From our President

Tena koutou katoa

I am penning this from the Asia Pacific Regional Meetings / Conference being held in Putrajaya Malaysia. 11 members of BPW NZ are here in total. 17 Asia Pacific Countries are represented, with 11 more from the rest of the globe. International President Diana along with VP United Nations Neelima, VP Membership Francesca and Secretary Carolyn, as well as Regional Coordinators Asia Pacific Dr Herlin were in attendance along with other International Chairs.

The Regional Theme session: Democracy, Dialogue, Direction was presented by three speakers – all Kiwis. Past President BPW NZ Carolyn Savage spoke to the Democracy topic; Current President BPW NZ Janet spoke to Dialogue and Natasja Paulson of BPW Gisborne spoke to the topic of Direction linked to her winning first prize in Science and Technology. 

Along with 16 other countries I presented our country report and as representative on the Intercontinental Mobility Taskforce as the Asia Pacific member on this committee.

We joined other countries for an evening of cultural performances – BPW NZ performing by presenting a poem about strong NZ wahine and singing a Waiata – Te Aroha, led by Vice President Sherryll Markie-Brookes.

We heard from Young BPW speaking on AI – Does AI shape morality or does Morality shape AI? Beyond the Algorithm: Women, AI, and the Future of Human Dignity. Where do we draw the line? – We draw the line when human dignity is at risk! This is a huge issue and there are pros and cons – however this dilemma inspired BPW NZ to pull together a letter to be used by all the countries at the conference to lobby their governments.

Panel sessions with guest speakers on the three themes of Democracy, Dialogue, Direction explored different country experiences. Past President BPW NZ Vicky Mee spoke on NZ Women’s Empowerment Principles (WEPs) experiences and on our Pay Equity advocacy.

BPW International presented their specific reports. A Gala dinner with a fashion show and attended by Malaysian Royalty was another highlight along with the final night BPW 95^th International Birthday Celebrations and Farewell Dinner. We all dressed in the BPW Yellow theme. 

Our BPW NZ delegates all shared their brief thoughts: - Inspirational- Relationship building with inspiring women of like minds- Sharing of knowledge aligning with our goals and aspirations- Loved meeting the Papua New Guinea ladies- Warm vibes with walk the talk souls- A reminder of how many women around Asia Pacific are committed to the aims of BPW and hearing their stories about what they are doing- Building new and strengthening existing friendships across Asia Pacific- Opens up opportunities to discuss issues that are similar across our region- Understanding that the barriers for women in Aotearoa NZ are so much bigger in may other Asia Pacific countries and yet they are meeting challenges with grace and energy- Inspired by the stories of our sisters throughout Asia Pacific and also by what we bring to the platform as BPW New Zealand.

Networking and sharing – brings opportunities. We furthered our sisterhood and friendship with BPW members from Papua New Guinea and together we are exploring a twinning between BPW NZ and them.

We will share more through BPW clubs and Aotearoa sessions – please also follow stories on our Facebook and LinkedIn pages.

Nga mihi nui

Janet