BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE COUNTRY'S RELATIONSHIP WITH SDG 5

New Zealand has a strong commitment to SDG 5 (Gender Equality) and is internationally recognized for its progressive approach to women’s rights and gender equality. The country was one of the first in the world to grant women the right to vote in 1893 and has continued to promote women’s participation in politics, education, and public life. New Zealand has also played an active role within the United Nations by supporting initiatives focused on women’s empowerment, gender-based violence prevention, and equal opportunities.

CURRENT CHALLENGES AND RECENT DEVELOPMENTS

Despite significant progress, important challenges remain. New Zealand continues to face issues such as the gender pay gap, unequal representation of women in some leadership and economic sectors, and high rates of violence against women. Particular attention is given to inequalities affecting Māori and Pacific women, who often experience greater barriers in access to healthcare, employment, and protection from violence.

LIST OF REFERENCES

United Nations Development Programme. New Zealand: Human Development Report data. https://hdr.undp.org/data-center/NZL

United Nations Department of Economic and Social Affairs. (n.d.). SDG indicators: New Zealand country profile. United Nations. https://unstats.un.org/sdgs/dataportal/countryprofiles/nzl

Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights. (n.d.). New Zealand. United Nations Human Rights Office. https://www.ohchr.org/en/countries/new-zealand

UN Women. New Zealand. UN Women. https://www.unwomen.org/en/get-involved/step-it-up/commitments/new-zealand

UN Women. New Zealand country data. UN Women Data Hub. https://data.unwomen.org/country/new-zealand

Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development. New Zealand. OECD. https://www.oecd.org/en/countries/new-zealand.html

Sachs, J. D., Lafortune, G., Fuller, G., & Iablonovski, G. (2025). New Zealand: Sustainable Development Report 2025. Sustainable Development Report. https://dashboards.sdgindex.org/profiles/new-zealand/

National Council of Women of New Zealand. (2025). 2025 gender attitudes survey results released. https://www.ncwnz.org.nz/2025_gender_attitude_survey_results_released

Ministry for Women. International engagement. New Zealand Government. https://www.women.govt.nz/international

Women Leaders Index.  New Zealand. https://womenleadersindex.com/new-zealand/

USEFUL LINKS

• Country report/Voluntary National Reviews

  • https://www.ncwnz.org.nz/2025_gender_attitude_survey_results_released

  • https://www.women.govt.nz/international

  • https://womenleadersindex.com/new-zealand/

• Bibliography and UN pages about this country:

  • UNPD: http://hdr.undp.org/data-center/NZL

  • UN Department of Economic and Social Affairs: https://unstats.un.org/sdgs/dataportal/countryprofiles/nzl

  • UN human rights: https://www.ohchr.org/en/countries/new-zealand

  • UN Women: https://www.unwomen.org/en/get-involved/step-it-up/commitments/new-zealand

  • UN WOWEN COUNT: https://data.unwomen.org/country/new-zealand

  • UN EOCD : https://www.oecd.org/en/countries/new-zealand.html

  • Sustainable development report: https://dashboards.sdgindex.org/profiles/new-zealand/