Women form party

Press, 23 March 1982, Page 6

Women form party

PA Auckland A new political party has been formed which excludes men from holding office but which apparently does not infringe the Human Rights Commission Act.

The party is the New Zealand Women’s Political Party, which was formed at the week-end at a one-day seminar organised by the collective which runs the feminist newspaper, “Broadsheet." A spokeswoman for the party Ms Sandi Hall, said that although men would not be excluded from membership they would not be able to hold office. It had not yet been decided if men would

be allowed to stand as candidates for the party. The 120 women who had formed the party had not yet elected an executive and they had not had time to formally outline party policies, but it was hoped that by the next General Election the party would have candidates to stand in each of he 93 electorates. The Commissioner of Human Rights, Mr Pat Downey. said yesterday that although it was illegal to discriminate against people on grounds of race, sex or religion this only applied in certain areas and political activity w'as not one of them. "There is no way the party can breach the Human

Rights Commission Act. which is not concerned aboutstopping distinctions between men and women except in specific areas like employment, the provision of good's, and services and educational things'," Mr Downey said. Mrs Hall said that the party would be like the other main political parties, but it would concentrate on policies to meet women's needs. None of the existing parties did this. She had no idea how widespread interest would be in the new party. She imagined that it would be funded in the same way as the NewZealand's women's movement: by personal commitment.