Two members of the NCWNZ Wellington Branch have been recognised for their volunteer work and leadership.

Harita Gandhi-Kashyap receiving her award at the Volunteer Wellington Mahi Aroha Awards 2024

Harita Gandhi-Kashyap has received a number of awards and honours in 2024. Harita’s contributions to NCWNZ include being the Wellington Branch Treasurer, founder of the Conversations with Wāhine radio show and podcast, and member of the Parliamentary Watch Committee. Harita also volunteers with Wellington Indian Association, Crohns and Colitis NZ, and runs another podcast Coconut Chats. She is an accountant in her day job. Congratulations to Harita for receiving the following awards and honours, recognising her unwavering commitment to her volunteer work:

• Vibe Lifter Award from Raglan Food Co
• Top 40 under 40 for 2024 for the Indian Achievers Club
• 3rd Place for the Mitre10 MEGA Wellington Volunteer of the Year Award at the Volunteer Wellington Mahi Aroha Awards 2024

NCWNZ members have had a busy week hanging out with Deborah Frances-White, host of the internationally acclaimed The Guilty Feminist podcast. They did live shows in Christchurch, Wellington and Auckland. 

Read about this award-winning podcast at the website: https://guiltyfeminist.com/.

The list of tour dates for The Guilty Feminist Down Under 2024 series and panelists can be found here: https://guiltyfeminist.com/aus-nz-tour2024/

This International Women's Day 2024, the Wellington Branch of the National Council of Women NZ held the Gender Equal NZ Speaker Series. The GENZ Conf was a one-day virtual event for rangatahi to design their gender equal future for Aotearoa and think about how to achieve it.

A screenshot from the Gender Equal NZ Speaker Series: IWD 2024 recording.

Members of the New Zealand delegation before the CSW68 closing ceremony.

CSW68 was a jam-packed, eye-opening, invaluable opportunity to learn about the complexities of foreign policy, the inner workings of the United Nations, and how it all intersects with the global mission to achieve gender equality.

A key highlight for Wellington Branch President Aleisha Amohia, the NGO delegate to the New Zealand Government delegation for CSW68, was having quality time and conversation with the talented, passionate NGO representatives from Aotearoa. It was also a blessing to spend so much time in the magic of New York City.

Manatū Wāhine Ministry for Women selected Aleisha Amohia, President of the Wellington Branch of the National Council of Women New Zealand, as the non-governmental delegate to join the official New Zealand Government delegation to the sixty-eight session of the Commission on the Status of Women (CSW68) from 11 – 22 March 2024. Applications were assessed by a selection panel comprising representatives from the International Women’s Caucus.

Aleisha earned two degrees from Victoria University of Wellington: a Bachelor of Science (Computer Science and Artificial Intelligence) and a Bachelor of Commerce (Management and Information Systems). She is a passionate advocate for diversity and inclusion in the STEM (Sciences, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics) sector. Much of her volunteer work is to ensure more women, Māori, and other marginalised groups, look for and stay in STEM careers.

In September, the Wellington Branch of the National Council of Women New Zealand, Graduate Women Wellington, and Zonta Club of Wellington, came together to co-host the Annual Women’s Debate 2023: “A Gender Lens on the General Election.”

Three new NCWNZ banners debuted at a Wellington Branch event on 5th September 2023

The Wellington Branch has refreshed their NCWNZ banners with some beautiful new designs, developed by Wellington Branch Social Media Officer Ashlee Metcalfe. The banners were debuted at the Annual Women’s Debate 2023 in Wellington and easily stole the show.

International Women’s Day 2023 was a real success throughout the Branches of the National Council of Women of New Zealand. Thanks to the generous support of the Te Korowai Whetū Social Cohesion community fund, we gathered communities around meaningful events celebrating diversity on one hand, and empowering women through financial wellbeing on the other. 

Ambassador Jane Connolly

Three of our members -- Emma Catteau (NCWNZ Board administrator), Amy Rice and Parminder Kaur from Wellington Branch -- participated in the annual Summer School organised by the Embassy of Ireland taking place in Wellington on the 10th and 11th of February 2023.

To celebrate both Brigid’s Day, Ireland’s celebration of the creativity and influence of women and girls, and the 130th anniversary of women being granted the right to vote in Aotearoa New Zealand, the Summer School was focused “Agents of Change: A Reflection on the Legacy, Influence, and Role of Women and Girls”.

Thirty students from the University of Minnesota Carlson School of Management together with two academic staff and two administrators visited New Zealand early in January.

The students were enrolled in a course entitled "IBUS 3019: Striving for Equity in International Business" which examines equality, leadership and global differences using business history as well as current case studies. The students seek to answer why the United States still ranks poorly in gender equality and leadership in business, and why countries like New Zealand, Iceland and Rwanda are achieving much better results.