More women sought for old men's council chambers

Often thought of as the domain of old men in dark suits, the council chambers can be an intimidating concept for women considering representing their community.

Associate professor of resource and planning at Massey, Dr Christine Cheyne, said this has to change if more women are going to sit around the table.

"If council is dominated by men then that environment or culture will not be attractive to women."

In the 2004 local government elections, female candidates made up only 30 per cent of the nominations nationally, and just 32 per cent of elected members.

However, as candidates, women are more likely than men to win.

Fifty one per cent of female candidates were elected in the 2004 elections, compared with 46 per cent of male candidates, local authority election statistics show.

While many local councils have just two or three female members, Rangitikei District Council has six.

The National Council of Women wants more women to stand for council, and has run two meetings to help dispel some myths about local government. "It was suggested that we need more women on the councils and so we decided that it would be a good idea to run information evenings," said NCW Manawatu president Audrey Jarvis.

Lynn Bailey who has served on Horowhenua District Council and Horizons Regional Council believes it would be beneficial for more women to serve in local government.

"I'd like to see more women around the table, as long as they are there for the right reasons. It can't be just a numbers game." Fairer representation: Page 17

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