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The Journal of the National Council of Women in New Zealand, which had replaced the N.C.W. Bulletin in 1952, was superseded by the publication N.C.W. Quarterly: Women's Viewpoint which ran from 1960 to 1974.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 and Decision Making; International; and, Safety, Health and Wellbeing.

To read more articles from The Circular (January-February 2025) issue 650, click on the tag below.