NZFGW: Changing the world by degrees
April 2015
P O Box 2006, Wellington 6140, New Zealand
www.nzfgw.org.nz
Editor: Gail Hutcheson
________________________________________________________________________________
Guest editorial: Storytelling, Writing and Gardening: reflections on my journey to Academia
IN THIS EDITION
Guest editorial: Naomi
Simmonds
Public Consultation;
National Plan of Action
on Women Peace and
Security
GWI launched – CIR rpt
Mid-term reports and
updates from Elizabeth
Chan and Kate Oswin
President’s report
Join the Treasury Benches
Search for Awards’
Appraisers
Mentoring Award
“If there’s a book that you want to read, but it hasn’t
been written yet, then you must write it.” - Toni
Morrison
As a child I read, and read often. My mother surrounded us with
books and poetry and instilled in us a passion for words and
writing. From a very young age I understood the power of a story.
My Koro Piripi and my Poppa Trevor too understood the power of
stories. These two men, one Māori and one Pākehā, who despite
living in the same small town in the South Waikato lived worlds
apart, both kept meticulous journals of their own stories and the
stories of my ancestors. I now get to read their stories, explore
their words and their worlds, worlds that are so vastly different
yet in many ways connected. For this I am truly grateful.
There are some stories, however, that I have had to search for and
come to know in other ways. Stories that unfold through, and are
folded into, my own experiences as a young Māori woman and
mother. These are the stories my Nanny Daisy and my Nanna Val.
They are also the stories of many other grandmothers and
aunties, atua wāhine (female deities) and ancestresses. They are stories of mana wāhine (strong
and powerful women), that I am humbled to call my nannies.
I know much more about the stories of my Pākehā grandmother, Nanna Val, than I do my Māori
kuia, Nanny Daisy. Nanna Val is a wife, mother to three girls, and an incredible craftswoman and
cook. I spent many childhood hours playing in her beautiful garden, sneaking raspberries that were
meant for jams and listening to her, from the comfort of a sunny window seat, as she baked and
cooked. She would also write to me in my early years of undergraduate study when I had left a
small rural town to venture into university in the city. I am grateful that I can still sit with her in her
sunroom and listen to her stories. I have kept the letters she wrote to me, and I cherish them, as I
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do the memories from a childhood surrounded by her garden, the smells of her baking and her love
and admiration.
As a young girl, I didn’t spend as much time with Nanny Daisy – the time I did spend with her,
however, I was in awe (and to be honest sometimes a little intimidated). She had a fascinating life.
At about the age of 15 her own mother died and after that time she spent many years living with,
and working for, a Pākehā farming whānau, whom she held a particular fondness for. Eventually she
met my koro and together they had 15 children (three of whom she birthed at her home at Pikitū
Marae) and had numerous grandchildren and great-grandchildren. My memory of her is of a cheeky
old woman, eating fish heads and betting on the horses, living in a small flat always bursting at the
seams with family and laughter. I know, from other family members, that she was incredibly
hardworking, caring and funny. I sat, listened and watched her but paralyzed, by my age or my
naivety or most probably a combination of the two, I very rarely asked her about her stories. Her
pains and joys, struggles and triumphs were a mystery to me wrapped up in an outspoken, cheeky
and loving old kuia.
From both of these women (and my ancestors preceding them) I inherit rich histories and
geographies that want to know more about. This is, at the very heart of it, why I continued into
graduate and post-graduate study. My research was and still is 'in search of my nannies’ gardens'.1
In searching for their gardens I seek to know, hear, read, see, and feel their pain, struggles and
successes, as well as their passion, love and joy. This, as I illustrate throughout my research, is not
an easy endeavour because so many of the stories of our ancestors have been retold, distorted and
disfigured beyond recognition, by colonialism, or simply lost altogether. I knew little about the
garden of my kuia, my Nanny Daisy; as her’s was a secret garden that I am only just beginning to
uncover the depth and beauty of now. I have been told by whānau that Nanny Daisy could grow
food even in of the most demanding of conditions - a fitting metaphor perhaps given the conditions
of colonialism which she had to endure in her life and through the births of her 15 children.
