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January-February 2025, Issue 650 | Action Hubs | News | GenderEqual NZ | |
Table of Contents
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| Suzanne Manning NCWNZ President |
President's kōrero
I was very privileged this week to joint with Aleisha Amohia to present NCWNZ’s opposition to the Treaty Principles Bill to the Justice Select Committee – and we were in good company, as you can read about in The Spinoff. Thanks to the whole team who produced the written submission and supported us with the oral. At the same time, I was dismayed that it was necessary for us, and so many other people, having to defend Te Tiriti o Waitangi. The Bill is a betrayal of the people’s trust that our government will act constitutionally, democratically and responsibly. Let us hope that this situation is never repeated.
As we head into March and International Women’s Day (check out our website for a list of events), our support for Te Tiriti and the rights of wāhine Māori is one of our key issues to highlight. As is our call for better regulation and an independent media regulator to better protect women from online harrassment. Other issues are to remind our government to give high priority to women’s reproductive health, eliminating gender-based violence, and teaching health relationships at school. Yet another issue is advocating for women to be at the decision-making tables when talking about the climate crisis. And these are just the more prominent issues our Action Hubs are working on, there is so much more. Thank you to all the Action Hub and other members who contribute to this mahi | work. If you’re not already a member of an Action Hub and you would like to join in with creating impactful social change, email the Hub of your choice – health, climate, education, economics, influence, international – all @ncwnz.org.nz. If you’re an organisational member, remember you can send an organisational representative to any (or all) of these Hubs for no extra membership fee, and it does not have to be the official contact person. We look forward to seeing you all online at the meetings!
This year we will be running the next Gender Attitudes survey with our partners Rangahau Aotearoa | Research NZ, funded by the Ministry for Women. This will be the fifth biennial survey, which means that the time series is increasingly able to show trends and not just single data points. This was always the purpose of the survey, so it is exciting that we are now at this stage. Look out for the launch of this year’s survey results around Suffrage Day in September.
Ngā mihi nui ki a koutou,
Suzanne
IWD 2025 is just around the corner
As usual, we're looking forward to International Women's Day on 8 March and we're celebrating the UN Women NZ theme of "March Forward: From Promises to Progress" and the hashtag #MarchForward.
This year we have quite a few resources to help you celebrate! Be sure you're keeping an eye on our social media channels so you don't miss out.
- Another curated IWD events page for 2025. There are some great events happening all over the country, so be sure to check them out! And it's not to late to add your IWD events to our page. Just email [email protected] to find out how.
- Some giveaways of cool feminist enamel pins on each of our social channels. Make sure you check Facebook, Instagram and LinkedIn for your chance to enter. There's a different set of badges on offer in each channel.
- A toolkit to help you celebrate IWD at home, at work or with your friends, including posters and an IWD themed quiz. The toolkit will be launched from our social channels, so keep an eye out at the beginning of the week.
- A set of social posts on our pages about amazing milestones in history where women have marched forward around the world
Update on NCWNZ submissions
It's been a busy few months in the lead up to, and during the holidays period, with submissions including the Mental Health Bill and Evidence of Family Violence Bill.
The pace has continued with eight submissions completed in 2025 to date:
- Principles of the Treaty of Waitangi Bill - written and oral submissions
- Employment Relations (Employee Remuneration Disclosure) Amendment Bill - written and oral submissions
- Crimes Legislation (Stalking and Harassment) Amendment Bill
- Pae Ora (Healthy Futures) (3 Day Postnatal Stay) Amendment Bill
- Health NZ/Te Whatu Ora Planning, Funding & Outcomes Change Proposal (PFO)
- Proposal to fund the contraceptive pill Desogestrel (Cerazette)
Currently underway is a submission on the Department of Conservation proposal: Modernising Conservation Land Management, due 28 February 2025.
Submissions can be viewed on the NCWNZ website here: https://www.ncwnz.org.nz/submissions.
Please email [email protected] if you identify an opportunity for NCWNZ.
Ngā mihi,
Julie Thomas, Parliamentary Watch Committee Convenor
Welcome NCWNZ's new Board Admin, Amandine
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| Photo supplied by Amandine Chabrier. |
Kia ora koutou! Bonjour tout le monde!
I'm Amandine, the Board admin's new French intern at NCWNZ, and I'll be there until the end of May! Passionate about international relations and keen to discover the role of an NGO in politics, as well as getting involved in women's rights, I thought your long-established and well-known organization would be the ideal place for me.
I can already say that I've learned a lot since I arrived in mid-January, and that politics in New Zealand is very interesting. I'm not likely to get bored!
And I am, of course, extremely grateful and happy to be part of your team for a few months and to be in such an extraordinary country as New Zealand. I can't wait to discover it in greater depth, and I really look forward to meeting you all. 💐
Amandine Chabrier, NCWNZ Board Administrator
Submissions on Stalking and Harassment Bill by Auckland Coalition and NCWNZ
The Auckland Coalition for the Safety of Women and Children - established in 2006 and including the NCWNZ Auckland branch among its members - has been lobbying for many years to amend the Crimes Act legislation. The Coalition has been consulted several times by Ministry staff and MPs have visited them in person. A draft bill, written in most part by Coalition members Alison Towns and Carrie Leonetti, Associate Professor of Law. Many drafts were reviewed by members of the Coalition as well as several NCWNZ Action Hub convenors, before it was submitted to various Ministries prior to this particular bill's development.
