International Women’s Day - Tuesday March 8th

Nelsonians are invited to be part of International Women’s Day, and to hear guest speaker Emily Fabling, the Director of the International division of the Ministry of Education.

Alison Kane, President of the Nelson Branch of the National Council of Women (NCWNZ) said International Women’s Day dates back to 1908.

“Female clothing workers in New York were demanding better pay, working conditions and equality and set aside the last Sunday in February to demonstrate for these rights and for women’s suffrage,” she said. “It began as International Women’s Workers Day and is now known as International Women’s Day.”

Kane said the day was recognized in 1910 by the second Conference of Socialist Women at Copenhagen.

“Today International Women’s Day provides an opportunity to celebrate the significant contribution women make to New Zealand society both through paid and unpaid work and also to honour those first women who led the way into the diversity of trades and professions in which women work today,” she said. “It also marks a call to action for accelerating gender equality.”

NCWNZ believes gender equality will benefit all New Zealanders economically and socially. Kane said their white paper, Enabling women’s potential – the social, economic and ethical imperative had 12 strategies aimed at building a gender positive culture and removing the entrenched sexism which currently underpins many outcomes for women.

Kane said the local branch of NCW was thrilled to have secured Emily Fabling as the guest speaker, with a focus on the empowering influence of international education, and education internationally.

“Emily leads the Ministry’s wider international education engagement strategies, international education policy development, and key country-to-country and multilateral education engagements,” she said. “Her public service career has followed an underlying thread of “international people mobility” – be it through skills and knowledge, or work and the labour market. Outside of work, Emily is mum to two boys (aged 8 and 10), wife, daughter, sister and chief household laundress, among other things.”

The open invitation function is at the Kowhai Lounge, NMIT, at 12:15 on Tuesday 8 March. Gold coin donation. Attendees are welcome to bring their lunch to the event.

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