The place of women on local bodies

Press, Volume CXIV, Issue 33669, 19 October 1974, Page 6

The place of women on local bodies

The place of women' [ on county councils was i questioned by a Cheviot county councillor, Mr D. “iG. Allan, il haps foreseeing the > election of women to the! i Cheviot, Waipara, and Kaikoura county councils last week-end. I It is the first time that, ■ women have been elected to; : either the Cheviot or Wai- ; para councils, with Kaikoura; being the only council in North Canterbury to have a woman councillor before this, (year. At the last meeting of the -old council in- Cheviot this [ month, Mr Allan expressed concern at the prospect of '(having women on the coun- , icil. He was particularly i upset at the thought of two Women councillors. Any ! more “and the men would ‘ pack up and go home.” Cheviot was a fairly small: rural community and women | did not have the experience! of rural matters, he said. Each councillor was re-: quired to take part in. and’ be responsible for, special-i ised committees and he did not consider that women; had the specialised experience to serve on them, effectively. TOPPED POLLS j However, if Mr Allan is | (not convinced of the capa-; bilities of women in country) [.local bodies, apparently his j.view is not shared by all i country people — the; .(women elected topped their: • respective polls. Mrs N. M. Walls was; ; elected to the Cheviot ■ County Council, Mrs P. J. ■ Sigglekow was elected as a town representative on the! -'Kaikoura County Council, Land Mrs H. M. Little to the : Waipara County Council. When questioned about : Mr Allan’s comments, Mrs; >i Walls said she thought women could be just as cap- ’ able on local bodies as men 1 “given background reading

'and a little common sense.” I 1 She had spent six years ; serving on the council’s.: .water reticulation committee ; ;and had a good farming and I mechanical knowledge, as well as the additional advan- ’ 'tage of being a business-;: ‘woman. A SUCCESS ( She saw no reason why! the election of women to ; local bodies would not work in Cheviot, when women ', throughout other parts of the country and the world were proving successful and capable councillors. “The world is moving and. we have to move with it,”! she said. Mrs Walls said she; wanted other councillors and: members of the community to see her not as a mere; woman, but as another coun-i cillor to work for Cheviot. Perhaps the election of, (several women to county! local bodies was part of a general awakening to the! i untapped resources of ‘women, she said. Mrs Little said the average farmer did not know a 'great deal about bridge building and road construction. in any case, most (councils today employed consultant engineers and (called upon specialised (assistance when required. ; “One would wonder just! 'what specialised characteristics the average male ■ councillor has.” She said that people had voted for her not as a woman, but the person for; ■ the job. “Whether you were! a woman or man was irreleivant.” She was the second woman to be elected to a licensing trust in New Zealand and has served on the (Hawarden Trust for four years. Mrs Sigglekow is the second woman to be elected to Lthe Kaikoura County Counlicil — Miss A. Boyd served on the council three years ■ ago. She was employed by the ’ council at its office in Kai-

(koura before her marriage, and feels she has a good insight into the functions and administration of the local body. Her particular interest was welfare work, perhaps overlooked by some county councils. She has taken an active part in several organisations in the district and says she will now be in a position to represent them on the council. She is also ‘interested in finance, elec- : tricity and parks and (reserves. ; Women were often inclined to be put on minor 'committees and Mrs Siggle- ; kow says she hopes that (this will not be the case (with her and the other ■women elected.