Our club celebrated International Women’s Day by holding our March meeting at Te Whare Waiutuutu Kate Sheppard House. This historic homestead is the former home of Kate Sheppard, the celebrated leader of New Zealand’s women’s suffrage campaign which led to New Zealand being the first self-governing country in the world to grant women the right to vote in parliamentary elections in 1893.
The club took the opportunity to have our District Governor, Phillippa Jacobs- Lory present Zonta awards to two recent winners nominated by our club. McKenzie Butler is our club winner of the Young Women in Public Affairs award and Lauren Thomas is the 2022 District 16 winner of the Jane M. Klausman Women in Business Scholarship. The two young women shared their stories and inspired us all with their achievements and commitment to building a better world for women and girls.
Before the meeting closed, our members all took time to consider women who have inspired and motivated us and to share those thoughts with each other. We saw this as a way to celebrate women in the public and private sphere, raising awareness of their contributions and the challenges they’ve faced.