminist priorities, many Māori women feel they are ignored when both gender and colonisation issues and impacts are discussed i.e. they are seen as lesser.
[35] Sexuality, however, remains an important area of intersectional discourse for mana wāhine and Māori feminist projects,[24] with many prominent figures working in this field, including activist Ngahuia Te Awekotuku.
[40][36][38] Diverse works such as those by the Mata Aho Collective[41][42] and the performance art of Rosanna Raymond,[43][44] announce and powerfully realise reconnection and reclamation, two important tenants that situate women in mana wāhine and characterise activism in this space.
Dr Maureen Lander's fibre and installation art [45] and Shona Rapira Davies’ use of textile and object making practices[38] delineate the strength of Māori women and the subtle yet poignant processes of restoration and affirmation achieved through their commitment to investing in and working with traditional materials.
These artists and their works are reminiscent of and carry on the practice of Merita Mata,[38][46] which continue to challenge colonial narratives imbued with rejections of systemic Pākehā patriarchal models of power, knowledge and ownership.
[38][37] However, Kahukiwa's works find expression in mana wāhine, specifically with reference to the important place of women in Māori spirituality.
By extension, the synergies in the expansive works of Pasiffika Queen and Sissy that Walk, who critique modern understandings of gender and sexuality,[49] further create discourses around Māori identity and representation.
