At the end of August, the National Council of Women New Zealand’s (NCWNZ) International and Climate and Environmental Sustainability Action Hubs, Wellington Branch, and the Council for International Development, came together to co-host a panel discussion focused on ‘Women at the table on Climate Change’.

Following the TVNZ documentary "Escaping Utopia", NCWNZ membership and member organisations began collaborating on a call for action to ensure the protection and safety of women and children in the religious cult of Gloriavale. The Safety, Health and Wellbeing Action Hub in collaboration with three other Action Hubs (Economic Independence, Education, and International) were supported by the NCWNZ Board in leading this effort. The publishing of the Royal Commission of Inquiry into Abuse in Care report in July (see more on this in another Circular article here) spurred this initiative to contact ministers directly.  See the NCWNZ news item posted here on the NCWNZ website.

The International Action Hub created a series of messages to be sent out to the NCWNZ Communications Team as well as the other Action Hubs so that it could be shared on social media in celebration of International Women's Day 2024. The theme this year was "Invest in women: Accelerate progress."

The Hub convenor, Eva Hartshorn-Sanders worked with an illustrator to create images that show girls and women at different stages of life and how they are impacted by poverty. The Hub hoped that the messages would encourage people to understand why investing in women and women’s organisations is important.

On Wednesday 13 September, representatives of the National, Green and Labour parties joined a political panel to discuss key international issues for women, including our relationships with trade partners, international aid, and feminist foreign policy.

The Feminist Foreign Policy Political Panel was made up of

• Vanushi Walters (Labour),
• Golriz Ghahraman (Green), and
• Gerry Brownlee (National).

The Panel was chaired by one of Radio New Zealand's leading journalists, Susie Ferguson. She expertly set the scene for a dynamic and constructive discussion, with panellists outlining political views and party policies on foreign policy.

Date: Wednesday, 13 September

Time: 5:30-7pm

Where: Victoria University of Wellington Pipitea Campus, 33 Bunny Street, Pipitea, Wellington AND online

The political season is upon us and we want to ensure that women’s voices and concerns are both seen and heard in foreign policy.  We invite you, your family, friends, colleagues and networks to buy tickets and share the upcoming Feminist Foreign Policy Political Panel Event - there is an in-person (Wellington) and online ticket option - available at https://events.humanitix.com/political-panel-feminist-foreign-policy.

Get on out there! Whether you are a member of a local NCWNZ branch or of an NCWNZ Action Hub, we rely on you to help with collaborations across organisations with a similar mission to get things done at the local, regional and national levels. As stated in the NCWNZ 2020 report A Sustainable Future - Free from Gender Discrimination: "Our strength comes from our membership, which includes individuals, branches, and organisations from unions and NGOs to community organisations." 

Currently, we have 13 local branches and more than 200 member organisations, as well as individual members. In addition, we have members and non-member volunteers who serve on six Action Hubs. The Parliamentary Watch Committee, an evolution from one of the original components of the NCWNZ since its founding in 1896, coordinates the writing of official submissions and our combined input into consultations with Parliament or with international organisations such as the United Nations' international treaty, Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination Against Women (CEDAW).

A discussion hosted by the International Action Hub of the National Council of Women of New Zealand and sponsored by the Pacific Women’s Watch NZ was held via the NCWNZ Zoom on Sunday, December 4th at 2 p.m. New Zealand Time. The panel of four women from around the world examined current and past roles of women's organisations in collaborative efforts at an international level to create lasting social change. The event was chaired by Carol Beaumont, NCWNZ Board member, and the live webinar included sign language interpreters.