Pre-colonial Pacific culture inspiration for feminism today

Transcript

The event honoured the contributions of Pacific and Maori foremothers' to democracy in New Zealand.
 
A former Minister of Pacific Peoples, Luamanuvao Dame Winnie Laban was among those paying homage to women of the past.
 
   "The Whakapapa and Gafa. Of the powerful women in our families and communities that birthed us. Generations of women and men in our whanau and aiga who continue to tell our stories through the arts."
 
Luamanuvao paid tribute to the choreographer Sala Lemi Ponifasio and the women performing Mauwahine in recognition of women's leadership.
 
Sala says women's strength is not defined only by the ability to succeed politically.
 
  "We need their imagination, we need their contribution, we need their wisdom for all of us. Without them we're not here."
 
The current minister, Aupito Tofae Su'a William Sio, spoke of the traditional role of political leadership among Pacific women in pre-colonial times.
 
  "History will show us that women have been capable of providing the good leadership that the Pacific has needed. In Samoa's case Salamasina, as I'm told, ruled for forty years and that's a similar story of many of the islands."
 
Aupito pointed to other leaders like Hawaii's Queen Kukaniloko of Oahu in the 1300's who was succeded by her daughter as well as Queen Pomare who ruled Tahiti in the 1800's.
 
He spoke of the many paramount chiefly titles in the Cook Islands and Fiji which are held by women.
 
And of Queen Salote of Tonga, not their first woman monarch.
 
He says they are all great inspiration for present day leaders like President  Hilda Heine of the Marshall Islands and Pacific women MPs in New Zealand.
 
Aupito highlighted Samoa's constitutional amendment in 2013 requiring that at least 10 percent of parliamentary seats go to women.
 
But he says one major obstacle remains.

   "Instead of the glass ceiling, it's a wall of men that are a stumbling block for women political leaders in the Pacific region."
 
He says it's getting better but the momentum differs from country to country.
 
The Green Party's spokesperson for Pacific people co-leader Marama Davidson says women need to keep disrupting the patriarchy to increase their say in society.
 
While she commended the contribution of Pacific and Maori women in New Zealand she says there is more work to do.
 
She drew inspiration from one of the Mausina dancers, brandishing a spanner.
 
  "I hope it means that we've got to keep throwing a spanner into the works because there's a lot more mahi for us to do together, and what I loved about today was the connection of Maori and Pacific women being made very strong and very clear."
 
Marama Davidson says women of the region have done a lot of work to re-connect the people of Oceania and champion their issues.
 
She praised the late poet Teresia Teaiwa and her work on gender, militarism and feminist activism in the Pacific.
 
   "And Oceania Interrupted which is Maori and Pacific women working together for the independence of West Papua and remembering the ongoing work that we've done to understand that which brings us together as Maori and Pacific women."
 
Aupito William Sio says Pacific people need to look to the strong leadership roles of women in pre-colonial history to get their future right.
 
   "It is about changing our mind-set and about being able to be the authors of our own solution. To navigate the future based on our traditional values, on our indigenous knowledge."
 
He says the fight for equality today isn't just political but across all areas including the right to equal pay and freedom from domestic violence.