Erin Jackson: The one thing I learnt from meeting the Dalai Lama

Thursday, 20 October 2022

Erin Jackson is working to improve gender equality in Aotearoa through The Gender Project and MindTheGap.

Anyone who’s taken even a cursory glance at gender equality in Aotearoa can see that things aren’t rosy: there’s the 9.1% gender pay gap, where women receive only 90.9 cents for every dollar men are paid, women’s average hourly wages are 13% lower than men’s and a World Economic Forum report last year ranked New Zealand 106 in the world for the health and survival gap between men and women.

It’s what motivates Erin Jackson, 33, to fight for social justice. The Queenstown mother of Theodore, 5, and 1-year-old Florence tells Sharon Stephenson how South Africa and the Canterbury quakes changed her life and about holding the Dalai Lama’s hand.

Where did it all start for you?

I was born in Auckland but moved to Pretoria with my father’s job when I was 6. I spent my primary school years in South Africa until my parents moved us to Christchurch for high school.

* 'MindTheGap' campaign delivers 8000-signature petition to Parliament

* Report finds gender, ethnic disparities in NZ pay gap: Pacific women the hardest-hit

What was it like living in South Africa?

It was immediately post apartheid so the country was grappling with questions around equality and fairness. We had a maid, which wasn’t uncommon there, and I remember asking her who she voted for in the election.

It was the first election that she, as a black woman, was able to vote in. I remember my mother was appalled by my question and I was so young I didn’t realise what a loaded question it was. But those early experiences of social injustice really stuck with me and the intention was to eventually move overseas to tackle those big issues. Then I realised we have our own social injustice issues right here.

You wanted to be a lawyer, right?

I did a law degree at Canterbury University and the plan was to move to Wellington to work somewhere like Mfat [Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Trade]. But then the Canterbury quakes happened and I was one of the founding crew of the Student Volunteer Army.

That experience of mobilising relief efforts and finding solutions changed my whole outlook on life. I saw that I didn’t have to follow a traditional path or get a “real” job. Disasters such as Covid and earthquakes give you permission to rethink things.

How did that lead to your company Narrative Campaigns?

In Aotearoa, women receive only 90.9 cents for every dollar men are paid.

I didn’t set out to start a business, it just happened. After the quakes, I began helping start-ups and charities to be heard with brand building, communications and fundraising.

I was in a meeting with some Aucklanders after the quakes and they said “you have to change the narrative of this city”. It’s not often young people get the chance to rebuild a city and make it the kind of place we want to live in.

What do you do?

We work across Aotearoa with companies that align with our sustainable goals, from NGOs and environmental agencies to, recently, a mayoral campaign. It’s about doing work that advances the world in some way.

How did you get involved in the gender justice collective, The Gender Project?

Three of us set it up before the 2020 general election as a way of putting an intersectional feminist matrix across government policies. We ran a survey that showed health care was the top of Kiwi women’s concerns.

As a result of our work, the National Women’s Health Strategy was passed into law in June this year. We’re also working on the Single Parents Project to look at the system-wide challenges and barriers faced by single parents.

The Dalai Lama acknowledges his supporters at the CBS Canterbury Arena.

And you’re part of MindTheGap?

This is work being done to address New Zealand’s pay gap, including establishing the country’s first public pay gap registry. It’s a first step in businesses doing something about inequity in the workplace, particularly for women and ethnic groups.

When did you meet the Dalai Lama?

I was the Canterbury University Student Association President for two years and in 2013 we hosted the Dalai Lama for a Q&A session.

I was MCing it and he reached out and held my hand the entire time, which was a mind-blowing, once-in-a-lifetime experience. What stuck with me was how he paused before answering a question, and that he responded not reacted. It’s an approach we could all learn from.

What inspires you?

The opportunity for Aotearoa to become a nation that leads the way in terms of gender equality and diversity. Doing this work with two small children isn’t easy and I’m thankful for an amazing husband, the privilege of flexibility and supportive colleagues and friends who make it all possible.

But on the days when it seems too hard, I look at my children and realise this is why we need to do this work because these are the kinds of issues that will improve their lives. I want my children to grow up in a place of equality – of access, of education, of justice and of gender.