The Indian Weekender

8
NEW ZEALAND
Friday, 12 August, 2022
Read online www.iwk.co.nz
Period poverty widespread in NZ
VENU MENON
It may come as a surprise to many
that New Zealand is among the list
of countries that are experiencing
period poverty.
Period poverty is defined as the lack of
access to sanitary products, menstrual
hygiene education, toilets, hand washing
facilities and waste management.
Every day, girls and women around
the world miss school or work because
they are unable to manage their periods,
studies indicated.
A recent Otago University study
estimated that 94,788 girls between
the ages of 9 and 18 may not be able
to afford period products in NZ, and may
be staying home during their periods, as
a result.
Shuari Naidoo, a student at Victoria
University in Wellington, as well as the
CEO and founder of Moraka Menstrual
Cups, saw herself as a period activist on
a mission to counteract period poverty
in NZ, by creating affordable and
sustainable period products.
“We should strive towards ending
period poverty in society and making
sure that people have access to period
products, but also improving our
relationship with periods,” Naidoo told
the Indian Weekender.
Naidoo said one in five New Zealanders
had experienced period poverty.
The rate was higher for Maori and
Pasifika populations, with 60 per cent of
Maori youth having experienced period
poverty, according to Naidoo.
Naidoo described period poverty as a
Shuari Naidoo
“silent issue” that people didn’t want to
be seen to be struggling with.
The problem was not limited to
pockets of society, but occurred across
communities, Naidoo noted.
“It affects Maori, Pasifika, Pakeha,
Asian, immigrant, people from refugee
backgrounds. And it primarily affects
people on middle to lower incomes.”
Naidoo believed period poverty was
driven by a combination of factors,
such as income, “meaning one can’t
afford the monthly burden of buying
pads and tampons”, and also the stigma
associated with periods.
Issues that affect women or subjects
that are pertinent to women were often
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stigmatised, Naidoo contended.
Naidoo’s company is based in NZ
and usually trades with universities,
NGOs and direct-to-consumer markets
in NZ. “But we are definitely looking to
Australia in the near future.”
Naidoo started Moraka Menstrual Cups
when she was 16 years old, under the
Young Enterprise Scheme.
She was inspired by her mother who
wanted to start a menstrual cup business
but didn’t feel the time was right. Then,
in 2012, she had a conversation about
it with Naidoo. The company came to
fruition in 2019.
We should strive towards
ending period poverty in
society and making sure
that people have access to
period products, but also
improving our relationship
with periods. It affects
Maori, Pasifika, Pakeha,
Asian, immigrant, people
from refugee backgrounds.
And it primarily affects
people on middle to lower
incomes."
How viable is her product as compared
to other period products?
“We try to make our cups as
affordable as possible. The average
menstrual cups cost around $ 30 to $
90, which is unaffordable for people of
middle to lower incomes. Buying pads
and tampons monthly can be a financial
burden for people.”
But Naidoo conceded the average
cost of menstrual cups was still high. So,
her strategy was to “get people through
the door” by pricing her product at an
“affordable cost.”
Moraka’s menstrual cups, that
Naidoo claimed were made from “100
per cent medical grade silicone,”
cost $22 a piece.
That still presented a conundrum
for buyers accustomed to
cost-effective alternatives.
But Naidoo argued menstrual cups
eliminated the cost of buying monthly
pads and tampons and allowed
people to access period products
instead. “You’re able to go about your
everyday life without having to pay
for pads and tampons.
"Furthermore, menstrual cups
lasted 10 years. So that’s 10
years’ worth of period products
in just one cup.”
That was a debate for the market to
resolve. Meanwhile, Naidoo remained
firm that “the period equity movement
would only get bigger.”
Indian retailers raise
concern on ram-raids,
rising crime
SANDEEP
SINGH
Ne w
Zealand
Indian
B u s i n e s s
Association
(NZIBA) – an
association of
Indian retailers
– has expressed
concerns about the unabated rise in
crime and ram raids along with the
government’s perceived “soft on crime
approach.”
A general meeting was held by the
members of the association on August 8
in South Auckland to share the concerns
around the safety of retailers, their
staff and customers, where a consensus
emerged that the government was not
doing enough to curb retail crime.
Speaking with the Indian Weekender
Chairperson of NZIBA, Davinder Rahal,
said, “The members present in the
meeting denounced the steps taken
by the government so far which they
feel would not result in any productive
outcome.”
“We strongly believe that there is
a serious need for judicial review, with
a focus on how to make laws harsher
for the serious crime perpetrators,” Mr
Rahal said.
Jaspreet S. Kandhari, General Secretary
NZ Indian Business Association, said,
“The ethnic businesses in particular,
which become the main target and
victims, have started to feel that
that the government has been largely
lackadaisical in dealing with this issue.”
Need to provide more support to victims
of retail-crime
The retailer association also expressed
the view that there was an urgent need
for a more collaborative approach
to delivering post-crime relief to the
victims of retail crime, who are largely
left on their own to deal with the cost of
invasion at their workplaces.
• Continued on Page 9