NEW ZEALAND

New Zealand’s first NAP was launched in 2015 for the period 2015-2019.  There does not appear to be a later NAP, nor indication that a further NAP is in progress at this time.

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Objectives/Actions of the 2015-2019 NAP: 
New Zealand’s NAP comprises 4 Strategic Objectives, each of which are supported by tasks assigned to, and made the responsibility of, specific agencies, with indicators for monitoring and evaluation.

Strategy 1 PREVENTION:  Incorporation of women’s perspectives into early warning systems, community awareness and prosecution of violators of women’s rights.

Strategy 2 PARTICIPATION: Creating and maintaining political pressure in international fora to ensure women’s involvement in decision making within fragile, conflict and post-conflict situations.

Strategy 3 PROTECTION: Increasing the number of New Zealand women deployed in police and military roles in UNSC mandated peacekeeping missions, international assistance missions and other peace keeping operations; improving the capability of peacekeeping and international assistance missions to respond to women’s needs; ensuring gender analysis informs New Zealand’s peace support responses and development assistance to countries affected by conflict; and promoting efforts to combat sexual violence, intimate partner violence and violence against women and girls in conflict affected countries, with special attention where New Zealand supports a development programme or post.

Strategy 4 PEACEBUILDING, RELIEF AND RECOVERY: Highlighting measures that engage women and address their needs in relief and recovery; redress for injustice; promoting New Zealand women as mediators and negotiators in international forums; and ensuring post-conflict processes of national dialogue, transitional justice, reconciliation and post-conflict governance reforms are gender responsive.

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Commentary:

At 30 June 2014 women made up 18% of New Zealand’s police officers and 29% of all police employees, with two women at the rank of Superintendent.

Women have been able to participate in all areas, including combat roles, of the New Zealand Defence Force (NZDF) since 2000. When the NAP was drafted (2015) women made up 15.5% of the country’s total uniformed forces.

The NAP commits to establishment of a gender-balanced inter-agency Women, Peace and Security Advisory Group, to professionalise New Zealand’s responses to women, peace and security issues and to guide and monitor implementation and reporting under the NAP. (p23)

The NAP aims to increase and support the representation of women in its national security forces and peacekeeping missions, and maintain a particular focus on security challenges in the Pacific region through its development programs in Papua New Guinea, Solomon Islands, Timor- Leste.

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Civil Society involvement in development of the NAP:

New Zealand’s first NAP was prepared by an interdepartmental working group led by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Trade, in company with the New Zealand Defence Force and New Zealand Police. Civil society groups were consulted through existing targeted consultation channels of interested groups, and primarily through a public and open workshop in 2015. The inter-agency WPS Advisory Group is tasked to provide annual progress reports, and to invite NGOs and civils society groups to participate in the monitoring process.

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UN Peacekeeping statistics:

New Zealand does not (at May 2023) contribute any military troops or police to UN peacekeeping.  In May 2023 it provided 1 staff officer who was female, and 9 experts on missions, of which 2 were female.

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Women’s role in peacekeeping:

Between 2003 and  2014, 192 New Zealand police women had served on 256 international deployments; many chose to deploy more than once, largely in the Pacific region and in Afghanistan. (NAP p13)

In 2012, of the military personnel deployed on international assignments 18% were women, with several in senior roles including a Lieutenant Colonel to the Chief United Nations Observer role in Lebanon, a Wing Commander to Senior National Officer in Dubai and a Colonel to Afghanistan. (NAP p14)

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References:

New Zealand National Action Plan 2015-2019: Untitled (wpsnaps.org)

United Nations Peacekeeping. (May 2023): Troop and police contributors | United Nations Peacekeeping ‌

Contribution of Uniformed Personnel to UN by Country, Mission, and Personnel Type (May 2023): 05-Missions Detailed By Country