Kua hinga te tōtara o Te Waonui a Tāne.
The tōtara in the great forest of Tane has fallen.
We pay tribute to Kingi Tūheitia Pōtatau Te Wherowhero IV, who passed away on 30 August. The Māori King was known for his diplomacy and his calls for unity, as well as strong advocacy for his people. His example of servant leadership stands as a beacon for how a leader can and should be.
Kia ora koutou,
The passing of the Kingi Tūheitia is a reminder of the constant change in our world. We are here for a while and then pass on, hopefully leaving a legacy we are proud of, and handing over to other people to carry on.
This is true in smaller things than life itself; it is also true of organisations. We have our first in-person conference in five years taking place on Saturday 5 October, in Ōtautahi Christchurch. Have you registered? Got your travel and accommodation sorted? It will be both a time of farewells and celebrations, of meeting old friends and making new ones, of being able to talk about what’s important to us all. See this article by Louise Tapper to find the links for registration.
The AGM papers for the conference will be sent out soon. On behalf of the Board, I am delighted to tell you that these papers will include the completed and signed-off reviewed financial statements for the year! This is an indication of the whole team getting better at preparing – including Sue Bingham our finance volunteer, and the Branches who have been able to supply all the information we needed. Ka mau te wehi: awesome work, team.
Coco Clelland, the new NCWNZ Board admin intern, has just arrived from England. Her first round-the-world flight, her first long-haul solo flight, and she had a delayed flight from London, therefore missed a connection in Doha and had to reschedule, and then managed to fly Auckland-Wellington-Auckland-Wellington because the winds were too strong for the plane to land in Wellington the first time. And when she arrived, she was still smiling!! So obviously Coco is a resilient woman and will cope admirably in the two months she will be with us. Please make her feel welcome – she will be using the [email protected] address.
A final word of thanks goes to Beryl Anderson, who has been intensively involved in the work of preparing the NCWNZ-combined NGO alternative report for CEDAW, and in sorting out arrangements for NGO representatives to attend the session in Geneva in October. Beryl’s commitment, skills and experience in this area has been invaluable. Kia ora Beryl, we appreciate what you do for us and for women in Aotearoa.
I look forward to seeing many of you at conference in October, plan ahead and register/book now!
Suzanne
To read more articles from The Circular (July-August 2024) issue 648, click on the tag below.