Helen Houghton
New Conservative Co-leader
Women are no longer safe in New Zealand due to the government’s promotion of a lobby group that has the mandate to rule and reign over the rights of all other New Zealand citizens.
Not only have the government allowed and empowered this minority group to overpower society they have actively enabled, financed, and resourced them using taxpayers’ money.
Every New Zealander who values human rights should be outraged at the autocratic style of activism which several members of Parliament encouraged during an event that was by women, for women, about women.
I call for an apology to the women who were negatively impacted on Saturday during the ‘Let Women Speak’ event. An apology from every parliament minister who walked with the rainbow activists, those who intentionally took a biased view and actively sided with the rainbow community all while members of the public were victimized by those activists. We have no trust in this kind of minister who is in a position of power and instead of representing the safety of all New Zealand citizens, favoured one group.
As a political leader, educator, and advocate for women and children I am distressed over the government Minister who instead of taking an objective stance of two opposing sides, chose to trample on woman’s rights. The aggressive statement made by co-leader Marama Davidson dismissed any visibility of the women’s concerns and haphazardly used Te O Maori as a generalized statement speaking for all Maori, yet, I stood alongside Maori women arm in arm as we fended off aggression by an angry mob who caused intimidation and bullying towards us.
Deputy leader Carmel Sepuloni’s words have also trodden on the hard-fought rights of New Zealand women. While stating her opposition to Kelli-jay, Sepuloni, dismissed the fact there were real New Zealand women with valid stories and experiences ready to speak, and many of these women were intimidated and abused by the extremely frenzied mob who surrounded the rotunda and then with force lay their claim by lording over women who had to seek safety.
This is the outcome of giving one group limitless status and power.
For all those women and families who feared for their safety on Saturday – I apologize. I apologize for the lack of protection and the lack of representation by government ministers for women’s rights.