With the release of the proposed Crimes Legislation (Stalking and Harassment) Amendment Bill at the end of 2024 and Parliament's Justice Select Committee now receiving submissions on the same, we are hopeful that real progress will be made this year. In its current state, however, the Bill contains a number of flaws that have the potential to make arrests and prosecution for stalking even more difficult than is the case with existing legislation.
There are several elements in the current version of the Bill that were added late in its development and to which - if the Coalition members had known of these additions during meetings with MPs - would have been described as problems.
Download the submission by the Coalition for the Safety of Women and Children here (.pdf file). The major changes that the Coalition urges the Ministry to make before presenting it to Parliament are to remove the following:
- the phrase that the offender behaves in such a way "knowing that it is likely to cause fear or distress"
- that the actions of the stalker take place "on at least 3 separate occasions within a period of 12 months"
If these items are not removed, fewer people would be prosecuted than there are today. These seemingly minor additions to the draft Bill have increased the burden of proof on the victim. Even a common assault charge does not require the victim to evidence their fear or distress.
The Coalition's submission advocates for the adoption of a “knows or ought to know” standard, ensuring accountability for reckless and deliberate behaviours. The criminal harassment section of the Harassment Act (which this Bill repeals) states that a person is guilty of harassment if they “know or ought to know” that their actions are harassing. This approach is aligned with the legal principle of constructive knowledge, which holds individuals responsible for the reasonably foreseeable consequences of their actions. The phrase “knows or ought to know” is used in other legal jurisdictions including England and Wales, and Victoria, Australia, in addition to our current Harassment Act. The Coalition's submission has several clear and interesting points to make on the current drafting of the Bill and how it might be improved to address real experiences the Coalition members encounter every day.
NCWNZ has also presented a submission on the Bill - you can download that document (.pdf file) here. In spite of the short timeframe for collecting responses, and an Action Item being circulated during the summer break, NCWNZ members - individuals, organisations, and branches - were generous in providing input to this important Bill. The lived experience of victims of stalking and the voices of NCWNZ's diverse membership give real strength to the submission. The NCWNZ submission refers readers to existing laws in Australia and Canada which currently work to protect women and children from stalking. The NCWNZ emphasised also that the Bill as currently written "is not sufficiently victim-focussed." A convincing argument against the 3-strikes count was to show that this was out of step with NZ's current Harassment Act 1997 that specifies the pattern of offending as "doing any specified act to the other person on at least 2 separate occasions within a period of 12 months.”
Both submissions are carefully written and based in real experiences by women and children in New Zealand. Both organisations wish to see the rehabilitation of offenders included in the consequential amendments to the Sentencing Act 2002. These submissions are a powerful example of how transparency in a democratic government and networked voices of women activists works.
This article was written with the help of Leonie Morris (Project Lead, Aotearoa Free from Stalking), Alison Towns (Coalition for the Safety of Women and Children), and Bernice Williams (NCWNZ).
A NCWNZ development opportunity: training for submission writers
Submissions are one of the ways NCWNZ works to inform and influence law and policy. They represent the views of our members, and require a collective and collaborative effort.
We need to grow our writing team to sustain this important mahi. You may be a subject matter expert or have a broad interest in gender equality. You need an ability to analyse and present complex information in accessible language, to be collaborative and have great time management.
The training will include two 2-hour online workshops and buddying with an experienced writer as needed. Dates are to be confirmed for May.
If you are interested in this opportunity, please email our new Board Administrator Amandine Chabrier by 30 March at [email protected]. Include a brief outline of your interest and what you most need from the training.
Julie Thomas
Parliamentary Watch Committee Convenor
[email protected]
CHART: 2025 New Year honours
The King has issued honours awards in the 2025 New Years list. Men received 52% (100) of the 2025 New Year Honours, with women receiving 47% (90) and intersex 1% (1). Men and women equally received the higher awards (ONZ to MNZM). Men received 54% (37) and women 45% (31) and intersex 1% (1) of KSOs and KSMs. There were more awards for arts related activities 11% (21) than sports related ones 8% (16). The last time there were more than 190 honours awarded was New Year 2019, when there were 196 with women receiving 51%.
Sixteen awards were given for services to survivors of abuse in care: 9 KSOs (6 to men, 1 to intersex, 2 to women) and 7 KSMs (5 to men, 2 to women).
