Manukau Branch of NCW hosted a "Meet the Candidates" afternoon on Saturday 13th of September for women standing in the local government election representing the Manukau region.

We had 20 women candidates attend to speak with us about their reasons for wanting to be elected. It was a successful afternoon which saw all women interacting and supporting each other regardless of their political stripes.

In the last few months, NCW Manawatu has continued the pattern of bimonthly speakers.

In May, Fatima Junaid, a branch member, spoke about "Mechanisms to support migrant women entrepreneurs' wellbeing.’" Fatima outlined the need for confidence and resilience to combat aspects from misnaming to company access to jobs which fulfil diversity requirements with little desire to recognise culture or value systems. Women entrepreneurs survive through key support groups, creating their own networks and creating emotional boundaries against naysayers. Fatima concluded with the reminder that acceptance of ethnic and cultural diversity, creates the synergy for a more harmonious society.

On the 18th of September, four NCW Manawatu members joined with their counterparts at Mint café in central Whanganui, for the beginnings of a tour around local suffrage sites.

The next stop was the museum, where there is a permanent display of three early suffragists: Margaret Bullock, Jessie Williamson, and Ellen Balance. These three were key to advocacy efforts in the region, and they collected signatures for the 1893 petition. Along from this display, members enjoyed the sight of costumes through the past, finishing with Costume of the Month. The museum visit concluded with a viewing of a photographic exhibition of churches in the district. 

PWC has been working at pace this calendar year coordinating the NWCNZ submissions process: researching opportunities, distributing Action Items, editing and lodging written submissions, and supporting oral submissions. As I type this update the 20th written submission for 2025 is in progress, with the Education Action Hub responding to the Proposal to replace NCEA. NCWNZ submissions are made publically available on our website, see Submissions - National Council of Women of New Zealand.

In addition, our oral submissions will total seven. The very recent three are:

• the Economic Independence Action Hub on the People's Select Committee on Pay Equity (see separate article by Rosemary Du Plessis);
• the Safety Health and Wellbeing Action Hub on the Healthy Future (Pae Ora Amendment Bill (S25.19 on the website), and
• the Online Safety Coalition (convened by NCWNZ) on the Inquiry into the harm young New Zealanders encounter online (see S25.17 on the website).

Rosemary Du Plessis – on presenting to the People’s Select Committee on Pay Equity

I presented the NCWNZ oral submission during the third hearing of the Committee on Monday 25 August, as lead writer Irene Ryan was unavailable. Although actively involved in the full submission, coordinating the Ōtautahi Christchurch Branch response and as an Economic Independence Action Hub member, it was a bit daunting to present to such a high-powered set of women, and to condense our key points to the allocated fifteen minutes in total -- and we needed to leave time for questions/discussion.  For submissions and recording see:

• NCWNZ Submissions: NCWNZ Submissions;S25.15_ORAL_People's_Select_Committee_on_Pay_Equity.pdf and  S25.15_People's_Select_Committee_on_Pay_Equity.pdf
• Select Committee recording: YouTube https://share.google/CR4YgbDYcvab71f2z see 2.09.50 - 2.29.06

Equal Pay Amendment Act 2025

On 6 May 2025, the Government passed the Equal Pay Amendment Act 2025 under urgency, replacing the 2020 legislation without consultation or a Regulatory Impact Statement. This abrupt legislative change discontinued 33 active pay equity claims—some close to settlement—and made future claims significantly harder to pursue. The new law raised the threshold for female-dominated work to 70% over 10 years (previously 60%), introduced a 10-year bar on repeat claims for the same employees, and gave employers greater control over claim eligibility and the right to opt out of multi-employer claims. It also restricted the selection of comparator occupations, making it harder to demonstrate pay inequities across sectors, and prohibited review clauses in settlements—undermining long-term accountability.

On Tuesday 26 August 2025, the Hamilton Branch of the National Council of Women New Zealand hosted a well-attended Meet the Candidates evening at the Waikato Cathedral Church of St Peter, 51 Victoria Street. The event drew 33 local government candidates and a strong audience of engaged voters.

Sarah Thomson, one of the women mayoral candidates

At 7 am on a fresh Dunedin winter’s morning, 100 young women from the local secondary schools gathered at The Edgar Centre, Dunedin’s premier sporting area, to listen to six inspiring young women who have followed diverse paths to achieve real success in their fields.

The aim of this breakfast is to show students that, even though you face apparently insurmountable obstacles, there is often an unexpected pathway to success.

On Friday, 15 August 2025, NCWNZ members had the pleasure of attending the Inside the Glass Cage: Online Misogyny in Aotearoa New Zealand exhibition at Te Auaha Gallery in Wellington. This was a collaboration between researchers Tracey Nicholls, Suze Wilson, Sarah Riley and Rochelle Stewart-Withers, with artist Richard Brown, to show the results of the Marsden-funded research project that is in its first year.

The Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination against Women (CEDAW) is not the only international treaty that recognises rights for women. Members of the International Action Hub are writing a series of articles on the many different international treaties to which New Zealand is a signatory and how this impacts women and girls.

The United Nations' Convention Against Torture & Other Cruel, Inhuman or Degrading Treatment or Punishment (CAT) was adopted and opened for signature, ratification and accession by UN General Assembly resolution 39/46 of 10 December 1984 and entered into force on 26 June 1987. New Zealand ratified the CAT on 10 December 1989.

The Optional Protocol to the CAT seeks to prevent torture and other forms of ill-treatment through the establishment of a system of regular visits to places of detention carried out by independent international and national bodies. It was adopted by resolution A/RES/57/199 on 18 December 2002 at the 57th session of the UN General Assembly and entered into force on 22 June 2006. New Zealand ratified the Optional Protocol on 14 March 2007.

In July, 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 2025: "Parity in Politics."

The panel, moderated by award-winning journalist and broadcaster for RNZ Susie Ferguson, featured:

• Susan Freeman-Greene, Chief Executive of Local Government New Zealand
• Tory Whanau, Mayor of Wellington City
• Rebecca Matthews, Wellington City Councillor
• Afnan Al-Rubayee, Senior public servant and community leader

This year's debate resulted in a powerful kōrero about the challenges and barriers women face in local government and what is being done to address these and make a #GenderEqualNZ in our local politics.