Whanganui had a successful lunch celebrating 130 years of NCWNZ at the end of May. We had 40 women attend, including a group from the Palmerston North branch.

Suzanne Manning accompanied by Emma, a NCWNZ intern, were our guests. Unfortunately on their way from Wellington to Whanganui, they came across a serious car accident which blocked the road and access north. This however did not deter them. They found the Otaki Library and set up their laptops there. With help from some IT savvy women at our end, we were able to see and hear Suzanne on our large screen.

Susanne pulled out some interesting findings from the Gender Attitudes survey done last year, noting that attitudes towards women were not getting better but neither were they getting worse. However, there was a small group of young males with concerning attitudes. Suzanne expressed optimism that this group was small and that generally we should be positive about the young men growing up in New Zealand. We all have a role to call out misogyny when we see it and encourage robust discussions with the young men we come across.

We have had positive feedback from the women who attended and as result we have had two new members.

Jenny Saywood
Whanganui Branch President