Feminist Attempts at Power Sharing in Aotearoa: Embarrassing Herstory or Significant Learning towards Treaty-Based Structures?

This commentary links feminist practices & anti-racist work in Aotearoa/New Zealand. A range of attempts by Pekeha feminist groups to share power with indigenous Maori women are briefly described & reflected upon. From the viewpoint of a Pakeha participant in both feminist & anti-racist work, I suggest that feminist values & practice may have helped some Pakeha feminists to respond to challenges by Maori women with early attempts at bicultural power sharing in this country. Some feminist organizations radically reconstructed to share organizational power between Maori & non-Maori women at least a decade before other values-based organizations (such as churches & not-for profit organizations) took similar steps. Although some of the attempts were shortlived, others have been maintained over several decades, & in all cases the participating individuals may have been important carriers of values, principles & skills of power sharing between Pakeha & Maori into organizational life in Aotearoa/New Zealand. This is particularly likely within the women-dominated fields of health, education & the social services. Notwithstanding the problems & conflicts revealed, these early attempts by feminists at bicultural organizing should not be overlooked when reflecting on Pakeha anti-racism work in New Zealand, & their value should not be ignored in critiques of feminist organizing. 16 References. [Copyright 2001 Sage Publications Ltd.]