There are an increasing number of authors, scholars, artists and storytellers – mana wahine – who
dedicate their work, energy and lives to replanting the seeds left to us by our tūpuna (ancestors)
that help us make sense of our own experiences, as Māori women, as daughters, sisters and
mothers.2 To them I am eternally grateful! It is my hope that my work can contribute to this, that in
researching and writing what I want to read, as a young Māori woman and mother, I can begin to
create a garden/gardens that will endure for my daughters and sons and generations yet to be born.
Dr Naomi Simmonds completed her Masters thesis in 2009 which looks at contemporary understandings
and relationships with Papatuanuku. Her PhD extends this work to examine the spatial, spiritual and
embodied experiences of childbirth and maternity in Aotearoa New Zealand. The PhD is titled "Tu te
turuturu no Hineteiwaiwa: Mana Geographies of Birth in Aoteroa New Zealand. Noami also has experience
in, and a passion for, Maori environmental management and sustainability practices. She is committed to
working with whanau, hapu and iwi to support them in achieving their kaitiaki aspirations.
This is a phrase adapted from Alice Walker’s popular collection of essays titled In Search of my Mothers’
Garden: Womanist Prose (1983). I substitute Mothers’ with Nannies’ as a catch all term for women of older
generations including, but not limited to, mothers, grandmothers, and aunties. The decision to use ‘nannies’ is
also somewhat of a personal statement about my own grandmothers who I know as Nanny and Nanna.
1
2
For some examples see Ani Mikaere, Aroha Yates-Smith, Linda Tuhiwai-Smith, Leonie Pihama, Kirsten Gabel, Patricia
Grace, Robyn Kahukiwa, Roma Potiki and Merata Mita (There are many others who could be listed here).
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Public consultation: National Action Plan on
Women Peace and Security
Public consultation is now open on the New Zealand Government's draft National Action
Plan for the implementation of United Nations Security Council resolution 1325 relating to
Women, Peace and Security. Submissions close Wednesday 20 May 2015.
The draft Plan promotes efforts to empower women and to combat violence against women
in conflict-affected countries where New Zealand has an existing development programme
or other form of direct leverage. This includes programmes supporting leadership of women
and women’s participation in peace-making and conflict prevention. It also relates to
international deployability of senior staff within the New Zealand Defence Force and New
Zealand Police.
Women in International Security New Zealand is holding a public workshop on the Plan on 5
May 2015 in Wellington. This will be an opportunity to discuss the draft Plan with
Government senior officials who are drafting the plan.
Written comments can be emailed to WomenPeaceSecurity@mfat.govt.nz by 20 May 2015.
We encourage those seeking to make written submissions to attend the workshop and to
look at the wealth of work in this field being undertaken internationally, including by nongovernmental
organisations.
The New
Zealand
United
Nations
Security
Council
website includes recent statements on all issues before the Council, including on Women,
Peace and Security.
Source: http://women.govt.nz/news/public-consultation-national-action-plan-women-peace-andsecurity#sthash.dvLp4xKB.dpuf
See document at http://www.mfat.govt.nz/downloads/media-andpublications/Features/Draft%20National%20Action%20Plan%20on%20Women%20Peace%20and%2
0Security.pdf
PUBLIC CONSULTATION:
New Zealand National Action Plan on Women, Peace and Security 2015 – 2019
Date: Tuesday 5 May 2015 Time: 8.45am-1.00pm
Venue: Grant Thornton , Level 15, 215 Lambton Quay, Wellington
Hosted by Women In International Security New Zealand and Massey University with the support
of Amnesty International and Grant Thornton.
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CIR report: Bernadette
Devonport
IFUW has formally changed its
name. You will still be able to use
the IFUW name on the web for a
while. If you google ifuw, you land
on the graduatewomen.org site.
