Pages tagged “issue654”

  • President’s Kōrero Oct 2025

    Kia ora koutou, Welcome to the last Circular for the year! I’d like to take the opportunity to thank Randolph for her continued dedication to bringing you the NCWNZ news and views every two months. It is always a pleasure for me to read about the happenings in our organisation, and I trust you find it equally enjoyable. The Circular is one way we tell our stories to the world. The AGM and the NCWNZ Annual Report is another -...

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    4 November 2025

  • In Memoriam: Myra Harpham

    The NCWNZ Hutt Valley Branch mourns the passing of Myra Harpham (8 May 1931 – 15 August 2025). Myra joined the Hutt Valley Branch in the mid 1970s as the representative for the then Federation of University Women Hutt Valley, later becoming an Associate. Myra was awarded a Distinguished Service Award 2012.

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    28 October 2025

  • NCWNZ Hutt Valley and Henning Cup competition 2025

    The Wellington Speaking Union organises the Senior Premier A Grade, the top debating grade within the Intercollegiate debating competition. The winning school receives the John F Henning Cup, donated in 1961 by the then United States Ambassador to New Zealand. The best speaker in the Grand Final is presented with the Suffrage Cup, donated by the Hutt Valley branch of the National Council of Women of New Zealand. This year the students debated the following moot: This House believes that...

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    28 October 2025

  • United Nations funding for women's initiatives at risk

    United Nations Secretary-General António Guterresis indicated recently that the UN could end 2025 with a deficit of more than US$450 million, even after reducing the spending by nearly US$600 million. The United Nations is facing a liquidity issue as Member States are delaying or not paying their assessed contributions on time, particularly since 2024. This funding shortage impacts the UN's ability to operate effectively, as its budget relies on member contributions to cover expenses. These funding cuts threaten women's rights...

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    28 October 2025

  • Women’s Art Fund - Amplifying Women Artists and Designers

    NCWNZ representatives were warmly invited by City Gallery Wellington Te Whare Toi to attend the launch of the inaugural Women’s Art Fund at Oriental Bay in Wellington. We are grateful to Liz and Robert of Foggy Valley Aotearoa Trust for hosting this special event and welcoming us into a space filled with enthusiasm for creativity, equity, and cultural leadership. During the evening, we had the opportunity to hear from the inspiring women behind the Women’s Art Fund and their project...

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    28 October 2025

  • Whanganui NCWNZ Scholarship 2025

    The Whanganui branch of National Council of Women of New Zealand held their annual Wynne Costley Research Essay Scholarship evening recently. Year 10 students from Nga Tawa were welcomed this year, joining students from Whanganui High and Whanganui Collegiate, the two schools which have regularly supported the scholarship since its inception.

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    27 October 2025

  • New Zealand women and the Polyglot Petition

    This article is the second in a series of articles for The Circular by the members of the NCWNZ International Action Hub. The series highlights the many different international treaties to which New Zealand is a signatory and how this impacts women and girls. One of the founding member organisations of the National Council of Women of New Zealand, the Women's Christian Temperance Union of New Zealand (WCTU NZ) led a campaign to contribute to an international initiative, "The Polyglot...

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    27 October 2025

  • Update from NCWNZ Southland Branch

    Interacting with younger persons evokes feelings of amazement at their enterprise, wonder at their ability to absorb new ideas and pride in their achievements while working in challenging situations. NCWNZ Southland Branch has four activities which allow members to revel in these feelings while celebrating the value these young people bring to members’ lives. Southland Social Science Fair In the first instance the branch sponsors two prizes in the Southland Social Science Fair. It is open to students from year...

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    25 October 2025

  • NCWNZ Past President Elizabeth Bang CNZM: From the Wards to Women’s Leadership

    This is the fourth of a series of articles focusing on the NCWNZ Past Presidents Oral History Project with interviews by Carol Dawber in 2016. See the introductory article in The Circular at "NCWNZ Past Presidents oral history interviews from 2016" (August 2024). Elizabeth Margaret Bang (née Ewart) was born in Palmerston North in 1942, growing up in a family where thrift, hard work and service were values carried through generations. Her father, Richard, was a Marlborough stock and station agent;...

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    25 October 2025

  • Celebrating Suffrage in Southland 2025

    Southland Branch celebrated Suffrage Day in two parts this year. The first was our traditional breakfast on 19 September at the Ascot Park Hotel where more than fifty persons mixed, mingled and chatted. They included students from local secondary schools who always respond very positively to the occasion. This year we especially welcomed Josh, Josh and Tom from Southland Boy’s High School, a first for that school. When asked, they said they enjoyed the breakfast, and the speakers and, yes,...

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    25 October 2025