default-output-block.skip-main
National | Wellington

Women's March a global phenomenon

Source: Women's March Aotearoa New Zealand

To mark the one year anniversary of the global Women’s March event, Women’s March Aotearoa New Zealand will hold the #LookBackMarchForward #KaMuaKaMuri hui to encourage women to make their voices heard.

This will be the first of 66 Women’s March events to be held in 26 countries and also marks the 125th anniversary of Women’s Suffrage in Aotearoa.

Since its inception, many Women’s March groups have supported critical issues including marriage equality, indigenous rights, the rights of undocumented migrants, and encourages women to make their voices heard at the voting polls.

Organisers say the Wellington hui will continue the discussion on what comes next, with the help of well-known New Zealand figures including broadcaster and keynote speaker Alison Mau.

The cornerstone of the hui will be a panel co-moderated by Radio New Zealand National’s Susie Ferguson and filmmaker and founder of The Granary, Amber Marie Smith.

Panelists include the following:

Sharnay Cocup, winner of the 2017 Women of Influence Young Leader and the Kiwibank New Zealand Local Hero of the Year award whose work includes establishing the Taupiri Youth Group.

Reproductive rights activist Shannon Mower; young Pasifika leader Melissa Lama whose work for the Ministry for Pacific Peoples as a regional adviser offers a cultural lens to government and private sectors on better ways to engage with Pacific peoples.

Mengzhu Fu the Youth Project Coordinator at Shakti Youth, an organisation that focuses on eliminating family violence in Asian, Middle Eastern and African communities in Tamaki-Makaurau (Auckland)

Judy O'Brien, the Programme Coordinator for the Sexual Abuse Prevention Network.

Following the panel discussion, a picnic lunch and kōrero will be held on the grounds of Parliament.

The hui will be held on Saturday 20 January 2018 at Te Puna Mātauranga o Aotearoa, National Library of New Zealand in Wellington.