Tō mātou tāhuhu kōrero Our history

Beginnings

The leaders of the movement to gain women’s suffrage in Aotearoa New Zealand were formidable women who transferred their energy into forming the National Council of Women of New Zealand, aligned with the International Council of Women global movement. The first meeting in Christchurch in April 1896 caused quite a stir with the media, who ridiculed the new organisation for advocating for better working conditions and a minimum wage. Kate Sheppard was elected as the first President. NCWNZ met annually for the next decade, advocating for legal changes to end discrimination against women in employment, marriage and public life.

Branch networks

NCWNZ moved to a new structure in the post-World War I period, based around monthly discussion of issues at branches consisting of representatives from local women's organisations, instead of annual meetings with the leaders of those same organisations. In that way NCWNZ became more representative of a wider range of New Zealand women. Ellen Melville - the second woman lawyer in the country and first woman councillor – took on the Presidency after Kate Sheppard’s resignation. NCWNZ continued their concerns with women in  employment, marriage and participation in public life, and also became more  involved in issues involving the health of mothers and their babies.

Stepping up

Rachel Cumberbeach, from Timaru, was an energetic NCWNZ President in the mid-1950s, and characterised the action-oriented focus of the mid-20th century. During her time there were innovative campaigns around equal pay, the start of a relationship with the newly formed Māori Women’s Welfare League, and a new monthly Circular newsletter to share information with.

In the late 1960s, NCWNZ extended the role of the Parliamentary Watch Committee to be able to make submissions on any Bill that was deemed relevant, which made possible the key role it has played ever since.

Centenary years

The 1990s hosted two significant centenaries: Suffrage in 1993, NCWNZ in 1996. Dame Miriam Dell was heavily involved in both, typical of her high profile public involvement over many years - including NCWNZ President 1970-74, International Council of Women President 1979-85, and many official positions such as Chair of the Committee on Women (forerunner to the Ministry of Women’s Affairs). Dame Miriam exemplified the feminist era, and her mentoring of others in NCWNZ meant that the organisation continued to be a force to be reckoned with.

Along with the perennial issues of pay equity and women in public life, equity in health and education became dominant themes.

Modernising

From the 2010s, NCWNZ found itself needing to adapt to changing political and social environments. NCWNZ was deregistered as a charity after the government decided that calling for system changes to improve lives for women was ‘political lobbying’, a decision that was overturned after NCWNZ took a legal challenge. At the same time, membership of voluntary organisations was declining as social conditions required people to work in paid employment to make ends meet.

NCWNZ responded with the Gender Equal campaign, including the Gender Attitudes Survey, to remind Aotearoa New Zealand that gender equality was not yet a reality in our country. NCWNZ also refreshed its structure and Constitution, through a process where members reaffirmed their commitment to remaining a member-led organisation based on intersectional feminism, and inclusive of diversity.

More information