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2025 New Year honours |
|||||||
|
Award |
Male |
Mx |
Female |
total |
% Male |
% Mx |
% Female |
|
ONZ + additional / honorary |
0 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
0% |
0% |
0% |
|
GNZM / DNZM / KNZM / hon |
3 |
0 |
3 |
6 |
50% |
0% |
50% |
|
CNZM + honorary member |
9 |
0 |
7 |
16 |
56% |
0% |
44% |
|
ONZM + honorary member |
18 |
0 |
13 |
31 |
58% |
0% |
42% |
|
MNZM + honorary member |
30 |
0 |
28 |
58 |
52% |
0% |
55% |
|
KSO |
7 |
1 |
3 |
11 |
64% |
9% |
27% |
|
KSM + honorary member |
30 |
0 |
28 | 58 | 52% | 0% | 48% |
|
NZAM |
2 |
0 |
0 |
2 |
100% |
0% |
0% |
|
DSD |
1 |
0 |
0 |
1 |
100% |
0% |
0% |
|
NZBD + NZBM |
0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0% | 0% | 0% |
|
Total |
100 |
1 |
90 |
191 |
52% |
1% |
47% |
|
sport-related |
16 |
||||||
|
arts-related |
21 |
||||||
|
ONZ to MNZM |
60 |
0 |
59 |
119 |
50% |
0% |
50% |
|
KSO & KSM |
37 |
1 |
31 |
69 |
54% |
1% |
45% |
Congratulations to all the winners, especially the following who were acknowledged for their contribution to women:
- CNZM
- Robin SCHOLES, OBE, of Auckland, for services to the screen industry. Robin is a past Board member of Women in Film and Television.
- Kennie TSUI, of Wellington, for services to the environment and governance. Kennie was appointed as the Deputy President of Engineering New Zealand, the first Asian woman on the Board in its 110-year history.
- ONZM
- Christine Rewa PANAPA, MNZM, of Auckland, for services to Māori. Christine was President of New Zealand Women’s Rugby League from 1994 to 2013 and Chairperson of Kiwi Ferns Rugby League from 1994 to 2016.
- MNZM
- Deborah Claire MACKENZIE, of Auckland, for services to victims of domestic violence. Deborah has been advocating for more than 20 years to improve New Zealand's response to violence against women and children. In 2017, she co-founded The Backbone Collective, an independent charity which gathers victim-survivor insights to inform policy and practice.
- Hilary Dawn SANGSTER, of Ranfurly, for services to governance. Dawn was the third woman ever to be elected to The Alliance Group Board of Directors in 2011, where she served until 2023, inspiring and actively supporting other women to step into governance.
- Anita Gay VARGA, of Matamata, for services to women and the construction industry. Anita was the first woman to hold the Regional Manager position at Fulton Hogan. She has mentored and guided women into leadership roles and supported leaders to motivate young men and women into the construction industry. Passionate about development, she has encouraged multiple women into tertiary qualifications. She was instrumental in the introduction of personal protective equipment (PPE) in the Tauranga region and introduced specially designed equipment for pregnant individuals. She has been Chair of the National Association of Women in Construction New Zealand since 2022.
- KSM
- Sandra Lois May CURD, JP, of Ashburton, for services to the community. Sandra has been a member of Rural Women New Zealand (then known as Women’s Division Federated Farmers) since 1981, serving on its Winchmore Branch as a Secretary, Treasurer and President.
- Patricia Annette MACAULAY, of Mosgiel, for services to the community. Patricia has committed more than 50 years to rural communities, particularly through Rural Women New Zealand (RWNZ). She has also been involved with other organisations, including Plunket, Playcentre, the Parent-Teacher Association and Scouts groups.
- Jyoti PARASHAR, JP, of Auckland, for services to the community. In 2017, Jyoti founded ‘Sakhi’, a support group for women that provides a platform for empowerment and through which she has been supporting women experiencing domestic violence.
- Teremoana TEREPAI, of Auckland, for services to the Pacific community and seniors. Teremoana is a member of the PACIFICA Tāmaki Branch.
- Margaret Ann VICKERS, of New Plymouth, for services to the community. Margaret is an advocate for rural women in the Taranaki region. She has been a member of Rural Women New Zealand (previously Women’s Division Federated Farmers) since 1968, serving at various times on the Midhurst Branch’s committee as Secretary and President.
Information about nominating someone for an honour is available on the Department of the Prime Minister and Cabinet website. Nomination forms are accepted throughout the year, but the processing and consideration of nominations is likely to take at least six months prior to the announcement of an honours list at King's Birthday or New Year.
By
Beryl Anderson ONZM
Milestones: NCWNZ organisational history
Some key milestones in the history of the National Council of Women of New Zealand:
1896
A national meeting of representatives of women's organisations in New Zealand was held April 1896 in the Christchurch Provincial Chambers and chaired by Wilhelmina Sherriff Bain, president of the Canterbury Women's Institute. Kate Sheppard representing the Canterbury Women's Institute was elected President of the newly created NCWNZ. The Vice Presidents elected were: Lady Anna Stout representing the Southern Cross Society of Wellington, Annie Jane Schnackenberg representing the Women's Christian Temperance Union of New Zealand, Margaret Sievwright representing the Gisborne Women's Political League, and Marion Hatton representing the Dunedin Women's Franchise League. Ada Wells of the Canterbury Women's Institute was elected secretary; and, Bain elected treasurer.
1900
NCWNZ officially affiliated with the International Council of Women.
1919
NCWNZ stopped meeting after its last convention in 1902 and went into recess from 1906-1918. In September 1919 the national office under the leadership of Ellen Melville became more of a coordinating body that worked with the member oranisations and local branches to distribute the load of organising campaigns and raising awareness of key issues. The first branch was established at Wellington, followed shortly by the formation of branches at Auckland, Christchurch, Dunedin, and Gisborne.
