Brooke van Velden, Deputy Leader of New Zealand’s ACT Party, delivered a striking and pointed speech in Parliament that both defended the integrity of women in government and sharply criticised journalist Andrea Vance for what van Velden described as deeply misogynistic commentary.
In her speech, van Velden directly challenged an article written by Vance that referred to senior female Cabinet ministers using language she condemned as “gendered and patronising”. Phrases such as “girl bosses”, “height squads”, “girl math” and even the vulgar term “cunts” were singled out by van Velden as unacceptable and demeaning. By drawing attention to this language, she powerfully underscored how even supposedly progressive journalism can perpetuate harmful stereotypes about women, especially those in positions of power.
Van Velden’s critique was not merely a defence of the women in government; it was a broader stand against the normalisation of sexist rhetoric in public discourse. She asserted that “no woman in this Parliament nor in this country should be subjected to sex-based discrimination”, sending a clear message that political critique should never descend into gendered mockery.
What made her speech particularly impactful was her refusal to allow party loyalties to override principle. She praised former Labour Minister for Women Jan Tinetti’s earlier stance on misogynistic abuse.
This was not a mere point-scoring exercise; it was a moment of moral clarity. Van Velden, speaking as a woman in leadership herself, called out what she viewed as gutter journalism: commentary that cloaks itself in wit yet traffics in demeaning portrayals of women.
By doing so, she elevated the tone of debate in Parliament and positioned herself as a principled defender of women’s dignity across the political spectrum, highlighting Andrea Vance as a journalist whose recent work, according to van Velden, crossed the line from fair critique into sexism.
Brooke van Velden’s speech was powerful because it refused to accept the normalisation of sexist language, held the media to account, and affirmed the competence and integrity of women in politics with moral courage and rhetorical precision.
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