The IFUW site will remain active
until all the pages in GWI have
been switched and referenced. All
publications not current, but
previous to IFUW, will remain
branded IFUW as that was how
they were published.
The GWI Update newsletters
for April have some interesting
items that warrant further
reading. Go to the GWI website
and look at 15 April and 22
April issues. They refer to a
recent workshop on Gender
Leadership
and
GWI’s
involvement in the 66th session
of
the
UN
Economic
Commission
for
Europe’s
discussion on part of the
international framework for sustainable development. As in my last newsletter item I also
encourage you to gain entry to the members’ corner of the IFUW website. There are some very
good issues and items here.
Did any of you successfully complete the GWI survey on participating in webinars? I hope that you
were able to do so. Feedback is very important if we are to get more robust and interactive
sessions. Do apply to participate when the next webinar is scheduled. Sorting out the time gap
between Europe and us is easy and most of the webinars are held mid evening here in New Zealand.
We voted on another resolution this month. The Australian Federation of Graduate Women
proposed, and we seconded, the motion That the amendment to the Dissolution Clause of the IFUW
Constitution be treated as an emergency resolution and that voting by the General Assembly
proceed as soon as possible 88.2% of those who voted were in favour of the resolution so now we
are voting for the amendment to the dissolution clause, which will make the GWI Constitution
compatible with Swiss law.
SAVE THE DATE!!
GWI 32nd Triennial Conference, Cape Town
21-23 August 2016 General Assembly (GWI members only)
24 -26 August 2016 Public Conference
“At the crossroads between education, gender and human rights”
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Mid-term Report from Elizabeth Chan
I'm having an absolutely fantastic time at Yale Law School (YLS), where I
began my studies in August 2014. My academic studies have focused on
three areas: international arbitration, advocacy and international
human rights. In terms of international arbitration, I took a course in
international investment law last semester, and also wrote a paper on
the disclosure of third-party funding arrangements in international
arbitration with Professor Michael Reisman, one of the most brilliant
professors in international law and a much sought-after arbitrator. My
paper has just been accepted for publication in a US journal called The
American Review of International Arbitration, which is published by
Columbia Law School.
This semester, I'm taking international commercial arbitration with two
Elizabeth Chan trying
partners from Shearman & Sterling (one of the top arbitration practices
American (South)
globally) and advocacy in international arbitration with two partners
Chick-Fil-A fast food
from Williams & Connolly (a top Washington DC firm). I've also focused
on gaining oral advocacy skills. I took the constitutional litigation seminar course last semester,
which involved arguing two US Supreme Court cases before two Federal Court judges in a
courtroom. This semester, I'm taking complex civil litigation, which involves doing oral advocacy on
US civil procedure topics before a Connecticut District Court judge. I also participated in the Willem
C. Vis International Commercial Arbitration Moot as an oralist, being part of the first YLS team to
the Hong Kong competition. We were thrilled to advance to the octo-finals, ranking among the top
16 teams (out of 107 teams).
I am also very involved in the Lowenstein International Human Rights clinic. I travelled with my clinic
to Nepal in January, where we conducted field research for a report we're writing about the World
Bank. This semester, I'm also doing a Lowenstein project with the European Human Rights Advocacy
Centre, working on cases concerning individuals who were detained and ill-treated in eastern
Ukraine for several months in 2014.
It's been wonderful developing relationships with professors -- the student body generally has a
very close relationship with them. Professors frequently host events for students at their homes.