1924
The NCWNZ office began publishing the N.C.W. News - and by 1928 this was replaced with the N.C.W. Bulletin.
1958
A newsletter to keep members up to date and to solicit information from branches across the nation was started: The Circular. Eventually, this publication was expanded and made public to non-members - these issues are archived in the National Library of New Zealand.
1959
The NCWNZ was registered as an incorporated society.
1961
The national magazine, The Journal of the National Council of Women in New Zealand, which had replaced the N.C.W. Bulletin in 1952, was superseded by the publication N.C.W. Quarterly: Women's Viewpoint which ran from 1960 to 1974.
1966
NCWNZ President Mavis Tiller CBE began enhancing the role of the Parliamentary Watch Committee by disposing of the 1966 resolution that the Council only make submissions to Parliament in exceptional circumstances. Under her leadership the NCWNZ set up standing committees to focus on specific topics and to support local branches in raising awareness in those issues impacting women.
1974
NCWNZ purchased its first permanent headquarters in Wellington.
1979-1984
Dame Miriam Dell was the first New Zealand president of the International Council of Women.
1996
NCWNZ marked its centennial and historian Dorothy Page wrote The National Council of Women: A Centennial History (Bridget Williams Books, 1996).
2014
The Circular began being published as a .pdf file and attached to emails rather than using postal mail to send out a hard copy.
2017
NCWNZ partnered with Research NZ to undertake a comprehensive survey of gender attitudes in Aotearoa New Zealand every two years. This longitudinal Gender Attitudes survey is supported by many different partners, including Nebty Consulting, Special Ad Service, XEquals Code & Creative, Buddle Findlay Lawyers, Henry Hughes Intellectual Property, Spire Digital Experience, and Jackson Stone & Partners.
2022
At a Special General Meeting in March 2022 chaired by NCWNZ President Suzanne Manning, a new constitution was enacted, creating Action Hubs. They are based on the areas of inequality the NCWNZ has chosen to focus on: Climate Change & Environmental Sustainability; Economic Independence; Education; Influence & Decision Making; International; and, Safety, Health & Wellbeing.
Jewish and Palestinian Women’s Peace Groups nominated for 2025 Nobel Peace Prize
For 10 years, Women Wage Peace (Israeli) and Women of the Sun (Palestinian) have been working towards peace between Israel and Palestine, both separately and in partnership – see the Mothers' Call which sets out their joint desire for a peaceful resolution. They have been nominated for a Nobel Peace Prize because of their efforts, which – even if they do not win – will highlight their efforts to end conflict. This is a great example of women working together across borders for peace.
Helene Ritchie, the current New Zealand President of the International Council of Jewish Women (ICJW) and the Vice President of the Asia-Pacific region, has similarly made a commitment to pursuing peace in the Middle East during her presidential term. The International Council of Jewish Women, which has 35 member countries, holds an annual conference in May. Last year in Bratislava, Helene spoke about the work of the two organisations Women Wage Peace and Women of the Sun. This year, Helene is advocating for ICJW to partner with and support these two organisations. She is working towards presenting such a proposal for discussion at this May’s ICJW in Paris, through discussions with the two organisations and the President of ICJW.
NCWNZ wishes Helene and the New Zealand ICJW all the best for success in their endeavours to bring more women together to support a peaceful resolution.
By
Suzanne Manning, NCWNZ President
Whooping cough and women scientists
According to Public Health experts, we are in the middle of a global outbreak of whooping cough. Health services across Aotearoa New Zealand are responding to this nationwide epidemic among mostly our youngest pēpi, with 1,232 cases notified since the onset of the epidemic (from 19 October 2024 to 10 January 2025) and 101 cases hospitalised. Pertussis can last up to three months and is sometimes referred to as the ‘hundred day cough’. Around 50% of pēpi who catch whooping cough before the age of 12 months need hospitalisation and 1 or 2 in 100 of those hospitalised pēpi die from the infection. "The best protection for infants is for their mother to be vaccinated during pregnancy," says Dr Susan Jack, National Clinical Director, Protection, at Health New Zealand | Te Whatu Ora. For adults, New Zealand has a combined pertussis and tetanus vaccine.
Did you know that the vaccine for whooping cough used today was developed by three women? Drs. Pearl Kendrick (1890-1980) and Grace Eldering (1900-1988) along with their lab technician and chemist Loney Clinton Gordon (1915-1999) deserve recognition for their ground-breaking work.
French researchers first described Bordetella pertussis as the causative agent of whooping cough in 1906. By the 1920s, pertussis had claimed the most lives of children each year, more than did each of the childhood diseases of diphtheria, scarlet fever, and measles. Pearl Kendrick of New York and her laboratory partner Grace Eldering of Montana worked together after hours on a research project at the Bureau of Laboratories for the Michigan Department of Health. The two doctors recruited Loney Clinton Gordon, a dietician, as a lab technician. Together the three women devised a program of research, conducted lab experiments, did countless field tests, and ultimately succeeded in growing pertussis (the causative) in a medium of sheep’s blood. Gordon had identified sheep blood as the key to the process of incubating the culture in petri dishes in the laboratory. They then began inoculating area children, controlling the population for research purposes. In 1940 the State of Michigan began producing and distributing the vaccine, which virtually ended the incredible toll of whooping cough deaths. Gordon, Kendrick and Eldering developed an opacity standard by which the industry could assure uniformity in judging the concentration of the organisms in the product. In 1946, the United States adopted this standard; in 1958, the World Health Organization designated it as the international standard.
