New Zealand organizations that are engaged in community development practice to empower women are disadvantaged under neo-liberal and Third Way-style policies of the New Zealand government.

Recent research has shown that community development work in New Zealand has been marginalized as a result of partnering with government, due in part to a focus on the funding of service provision to meet government priorities rather than projects that respond directly to community-felt needs.

Community development is further disadvantaged by the universalizing of social policy and inadequate mainstreaming of gender issues that has suppressed rather than advanced the place of women in community development.

https://doi.org/10.1093/cdj/bsr033

The impact of NZ third way style government on women in community development by Jenny Aimers. Community Development Journal, Oxford University Press, Volume 46 (3). 302 – 314.