Artist Greg Hall, rear, with NCWNZ members anti-clock wise from him, Lynda Sammons, Joan Sullivan, Jo Power, Jenny Saywood, Margaret Campion, Sheryn Robertson, Judy Stein and Helma Vermeulen. Photo by Leigh Mitchell-Anyon also published in the Whangaui Chronicle and used here with permission.

The local branch of NCWNZ at Whanganui commissioned a window honoring women's rights activists Ellen Ballance, Margaret Bullock, and Jessie Williamson. The window also includes the NCWNZ logo and the white camelia associated with the women's suffrage movement in New Zealand. This art piece is one of twenty-five windows displayed in the District Council Chambers, depicting the Whanganui story - Nga Korero Hitoro o te Hapori. The work was designed and crafted by painter Julie Greig and glass artist Greg Hall.

This piece was crafted by NCWNZ member Anne McCarthy after having attended the event. With over 250 participants, the topic and expert panelists attracted much attention. More information is coming about how the NCWNZ can follow up on the issues raised by the panelists and the Decision-Making and Influence Action Hub.

A webinar entitled ‘Countering Misogyny,’ facilitated by Sue Kedgley and the NCW Decision-Making and Influence Action Hub, took place on the 1st of July 2022. It consisted of a panel discussion amongst four leading New Zealand women’s rights advocates, journalists Mihingarangi Forbes and Alison Mau, Christchurch city councillor Sara Templeton, and researcher Kate Hannah. Its intent was to call out misogynistic online abuse to trigger a national conversation focusing on increased social and legislative safeguards in the future.

Our new membership model and fees are now live! We encourage you to sign up or renew your NCWNZ Membership for 2022/23. You can join either as an Individual Member or choose to be appointed as a representative of an Organisational Member. Both Individual Members and Organisational Reprsentatives can be members of branches and/or Action Hubs. Here's some details on next steps:

Ngā mihi nui e te whānau o Te Kaunihera Wāhine o Aotearoa.

I hope you all enjoyed Aotearoa’s first Matariki holiday, and managed to keep warm in the midwinter weather. Matariki is a time for reflection, gratitude, remembering those who have passed on, and resetting ourselves. Let’s hope that these values remain central to the holiday and that Matariki does not become over-commercialised.

On Monday 16 May 2022, the NCW Influence and Decision-Making Action Hub hosted an online event to hear what is important to young women and give them a chance to share their perspectives, thoughts, barriers and interests.

This initial kōrero focused on getting to know other young women from across NCW and understanding any barriers they, or others they know, face to being involved in NCW -- both to membership in general and to taking on leadership positions. By "young women," the organisers meant anyone who identifies this way. Generally for those under 35 years of age, but the organisers admitted they knew "age can be just a number."

NCWNZ’s Parliamentary Watch Committee (PWC) is seeking new members to join its team.

One of NCWNZ’s greatest assets is its long-standing submissions process. The effective framework in existence today has developed over the years, and is known both for its professionalism and its unique ability to gather together and present the voices of women throughout Aotearoa. (See the latest list of submissions on the NCWNZ website at https://www.ncwnz.org.nz/submissions/.) MPs and government leaders have praised NCWNZ for its thoroughly researched and professionally presented submissions. NCWNZ submissions are known for their consistently good quality and sound, intelligent analysis of legislation from the perspective of wāhine.

Beryl Anderson, ONZM (NCWNZ Hutt Valley Branch and Parliamentary Watch Committee member) crafted this chart of the 2022 Queen’s Birthday and Platinum Jubilee honours list. There is much to celebrate. Of the 187 awards given, 96 went to women and 91 to men. Women received more awards in the New Zealand Order of Merit (ONZ to MNZM) at 59%, with men receiving more of the Queen Service awards (QSM and QSO) at 52%. Women received more awards than men in two categories: ONZM (55%) and MNZM (56%).

A commentary from members of the NCWNZ Education Action Hub

Recent New Zealand research shows that young women who leave secondary school early through pregnancy, bullying or other issues, have less opportunity to gain qualifications and later life opportunities. Even though overall numbers of pregnant adolescents have been declining since the late 1990s, there are those who suffer from significant stereotyping in medical and socio-economic contexts by too many of the very professionals who are tasked to support them. This is an issue especially for under-served and under-represented minority groups. 

The Public Service Association (PSA) is the largest and oldest union in New Zealand currently with 80,000 members, over 70% of whom are female. At its founding in 1913, the PSA adopted the principle: “Women members shall enjoy the same rights and privileges as male members.” The union has a long history of supporting women’s rights and fighting for equal pay. The role of the union was invaluable for winning the fight for equal pay for health administrators this fall.

Pamela Cherrington Sutton (1926-2022) at Nelson NCWNZ 60th birthday celebration. Image courtesy of Mary Gavin.

It is with great sorrow that we announce the death of Pamela "Pam" Cherrington Sutton JP QSM . Born 25 August 1926, she passed away on 1 April 2022 at the Wood Rest Home. Her funeral was held at Christ Church Cathedral, Nelson, on Saturday, 9 April 2022.

Pam had joined the Nelson NCWNZ branch as a delegate from the New Zealand Association of Anglican Women (AAW) in the late 1960’s and served in many capacities for the Nelson NCW Branch for thirty years, including as Branch President 1974-76.