This year’s theme of equality has led us into a range of events. In February we joined Wanganui NCW to listen to actress and producer Daisy Boulton speak about the plans for an upcoming film about New Zealand suffragists and the vote. (Listen more about this in her RNZ interview on 6 February 2026.)

In April, the Palmerston North City Library invited us to be part of their Heritage Month presentations. For this, four NCW Manawatu members shared a panel session outlining women’ place in the history of egalitarianism, New Zealand government policies, the development of NCWNZ, women’s job roles and education. A lively discussion followed. We have been invited to continue presenting within the Heritage month events.

Presenters and supporters at the NCWM Heritage Month presentation. Photo courtesy of Anne McCarthy.

For our branch's Annual General Meeting the following month, the Acting Principal of Palmerston North Girls’ High, Anna Brookie, spoke of challenges facing women in secondary education today. A follow-up breakfast with speakers is planned to be hosted for students at the school.

Left: Anna Brookie, third from left, with NCWM members.

Finally, this month’s event included a zoom from Louise Tapper and Rosemary de Plessis on their research about the effects of the earthquakes, Muslim shootings, and Covid on women and female adolescents in Christchurch. Though the two areas of research discussed targeted participants of different ages, the findings were similar in that they emphasised the need for family and community links, personal flexibility and resilience building, and efficient infrastructure communications. Extra information on the research can be found here:

• 'Making the most of now: Young women's experiences of the COVID-19 pandemic," UC Quake Studies (2021), https://quakestudies.canterbury.ac.nz/store/collection/22233
• 'Making the most of now,' The Circular (2022), https://www.ncwnz.org.nz/making_the_most_of_now