It was a man’s world once, but not any more. All occupations within the New Zealand Defence Force are now open to women, and those spoken to about gender integration in the Force say women definitely receive the same opportunities and treatment as men.
"Gender in the New Zealand military has nothing to do with anything career-wise," says one. "It’s training, attitude and capability." From Naval principal warfare officers, to Army infantry, artillery and armoured officers, to pilots and defence attachés, women are everywhere in the NZDF.
"The NZDF has come a long way since I first joined the Service in 1970. Although we have gone through some pain in working towards gender integration, we (as a Defence Force) have matured considerably," says Group Captain Mary Cox, New Zealand’s defence advisor in Malaysia.
"With excellent role models in New Zealand in all parts of society many of our younger Service personnel, both men and women, are used to women having the opportunity to do anything and the freedom to make any career choice they wish. This is reflected in the changed attitudes in the NZDF on gender issues."
Commander Maxine Lawes, who joined the Royal New Zealand Navy as an enlisted rating in 1985, and was one of the first Navy women to go to sea, says she can remember some initial opposition to women serving on ships.
"But once we were on there things changed – we were just part of the ship’s company, doing a job." However, once the trial was completed and women were officially serving in ships, more issues were raised relating to gender integration, and they took some time to resolve.
A supply officer, Commander Lawes has served on various ships, has been aide-de-camp to the Governor-General, and has recently returned from a year as a peacekeeper in the Middle East.
She acknowledges hearing of sexist attitudes within the Navy earlier in her career, but those attitudes were not widespread, she says. In some trades and branches where women did not serve it was more prevalent than in those where women had been serving for a number of years.
"I think they were based more on naivety, or were from men who had not spent much time working or training with women and were unsure what was appropriate behaviour."
Major Karyn Te Moana, an Army signals officer, says she has noticed definite improvements in the way women and their careers, are treated in the Army.
"When I was commissioned women could only join certain branches. I wanted to be an infantry officer but I couldn’t as combat trades were not open to women then."
Major Te Moana married fellow officer, Rob Te Moana in 1992. The couple are the same rank, and have two young children. The Army, she says, has had an excellent attitude towards their postings, ensuring they both serve in the same location, and that one of them has a day job if the other is training or on deployment. Both have served as peacekeepers throughout the world, including Bosnia, East Timor, Angola and the Sinai.
"There used to be an attitude in some areas that there was little benefit in training women to a high degree as they would get pregnant and then leave the Service. Some people may still have that attitude and you will never change them, but the career management structure within the Army is identical for men and women now."