When I first arrived in New Haven, we had a welcome lunch for LL.M students at the home of
Professor Brilmayer, my lecturer in a course on international treaties and agreements. I went to
Professor Amy Chua's (author of Battle Hymn of the Tiger Mother) home for an event with the Asian
Pacific American Law Students' Association. My clinic instructor, Professor Jim Silk, hosts a dinner at
his home for clinic students twice a semester, which is a great way to bond with other students in
my clinic. After a particularly strong snow storm, Professor Ayres (who supervises the Hearing
Officer Project, discussed below) invited a group of students to his home to go sledding (which was
delightful!) and to enjoy hot chocolate. This semester, I'll be hosting Professor Abbe Gluck at my
tiny apartment -- Professor Gluck is a very influential scholar who has recently written and spoken
extensively on US Supreme Court litigation relating to the operation of Obamacare. Yale Law
Women (a student organization supporting women students in the law school) sponsors these
Faculty Dinners, giving women students the opportunity to get to know their professors in small,
intimate settings. Later this month, I'll be attending a ballet concert in New York with a professor.
The offering of extra-curricular activities and volunteering opportunities at YLS is fantastic. I'm
involved in the Hearing Officer Project, which involves sitting as an arbitrator in arbitrations at the
Connecticut Department of Consumer Protection. I sat as an arbitrator (along with another YLS
student) in automobile dispute resolution arbitration last semester, and drafted and gave an arbitral
award. I will be sitting on another arbitration later this month. This semester, I've just trained to
participate in the Medical-Legal Partnership. A few weeks ago, I went to a local medical clinic and
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interviewed patients there and "screen" them for any legal needs (e.g. relating to family law,
landlord-tenant, medical debt and immigration issues). The screening process allows us to refer
those with legal needs to organizations that can provide appropriate legal assistance. I've also just
finished my training to assist people with filing temporary restraining orders. I'm also involved in the
Asian Pacific American Law Students' Association, participating in its social events and reading
group.
I am very grateful to the NZFGW for its support, which has enabled me to have a wonderful time in
the United States -- thank you again!
Mid-term Report from Kate Oswin
I began my Master of Arts at the Royal Academy of Music in London in September 2014, majoring in
Violin Performance. The programme has a strong focus on individual creative and professional
development, which is supported by the high calibre of the teaching faculty, and numerous
opportunities to work with leading international artists and conductors who visit the Academy. My
assessed work is mainly performance-based, with an additional written Professional Portfolio, which
is focused on promotional materials and professional development classes crafted around the
needs of each student.
My programme so far has been musically challenging and rewarding, with a strong emphasis on
ensemble playing. Following auditions in the first week of term, I was awarded Co-Principal 1st Violin
positions in the Academy Symphony and String Orchestra projects, which included a week of
intensive work with Maxim Vengerov directing Tchaikovsky Serenade for Strings and Mozart
Sinfonia Concertante. Vengerov is the Menuhin Professor of Music at the Academy, and is quite
simply one of the greatest virtuoso violinists alive today, so the opportunity to work with him on
such quintessential string repertoire was an invaluable learning experience. I was also fortunate to
be selected to have an individual lesson with Vengerov this term, which was truly inspiring.
The Academy also has a number of collaborative projects, in which students perform alongside
leading professionals in London. I have performed in two of these projects in my course so far. The
first of these was as one of three solo violinists in a contemporary music project at the Queen
Elizabeth Hall with the London Sinfonietta, the leading contemporary music ensemble in the United
Kingdom. I also performed in a concert at the world-renowned Wigmore Hall
in the Royal Academy Soloists, the elite string ensemble at the Academy led
by Clio Gould (Concertmaster of the Royal Philharmonic Orchestra). Following
these collaborative projects, I led the orchestra for the Royal Academy
Opera’s season of Stravinsky The Rake’s Progress, and I spent the last week of
term deputizing as 2nd Violinist in the Artesian Quartet, one of the emerging
professional quartets on the Fellowship scheme at the Academy.
Since coming to the Academy, I have also been doing some outreach work
with the Jersey Chamber Orchestra in the Channel Islands. In addition to
playing in the orchestra, I led a string quartet that gave education workshops
in the local primary schools, as part of the ‘Music in Action’ initiative that has
recently been set up on the island. While there is an itinerant teaching
scheme in place in Jersey, the children there get very little exposure to
classical music (the JCO give only three concerts a year), and the reaction of
the children participating in the workshops showed how important and
valuable this new initiative is.
