Status of Women committee  The policy analysis was before my time, but this is my understanding of what happened. When the gender implication statement was introduced, the Ministry for Women created a gender analysis training program for policy analysts. We can share with you what that looked like. It was implemented through the government agencies, but we found, and we know from all the research about how learning happens, that a one- or two-day course really isn't effective to ensure that people have the tools, the ability, and the awareness to do good quality gender analysis.

Status of Women committee  As a ministry, we look at all the gender implication statements, but I would signal again that's once something is submitted to a cabinet committee.... In some ways this isn't a useful tool to change that policy, but we can also see where good analysis has been done and where not so good analysis has been done and maybe use that as an indicator about where we should offer our services to our colleagues in the policy community.

Status of Women committee  As a ministry, we report on achievement for women in New Zealand, and we do it across the government's priorities. The government's four priorities for gender equality in New Zealand are around reducing the levels of violence against women in New Zealand, ensuring that women and girls can access education, ensuring that women's skills are utilized in the economy as well as they can be, and ensuring that there are more women in leadership.

Status of Women committee  That's what I'm talking about. Individual pieces of policy that go through have to have a statement. I guess I'm being very honest with you in saying that I would still recommend that, if you want the best quality advice coming to you, having a statement like this is very important.

Status of Women committee  Sure. I think our academic colleagues call it intersectionality, the idea that a woman isn't just one woman. In New Zealand, and I'm sure it's the same in your country, there's more diversity within women than there is between women and men. As a ministry, we absolutely ask the question constantly, “Which women?

Status of Women committee  We have found that most effective is actually early engagement from somebody who brings a gender lens to a policy project. We would absolutely recommend it. For instance, we had large changes in and around some of our social policy settings. Structurally we had somebody from the Ministry of Women bring a gender perspective right at the beginning.

Status of Women committee  We are very much looking forward to your discussion, your questions, and a good dialogue. Thank you.

Status of Women committee  I can do that. When a policy paper goes through the cabinet process—we call them cabinet papers—it goes through a cabinet committee first, and then it goes through the full cabinet. I think you probably have a similar process. A social policy paper [Inaudible—Editor] is in a template that has absolutely mandated that there be a gender statement around it.

Status of Women committee  We make do with what we have in the ministry. We have a mandate. I think this is absolutely what happens with every government agency. We are the same as in your country. My view, as chief executive, is that our role is to put ourselves where we can be most effective, and we absolutely do this.

Status of Women committee  At the moment there is a formal program. In terms of the way we operate as a ministry through an influence model, we absolutely have champions in our organizations who we work with.

Status of Women committee  Hello. Thank you so much for the opportunity to be here today. You've asked us two questions about what New Zealand does to monitor the use of gender-based analysis in government processes, and also our view on what works to measure the impacts of government policies and programs in creating more equitable results.