Kurawaka exhibition launch at the National Library in March with Amy Rice, Suzanne Manning, Aleisha Amohia, Kerri Dupont and me, Emma Catteau.

Kia ora tātou

My name is Emma, and as some of you might know, I have been an intern at NCWNZ for the past five months, working as a Board Administrator, providing support to the Action Hubs, Parliamentary Watch Committee and Diversity Committee. However, this enriching experience comes to an end as I am ready to start the next steps of my studies back in France, starting my Masters in Political Sciences, specializing in Strategy, Intelligence and Risk Management.

Working with Te Kaunihera Wāhine o Aotearoa | National Council of Women of New Zealand has been an incredible opportunity that I am truly grateful for. I did not only learn how to work and execute tasks for an organisation, but I discovered what it is like to be part of it. It has been a pleasure to engage with the different bodies of NCWNZ, whether it is by participating in Wellington Branch’s meetings, organising the Misogyny Webinar with the Influence and Decision-making Action Hub, collaborating with the CEDAW group on the written response to the Draft CEDAW Report, or coordinating the meetings of the Diversity Committee.

Pictures taken at the Fiordland National Park and Milford Sounds by Emma Catteau.

I have had countless occasions to meet new, inspiring, and hard-working people carrying values of respect, inclusivity, diversity and constantly fighting and advocating for gender equality. I had a glimpse of what it is like to take part of New Zealand’s political climate, its development of gender equality policies and the importance of intersectionality in the very specific context of New Zealand’s commitment to Te Tiriti o Waitangi.

Living in New Zealand has been amazing, and I’ve been extremely lucky to be able to travel around the country. I got to see some mind-blowing landscapes, learned about the history of the country and its Indigenous people, witnessed some amazing art pieces and, obviously, got to go to a number of touristy spots. Kiwis are incredibly welcoming, always made me feel at home and taught me a lot about their culture and about myself, and I believe there will always be a little part of me that stays here, in Aotearoa.

Thanks a lot to everyone who has joined me in this journey. I would like to finish with this Māori proverb that emphasizes on the importance of collaborating to reach our objectives, which I think is a great way to describe the way NCWNZ works towards gender equality.

“Ma whero ma pango ka oti ai te mahi”
With red and black the work will be complete

To read more articles from The Circular (May-June 2023) issue 641, click on the tag below.