Although the American medical community readily adopted this new whooping cough vaccine, the editor of the British Medical Journal expressed skepticism, arguing that none of the American studies used proper control groups and that their own trials had shown pertussis vaccines developed elsewhere to be ineffective. David Evans of the British Medical Research Council and J.S. Wilson of the London School of Hygiene used Kendrick's serum with their next series of studies in the 1950s with success. Kendrick and Eldering later successfully combined shots for diphtheria, whooping cough, and tetanus into a single DPT shot, a forerunner of the vaccine that now routinely protects 85 percent of the world’s children. In New Zealand, the first formal immunisation schedule for the delivery of triple (DTP) vaccine was drawn up in November 1960.
It's estimated that today, the vaccine saves half a million lives annually. Read more about Kendrick, Eldering and Gordon and their international impact in the essay by Carolyn G. Shapiro-Shapin here.
NCWNZ Past President Barbara Glenie QSO
This is the second of a series of articles focusing on the NCWNZ Past Presidents Oral History Project with interviews by Carol Dawber in 2016. See the introductory article in The Circular at "NCWNZ Past Presidents oral history interviews from 2016" (August 2024).
Barbara Winifred Glenie née Beckett QSO was the President of the National Council of Women of New Zealand (NCWNZ) from 1998 to 2002. Her work as president included developing NCWNZ's first strategic plan and creating an operations manual for the home office and the executive officer. Glenie remembered in her oral history interview how important it was for the NCWNZ under her leadership to maintain and strengthen the connections with the Māori Women's Welfare League and PACIFICA Inc.
Barbara Winifred Beckett was born on 20 September 1948 in Auckland to Victor Lockwood Beckett and Wilma Winifred Beckett née Lanagan. Her parents had a publishing business that they ran together. She was the youngest child of three, and they were raised in Remuera. She attended a private girls school, St. Cuthbert's College where she was a school prefect and games captain. She went straight on to Auckland University where she earned a science degree in botany in 1966. Thereafter she became a medical social worker, working at Green Lane Hospital then Auckland Hospital's child health unit focusing particularly on mental health and human development.
She married at twenty-four to Richard James Glenie who worked in his family's business, a chain of retail stores. They had three children together: Timothy (who became a cardiologist), Andrew (a lawyer), and Felicity (a civil engineer). She did part-time work at home - National Research Bureau coding and proofreading for her brother who took over the family publishing business. She also was cooking for a local delicatessen when she joined the Young Wives group at St. Aidan's Church. She joined a diocesan committee and became a delegate to NCW Auckland for the Association of Anglican Women. She told Carol Dawber, the interviewer, that she remembered feeling that she felt she was not involved enough in church to continue representing the Anglican Women, so she became a representative instead of the "Old Girls" from St. Cuthbert's College and then a delegate from the Federation of Graduate Women. While she was part of the Auckland branch, meeting at the Ellen Melville Hall once a month, the issues around abortion and the law reform split the branch.
Glenie didn't remember if NCWNZ came to a particular decision on the Abortion Law Reform because of the divisions across the branches. She became a representative for the Auckland branch to the NCWNZ Health Standing Committee, and she had fond memories of the good women she met: "thinking women" even if not holding an academic degree who contributed heartily to a good debate. The Health Standing Committee set up a task force to address the recommendations from the Cartwright Enquiry on Cervical Screening – and from that was chosen to represent NCWNZ on the District Health Board ethics committee. She became chair of that committee which addressed research proposals involving human reproductive technology issues, including IVF or turning off equipment for a minor who would never recover. When a convenor of the Health Standing Committee, she remembered working with University staff to develop a maternity services survey to get input from NCWNZ members across the country regarding the role of midwives, mortality rates, or shortening hospital stays.
During this time of serving on the NCWNZ standing committees for health and for employment, she was elected to the National Board. She remembered feeling strongly that the Board had been Wellington-focused and having a representative from Auckland was an important change. She took responsibility for The Circular and used her experience with publishing world to digitise and reformat it to include images and longer articles. She was also on the selection committee for NCWNZ's first executive officer. A year later she stood for Vice President, served for two years then stood for the presidency in 1998.
