Women’s group to send its own observers

Press, 24 June 1985, Page 13

Women’s group to send its own observers

PA Auckland The Women for Life gro.up hopes to send a deputation to observe at the United Nations Conference on Women in Nairobi next month, the “New Zealand Herald” reports. The group, which led opposition to the Labour Party’s women’s policies at the women’s forums last year, will send its delegation as an alternative to the official delegation. A spokeswoman for the group, Mrs Annetta Moran, one of those going to Kenya, said the official delegation of six, headed by the Minister of Women’s Affairs, Mrs Hercus, was made up of “feminist types of women” who did not speak for large numbers of New Zealand women. Women for Life would send its alternative deputation because it realised it had little chance of getting representatives included in the official Governmentsponsored party. However, a spokeswoman for Mrs Hercus’s office said Women for Life had not nominated anyone for either the official group or a second, smaller delegation, partly sponsored by the Government which would

attend a simultaneous nonGovernment meeting. The office spokeswoman said the Women for Life deputation would not be able to attend the official conference, but all women’s groups had been encouraged to attend the non-Govern-ment meeting. Mrs Moran said that as well as attending the nonGovernment meeting, the deputation would attempt to go to the official conference as observers, but without speaking rights. The two deputation members would not publicly oppose views put by Mrs Hercus and other official members at that meeting. “We have to follow the protocol,” Mrs Moran said. Their aim was to see what New Zealand women were being “committed to” by the official delegation so that they could publicise it when they returned home. They would also raise their opposition to abortion and other issues during workshop time booked at the non-Government conference. Mrs Moran said that about $7OOO had been raised for her fare and that of the other delegate, Mrs Gay Barretta.