As International Women’s Day draws near, closer to home Te Kaunihera Wahine o Aotearoa National Council of Women of New Zealand is using the event to encourage further progress in Aotearoa New Zealand.

“We didn't pick the ‘Invest in Women, Accelerate Progress' theme for International Women's Day (IWD) on March 8 but it couldn't be more appropriate for the important work we do locally,” NCWNZ President Dr Suzanne Manning says.

"While things are improving for women and girls in this country, they are nowhere near equal and we need everyone to keep accelerating progress in order for us to achieve true gender equity.

"Marking our progress and highlighting wins big and small is crucial, but we also can’t lose sight of how much there is still to achieve.

"Worryingly, our recent Gender Attitudes Survey showed we have a long way to go before we can celebrate genuine gender equality in Aotearoa New Zealand.

"We encourage everyone, nationwide, to spend some time thinking about the contributions they can make as well as any barriers they can help remove. These can range from volunteering or donating if that’s doable, to starting conversations with those around them or simply being aware of their words and actions.

"And, along the way, we need to reflect and celebrate our successes. We are embracing this year’s theme by highlighting some inspirational New Zealand women and their mahi who are making great strides to accelerate progress for women and girls here in Aotearoa.  

"NCWNZ and its members are working hard everyday on this but it won't be achieved alone. We need everyone to be an ally. What you choose to do can be as big or small as you feel comfortable with but we need your effort – we can’t do this alone,” Suzanne said.

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