In her interview, Glenie remembered that while she was president, she encouraged younger women to do various jobs and to join the Board. Many of them were in the paid workforce and had good time management skills. She also tried to address the need for more cultural diversity in NCWNZ. She invited representatives of the Māori Women's Welfare League, PACIFICA Inc., and Shakti Community Council to meetings. She had a Board member designated to work with Pacifica women. However, she felt their efforts were only "moderately successful" since the NCWNZ governing and decision-making infrastructures were "not necessarily favoured by other ethnic groups." Early in her time, church groups had been quite strong in the NCWNZ membership but had waned. Fewer women were joining social organisations, and since NCWNZ was an umbrella group for women's groups, it was crucial for everyone to grow membership numbers. She remembered that there were more representatives from professional groups, e.g. medical women's group, women in law, and service organisations like Zonta and Soroptomist International which were gaining in strength because women using them for networking. As president, she pushed for individual memberships and encouraged branches to have "open days." She and the Board started an online forum called "Girltalk" which was open access to involve non-members in the big discussions. However, she felt that the quality of debate was not as rich with so many individual members. Usually, the member organisations would have discussed action items and brought broad-based opinions to the national level. Despite everyone's efforts membership numbers declined. She told the interviewer, “I found that whole membership thing frustrating and disappointing.”
Glenie also worked closely with Judy Lawrence, the CEO of the Ministry of Women's Affairs. She feared that the government no longer needed an umbrella group of women's organisations since the Ministry would speak with government about women's issues. She remembered that she feared the credibility of NCWNZ was diminished by falling memberships.
Meanwhile, Glenie was still working full-time, editing trade magazines for her family publishing business. She recalled being on several committees, doing her own housework and being a "keen gardener" at her home in Remuera and with three tertiary students still at home. However, she remembered missing out on family events because of board meetings scheduled in Wellington. She would attend five or six meetings a year, going down on a Thursday and returning home on Sunday. She spoke every day on the phone with the executive officer running the NCWNZ operations and connecting with other women's organisations.
Early in her time as president, she led the development of NCWNZ's first strategic plan. She got a copy of the University of Auckland's strategic plan and modelled a draft on that. The Board included a qualified accountant, a lawyer, women involved on the international scene and with a solid "business nous on the Board" she was able to move the organisation into more of a business model. The strategic plan focussed on five major goals: advocacy, membership, administration, financial, and international. She and the executive officer created an operations manual, formalising office systems rather than relying on institutional knowledge of the Wellington-based leadership. The powerhouse of NCWNZ was the standing committees. She remembered she had good convenors, and each Board member was allocated to a standing committee to take responsibility for writing submissions. Glenie ran training days for convenors; she made sure they each had a slot to speak at national meetings, and their findings were fed through to the ICW and CEDAW. This focus "stopped a scattergun approach," and stopped more vocal people getting their issues out there ahead of others.
She received an invitation from the All-China Women’s Federation to visit China, and she attended together with Jacqui Te Kani, president of the MWWL - "we were very much there as partners." She also remembered the importance of contributing to CEDAW reporting, conducting workshops around the country, and working with other organisations. In her 1999 preface to the Waikato University Population Studies Centre’s New Zealand’s Contraceptive Revolutions, Glenie spoke out as NCWNZ National President, stating: "There is no doubt that a major social revolution has come about with the introduction of the hormonal contraceptive pill." She gave credit to NCWNZ's Past President Dame Jocelyn Fish for her coordinating role. Ultimately, Glenie believed "All issues are women's issues." Her role as president was to empower women and to remember that NCWNZ "has always fought for mankind not just women, for the good of society."
In June 2004, on the occasion of the New Zealand celebration of the Queen's birthday, Barbara Glenie was awarded the QSO, Companion of the Queen's Order for Public Services.
Glenie emphasised her gratitude to the opportunities that NCWNZ gave her. She said that she personally developed important organisational skills, and that the work with the NCWNZ "broadened my mind; I saw what was like to be an employer, and I met great people I'm still networking with. I was lucky, I was paid for much of the work on panels and committees [appointed upon recommendation by NCWNZ]. I wouldn’t have had those opportunities without NCW."
~~~~~ ~~~~~ ~~~~~~ ~~~~~~
See also The Circular article on NCWNZ Past President Janet Hesketh QSM, CNZM (September 24, 2024).
Some of what's happening at local branches
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Two women dancing and menstruating. Rock art by Indigenous Australians from the Upper Yule River, Pilbara, Western Australia. Image from Wikipedia https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Culture_and_menstruation |
My name is Giuls (they/them) and I recently joined the Wellington branch of the National Council of Women of New Zealand. Thank you for having me!
I am a period advocate on a mission to educate people about the menstrual cycle. I grew up knowing nothing about periods - specifically how cool they are! But now I know how incredibly empowering it is to understand your cycle.
Recently, I have conducted a survey with two main purposes:
- to get an understanding of how familiar people are with periods and the menstrual cycle
- to find out how people prefer to access information and learn about periods and the menstrual cycle.
I posted the survey on different Facebook pages, and I collected 147 responses by 7 February 2025 (177 responses at the time of writing).
First of all, I was stunned by the number of responses! I wasn’t expecting such big feedback, and I was very grateful that so many people took the time to answer my survey.
Some other data wasn’t as surprising. Most of the respondents identify as female (92.5%), and most of them say that they’ve learned about periods in school (63.3%) or from podcasts, books or other media (63.9%).
I was curious to find out how confident people are in their knowledge of periods and the menstrual cycle. The overall results were interesting.
