David Seymour Criticises Rural Women NZ Over Submission

In a Facebook post yesterday, Seymour stated RWNZ had submitted against the Legislation (Definitions of Woman and Man) Amendment Bill without consulting members.

“That seems crazy since 1) their whole organisation is based on sex identity, it’s in their name and 2) farmers need to know about biology or they won’t be good farmers,” Seymour wrote.

He labels the submission as a ‘misrepresentation’ of members’ beliefs on the issue.

“After nearly 12 years in Parliament, I’ve learned to be very careful about claims that ‘this group of people think these things about that’ unless they can show they really do reflect those people’s views,” Seymour wrote.

The Bill, submitted by NZ First MP Jenny Marcroft, seeks to amend the Legislation Act 2019 by defining a woman as “an adult human biological female” and a man as “an adult human biological male”.

According to the bill, it’s purpose is to “uphold legal certainty, protect the integrity of sex-based rights, and ensure that language reflects biological reality”.

It states that the legislation will mean that the described definition will apply in all contexts where the terms ‘woman’ and ‘man’ are used.

According to RWNZ’s submission, the resources put toward the Bill could “make the biggest improvement to rural women and their families through investment in healthcare and mental health support, addressing the rise in cost of living, and undoing changes made by the Pay Equity Amendment Act discontinuing existing pay equity claims”.

The organisation claims the bill falls short of New Zealand’s human rights obligations and risks increasing harm to communities who experience discrimination based on their gender identity.

“Furthermore, the Human Rights Act 1993 already protects sex-based rights and gender identity rights, side by side, and has done so for decades,” the submission states.

“RWNZ’s priority is improving the lives of rural women, their families and their communities. We do not believe this Bill will achieve that outcome.”

Sandra Kirby, chief executive of RWNZ, says the decision to submit on the bill was a board-led decision and process.

“We do not believe this Bill will improve the rights, opportunities, or wellbeing of women and girls in New Zealand,” she told Rural News.

“At a time when rural communities are dealing with real and pressing challenges, this Bill represents time and resource that could be far better spent on issues genuinely improving women’s lives,” Kirby concludes.