Tēnā tātou katoa,

To state the obvious, this is election year in Aotearoa. As such, the Action Hubs are switching gears from focusing on upcoming policy – which tends to slow down in the few months prior to an election – to encouraging people to use their democratic right to vote. A reminder that our position at NCWNZ is that we are “a-political”, meaning that we:

• Do NOT support one party more than another
• Do NOT tell anyone who to vote for
• DO support women to run as political candidates
• DO promote women’s issues as topics for election debates
• DO support people to exercise their democratic right to vote.

Looking internally, the Board is pleased to indicate that we are expecting a break-even financial year, maybe even a small surplus. We took a bit of a risk last year when we set “you choose” membership fees, but this is what the membership wanted in order to make NCWNZ accessible to everyone and that risk has paid off. Members have been realistic and generous, and we thank you all for that. As we move into a new financial year, we will be asking people to renew their annual memberships (thank you to all those who have set up a regular monthly payment) – we look forward to seeing all of you back with us for this coming year, along with lots of your friends.

It’s also time for our annual reporting cycle. This involves asking for reports from all parts of the organisation, so that we can produce an annual report, and provide annual financial statements that can be reviewed, all in time for you to review before the AGM which – all going well – will be held on Saturday 23 September 2023, from 10 am - 12 pm. This requires a huge team effort, and YOU are part of that team. Please try and provide information by the requested deadlines. This makes a big difference to whether we can deliver the reporting on time. We want the annual report to be something that showcases the fabulous work of NCWNZ, and gives people good reason to want to join us.

As we go into winter, spare a smile for others to help us keep each other warm. 😊

To read more articles from The Circular (March-April 2023) issue 640, click on the tag below.