The majority of respondents:
- have a good knowledge of periods (54.5%)
- have some knowledge about the menstrual cycle but feel like they could know more (70.1%)
- would like to learn more about the hormones involved in the menstrual cycle (57.1%)
- would like to know more about how the menstrual cycle affects their every-day life, such as energy level, productivity, mood etc (57.1%)
- are overall interested in learning more about periods and the menstrual cycle (55.1%).
What interests me the most about the menstrual cycle is not so much the biological side of it (bleeding, how eggs get released etc), but more so how the different phases of our cycle affect our every-day life. Because they do!
Even though I’ve been tracking my cycle for years and I have become very familiar with how my body and mind behave in different phases, I’m still flabbergasted every time I think about it. I love to know that (mostly) there’s a reason why I feel the way I feel at any given point of my cycle, and that I can predict it, plan around it, and get all the support I need to make sure I use my cycle to my advantage rather than letting it become a challenge.
Of course, everyone is different, and every cycle is different. There are also many conditions people can suffer from around their cycle (for example, endometriosis or premenstrual dysphoric disorder) which I only know about in theory, and which will affect how we feel on top of what’s already going on inside us during our different phases.
But generally speaking, learning about our menstrual cycle and getting in tune with its ebbs and flows means we’re unlocking a whole new level of understanding our body and ourselves, which can make us feel free, empowered, and on top of things. We can predict when we are the most likely to feel strong, creative, giving, focused and productive, as well as when we might get more sensitive, vulnerable, emotional and overwhelmed.
This is what I wish everyone knew. Learning about my cycle truly changed my life and my entire perspective on how I move through the world every single day. My mission is to spread the word about how amazing having a period can be!
From my survey, it emerged that the preferred learning format for most people is a podcast, an audiobook, or something people can listen to in their own time (71.7%). Since this was also not a surprising response, I’m already in the process of developing a podcast (watch this space!).
But in the meantime, mostly because I love interacting with people and communities, I would also love to share more about what I know about periods and the menstrual cycle with you in a presentation. This would also be a great chance to engage with you in person, and to get the conversation going around periods and the menstrual cycle.
I would love to interview people on issues I have little or no knowledge or experience on, such as endometriosis and premenstrual dysphoric disorder (if this is you and you’d like to be involved, please reach out!). I would also be interested in knowing what people are the most curious about, and if there’s anything in particular you’d like to know!
Thank you again for making this space available to me. I am so excited to meet you and get involved.
Periods can truly be the best thing ever. Once we learn how to get in tune with our cycle, we can use it to our advantage and start living our best life - one period at a time.
Resources to share in meetings and with your networks
The Climate Chronicles (TheClimateChronicles.com) is a new resource designed to support scholars, educators, and students exploring the historical dimensions of climate change. The Climate Chronicles is a free audiobook, presented in a podcast, that uses storytelling and music to engage high school and university students. In 42 episodes, each about 30 long, it takes listeners through a history of climate change, from the evolution of our species to the present era of rapid global heating. The Climate Chronicles website includes video trailers as well as transcripts with graphs, maps, and citations that should be useful for any groups. There will be eight seasons in total, each five episodes long. The first season – which explores the role of climate change in the origins of humanity – has now been released. To read more about this project, see the announcement on H-Net Commons: https://networks.h-net.org/group/announcements/20060116/new-resource-climate-history-climate-chronicles.
“Building a World Without Violence: A WILPF Toolkit on Gender-Based Violence” Women's International League for Peace & Freedom (5 December 2024).
https://www.wilpf.org/publications/building-a-world-without-violence-a-wilpf-toolkit-on-gender-based-violence/
This 26-page resource explores the root causes of gender-based violence, its structural impact, and provides actionable tools for prevention and advocacy. The Women's UN Report Network recommends for us to use this toolkit in our work to challenge harmful norms and to create a more equitable world.
Mary Robinson, first woman president of Ireland (1990-1997) and recipient of the New Zealand Suffrage Centennial Medal, has started Project Dandelion. This women-led global campaign for climate justice using the symbol of a dandelion - it is resilient and grows on every continent. See her video at "Times Radio" Instagram post: https://www.instagram.com/reel/DFFW-hDozfh/?igsh=dG96dHNjaWZrY3o1 [NOTE: be sure you don't read the comments - as with social media of so many women political figures, the misogyny is raw and rampant.]
The Women's World Summit Foundation (WWSF) has issued a call for nominations for the Prize for Women's Creativity in Rural Life. the Prize (US$ 1000 per laureate) honors women and women's groups around the world exhibiting exceptional creativity, courage and commitment for the improvement of the quality of life in rural communities (492 prizes awarded so far). Nomination materials should arrive no later than 30 April through the post. E-mail nominations are no longer accepted.
