“Feminist politics and/or feminist policies: a case study of the People’s Select Committee on Pay Equity in Aotearoa New Zealand 2025/26”

“Feminist politics and/or feminist policies: a case study of the People’s Select Committee on Pay Equity in Aotearoa New Zealand 2025/26” Should feminist politicians only use feminist politics to achieve feminist policies? Can feminist politicians use feminist politics to achieve only feminist policies? Can / should feminist politicians use non-feminist politics to achieve feminist policies? Can / should feminist politicians use feminist politics to attack or improve non-feminist policies? In May 2025 the conservative government in Aotearoa New Zealand passed urgent legislation to cancel pay equity and a swathe of pay equity negotiations and settlements. In June 2025, former conservative MP and feminist economist Dame Marilyn Waring established “the people’s select committee”, bringing together 10 women former MPs from across the political spectrum to hear evidence and submissions from the public on the new law and what would be needed to protect pay equity in the future. This paper is based on qualitative interviews with 8 of the 10 committee members. As a case study, the work of people’s select committee allows us to explore the inherent tensions for feminist politicians who operate within a Westminster style Parliament and form of politics in Aotearoa New Zealand while attempting to promote and protect feminist policies such as equal pay and pay equity. As the committee will still be taking evidence and developing its findings into early 2026, this paper may only be able to interrogate the interview material using some working hypotheses and conclusions, but I hope it will be a very unique and contemporary contribution to the ECPG conversation on feminist governance, gendering Westminster parliaments and feminist policy agendas.