125 years of Suffrage later, what do New Zealand women want?
In a unique partnership between Diva Productions and Stuff, this Suffrage day What Women Want - will ignite national discussion about women’s rights and gender equality 125 years after Kiwi women gained the right to
vote.
The digital production funded by NZ On Air is a series of panel discussions hosted by journalist and broadcaster Ali Mau
which goes live at 7pm on Suffrage Day, Wednesday 19 September. The format asks a cross-section of New Zealand women
what they want from New Zealand society now to change the lives of all women in Aotearoa.
Broadcast on Stuff, New Zealand’s largest news site, What Women Want puts women’s voices front and centre and covers issues of ending domestic and sexual violence, health, and pay equity.
The programme features 35 New Zealand experts, leaders and changemaking women in a series of curated conversations,
interspersed with comedy sets from the Topp Twins and stand-up comedian Michele A’Court.
Filmed in front of a live studio audience in Auckland, What Women Want features among its speakers Helen Clark, former
Prime Minister of New Zealand; Dame Margaret Sparrow, sexual health pioneer; Lizzie Marvelly, musician, writer and
activist; Renee Graham, Chief Executive of Ministry for Women; Golriz Ghahraman, Green Party List MP; Paora
Crawford-Moyle, Social Worker and State Care Abuse Victims Activist; Louise Nicholas ONZM, Victim Advocate; Prue Kapua,
National President, Maori Women’s Welfare League; Dr Huhana Hickey, Human Rights Review Tribunal & Member of the Welfare Expert Advisory Panel; Catriona McLennan, Board Member - Rape Prevention; Ruahine (Roni) Albert,
Co-Founder, Te Whakaruruhau Māori Women’s Refuge; and Brittany and Johanna Cosgrove, the NOPE SISTERS.
Diva Productions producer Arani Cuthbert says: “New Zealand women were the first in the world to gain the right to vote
and while we acknowledge we have come a long way in 125 years there’s still so much more we need to achieve before we
can say women have full equity with men. What Women Want is a call to action for both women and men to step up and
support the work of many inspiring women who are helping make our country a safe place for women, with better health
care and pay equity.”
What Women Want will be available to view on Stuff on 19 September at 7pm with the audio recording to be broadcast by RNZ the following
week.
The What Women Want website https://www.whatwomenwantnz.com/ also profiles all the guests as well as the voices of everyday women from the streets and in their workplaces.
About Stuff
Stuff is a collection of digital-first products and services that connect Kiwi communities to the stuff that matters,
the stuff they love and the stuff that brings us together, every day. We are proud to be New Zealand's leading media
organisation and largest editorial newsroom, connecting with over three million New Zealanders every month across our
print and digital platforms. Stuff’s editorial portfolio includes New Zealand’s number one domestic website,
Stuff.co.nz, nine much-loved daily newspapers printed across the country, the Sunday Star-Times and a collection of
community papers and magazines. At the 2018 Voyager Media Awards, Stuff.co.nz was named the Website of the Year, and The
Press and The Waikato Times were named best newspapers in their respective categories.
About Diva Productions
Diva Productions is the award-winning screen production company behind What Women Want, a production that epitomises Diva’s vision: intelligent entertainment that not only entertains, but has something
important to say. Diva has managed beloved New Zealand entertainers the Topp Twins since 1992, producing NZ’s top
grossing theatrical documentary The Topp Twins, Untouchable Girls.
“The motivation to make What Women Want is to ask the question “what do you want?” to a cross-section of NZ women and provide a platform for their voices in a
way that the conversation can be shared with all NZ women,” Cuthbert says.
The What Women Want profiles can be viewed at https://www.whatwomenwantnz.com/
This project was made possible with the support of NZ On Air.
ENDS