Readings to consider
The Committee of Publication Ethics (COPE), in support of the global scholarly publishing community, has issued a response to "concerns raised regarding prohibition of specific terminology, and restrictions on researchers’ activities and collaborations." You can see the full position paper here: https://publicationethics.org/guidance/cope-position/banned-terms-scholarly-publications-and-restrictions-researchers-activities. A most egregious offense is a recent Executive Order (20 January 2025) by U.S. President Trump: "Defending Women from Gender Ideology Extremism and Restoring Biological Truth to the Federal Government" which you can find at https://www.whitehouse.gov/presidential-actions/2025/01/defending-women-from-gender-ideology-extremism-and-restoring-biological-truth-to-the-federal-government/.
from Beryl Anderson:
Despite the requirements of the CEDAW concerning technology-facilitated gender-based violence, there remains little international agreement on which terminology, definitions, or regulatory frameworks should be implemented to address the problem. These inconsistencies and the novel forms of technology-facilitated gender-based violence arising from technological advances have led many scholars to warn that current national laws are insufficient to address and prevent the full spectrum of technology-facilitated gender-based violence. Read more at https://www.theregreview.org/2025/01/18/seminar-international-solutions-to-technology-facilitated-gender-based-violence/.
See also the UN General Assembly Resolution - "Intensification of efforts to prevent & eliminate violence against women & girls: The Digital Environment"
https://digitallibrary.un.org/record/4071605?v=pdf#files
from Christine King:
This workbook "offers essential tools to unpack complex ideas such as 'modernity' while reimagining the agency of Global South women."
Shubha Chacko, "Decolonial Feminism: Charting a Path Towards a Just and Liberatory Tomorrow," BRICS Feminist Watch (2024): https://knowledgehub.southfeministfutures.org/kb/decolonial-feminism-charting-a-path-towards-a-just-and-liberatory-tomorrow/
Stories to celebrate
The work of the Online Safety Coalition is being recognised. Check out the RNZ article that highlights the Coalition's call for independent regulator with enforcement powers.
https://www.rnz.co.nz/news/in-depth/542415/netsafe-s-tech-ties-spark-calls-for-independent-regulator
An exploration of the influence of curator Nancy Adams on the gardens by the old Dominion Museum building (predecessor to Te Papa) and Carillon in Buckle Street.
Lucia Adams and Margo Montes de Oca, "Nancy Adams: Botanist, artist… and landscaper" (21 Feb 2025), Blog, Museum of New Zealand Te Papa Tongarewa. https://blog.tepapa.govt.nz/2025/02/21/nancy-adams-botanist-artist-and-landscaper/
Save the Date! Women Deliver 2026 Conference is April 27-30, 2026, in Melbourne, Australia. "This marks a historic first for Women Deliver - a regionally-hosted conference that shifts power to feminists from the Oceanic Pacific Region, creating a transformative space to shape a progressive Post-2030 Agenda." Wouldn't it be great to get a NCWNZ delegation together to go? https://womendeliver.org/wd2026/
A Waikato woman has broken the women's world record for sheep shearing. On 23 February 2025, Alexia Phillips sheared 367 merino ewes in eight hours. She started at 7.30 a.m. and sheared more than 45 sheep an hour, clipping a total of almost 1.6 tonnes. Read more in the RNZ article here.
Dates to note for March 2025
1 March - UNAIDS Zero Discrimination Day, this year's theme: "We stand together."
5 March - International Day for Disarmament and
Non-Proliferation Awareness
8 March - International Women's Day
10 March - Speakers, discussion and workshop 5:30-7:30 p.m. "How to talk about climate action" - register at https://events.humanitix.com/how-to-talk-about-climate-action-speakers-discussion-and-workshop
10 March -International Day of Women Judges
10 - 21 March - NGO CSW69/Beijing+30 Forum; the NGO CSW Forum runs parallel to and complements the official United Nations Commission on the Status of Women (CSW); register at https://ngocsw69forum.events.whova.com/registration/?mc_cid=7bc885c90d&mc_eid=ef58b6279f
14 - 16 March - WOMAD Aotearoa at the Bowl of Brooklands and Brooklands Park, Ngāmotu (New Plymouth)
21-27 March - Week of Solidarity with the Peoples Struggling against Racism and Racial Discrimination
21 March - International Day of Forests and Trees
23 March - World Water Day
24 March - International Day for the Right to the Truth concerning Gross Human Rights Violations and for the Dignity of Victims
25 March - International Day of Remembrance of the Victims of Slavery and the Transatlantic Slave Trade
30 March - International Day of Zero Waste
Quotation to ponder
"History has taught you nothing if you think you can kill ideas. Tyrants have tried to do that often before, and the ideas have risen up in their might and destroyed them."
Helen Keller,
an open letter to Nazi book burning advocates, May 1933
https://www.zinnedproject.org/news/tdih/helen-keller-writes-to-germans
Whakataukī to share
Pātua i te taniwha o te whakamā.
Don’t let shyness overcome you.
Au ahi au ora. Au moana, aua noa atu.
The comforting warmth of a fire ashore is in contrast with the uncertainty of a stormy or foggy sea.
As you become worried and confused, you can envision being with your loved ones around a fire. This helps prioritise what's important and settles into a quietness all your fears. A version of this was recorded in Moeraki in 1920 and is attributed to tipuna Albert Wānaka Weka (Ngāi Tahu). https://ngaitahu.maori.nz/whakatauki/
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The Circular is the official newsletter of The National Council of Women of New Zealand. Archived copies are available at the National Library of New Zealand (ISSN 2815-8644).
Do you have some news to share? Please send an email to the newsletter managing editor, Randolph Hollingsworth, at [email protected].