This International Women's Day 2024, the Wellington Branch of the National Council of Women NZ held the Gender Equal NZ Speaker Series. The GENZ Conf was a one-day virtual event for rangatahi to design their gender equal future for Aotearoa and think about how to achieve it.

A screenshot from the Gender Equal NZ Speaker Series: IWD 2024 recording.

The Wellington Branch of the National Council of Women NZ was excited to host the Gender Equal NZ Conference Speaker Series for this International Women's Day 2024. This was an opportunity to hear from some incredible Wellington-based wāhine about the work they do and how they're trying to make a more Gender Equal Aotearoa.

Wellington Branch President Aleisha Amohia MC’ed the session and introduced the audience to a fantastic line-up of speakers:

• Mira Karunanidhi - a Barrister & Solicitor who is actively involved voluntary roles at the United Nations Association of New Zealand, Multiethnic Young Leaders New Zealand, Asian Law Students Association, UN Women, Wellington Community Justice Project, her local Community Trust Board and her high school’s Old Girls Association.
• Caitlin Taylor-Maddock - a passionate advocate for youth empowerment in politics, and Communications Team Leader for the Make it 16 campaign for three years.
• Cha’nel Kaa-Luke - an advocate for the Deaf community. They were a Youth Delegate at the WFDYS Youth General Assembly and a Semi-finalist in the Young New Zealander of the Year 2024.
• Zoe Ferguson - a third generation deaf woman and the chairperson for the Deaf Aotearoa Youth Board.
• Elizabeth Hodgson - a Wellington-based film producer who runs Little Lizard Productions and Co-Founder and Co-Executive Producer of Snap Shot Shorts, a short film series that aims to bridge the gap between working professionals and young upcoming filmmakers who are just starting their industry journey.
• Yessenia Sandoval - runs Endo Warriors Aotearoa, a charitable organisation with a mission to raise awareness and provide education on endometriosis and menstruation. The charity provides support and medical care for individuals affected by endometriosis, combating period poverty, and offering free products to those in need.
• Bethany Mataiti - a coordinator of the Pacific Climate Warriors, Te Whanganui-a-Tara team who is fighting for climate justice for her friends and family in the Cook Islands who are experiencing the direct impacts of climate change.

The webinar recording can be viewed online on the NCWNZ YouTube page: https://youtu.be/l0scBdAWvkE?si=XDze-obVQF8JtwLB

To read more articles from The Circular (March-April 2024) issue 646, click on the tag below.