Kate in action
I would like to sincerely thank the New Zealand Federation of Graduate Women for supporting me
in my studies at the Royal Academy of Music this year. I simply could not afford the high tuition fees
and living costs in London without your financial assistance. I am very grateful for the opportunity to
study at one of the world’s leading music institutions in such a diverse and vibrant city!
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Report on the National Executive meeting of 11 April 2015
Charitable Trust
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An awards event is being planned for Dunedin with a likely date the last weekend of May (watch this
space…)
Selection panels are being brought together for appraising applications for the 2016 round of NZFGW
Fellowships.
A paper on the issue of funding the NZFGW awards was considered. With the Waikato Federation of
Graduate Women Charitable Trust and the Kate Edgar Trust (Auckland) having decided not to commit
funds to the NZFGW Fellowships, these Fellowships are now being funded entirely through the efforts of
the Regalia Hire committees from Graduate Women Wellington, Otago, Canterbury, Manawatu and
North Shore. It was decided therefore that applicants intending to study at Waikato and Auckland
Universities will need to apply for assistance from the Kate Edgar and Waikato Federation of Graduate
Women Charitable Trusts in the first instance.
Donations (and Bequests) from independent members (and members of Branches which have now
closed or are planning to close) are warmly welcomed.
An investment Policy which mirrors that of NZFGW was approved.
The Treasurer’s Job Description was approved.
Executive meeting
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The strategic plan has been reviewed and approved, and is about to go on the website.
Amanda is the new Website Administrator and is working hard to upgrade the sections, including making
new links to Fellows reports for ease of access. Updated input from Branches and Independent members
is sought.
The National Council of Women White Paper on Equal Pay for women is out for discussion and is
currently being revised. Despite the progress made, a change in the way women and women’s work is
seen is badly needed in this country, and alongside that a shift for men away from the machismo image
that men are lumbered with.
The Treasurer’s Job Description (generic) was approved – it mirrors the NZFGW Charitable Trust JD and
follows the same legal and financial policies.
The Investment Policy was approved which gives priority to AA- or better investment instruments. A
maximum of 20% was allowed for more risky instruments (BBB-) with a maximum investment term of 12
months. It was agreed that investments should be liquid (i.e. either tradable or short-term).
Succession planning for roles on the Executive was discussed and ads have gone into this newsletter.
WANTED: Treasurer in waiting
The roles of Treasurer for both NZFGW Inc and the NZFGW Charitable Trust can be held by one
person or by two different people. We are seeking a person (or persons) willing to act as backup
treasurer with a view to taking over the role in the future.
You may already have the skills and knowledge needed for the job or you may wish to learn basic
book-keeping and preparation of financial statements. We use an online accounting system and
have online banking. While you do need adequate computer skills and a methodical turn of mind,
training will be given.
Email me at patsivertsen@xtra.co.nz for more information and the Position Description.
Wanted: Reviewer for end of year accounts
NZFGW requires a suitably qualified person to review our end of year accounts for the year ending
30 June 2016. You may be an accountant, either practising or retired, or have experience in
company accounting. Email me at patsivertsen@xtra.co.nz for more information
Pat Sivertsen, Treasurer NZFGW Inc and NZFGW Charitable Trust
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Appraisers for NZFGW National Awards
If you are interested in being an appraiser for the NZFGW Fellowships and NZFGW Susan Byrne Award, we
would like you to register your interest. The months of July to September are very busy for the selection
panels, with each application requiring approximately 30 minutes, plus administration time as part of a panel.
There are approximately 60 Fellowship applications received by 31 July and 35-40 Susan Byrne applications
by 31 August. The selection panel for the Fellowships has five members, all of whom must be members of
NZFGW, and three members for the Susan Byrne Award.
What skills and qualities do you need?
Appraisers need to be able to:
1.
access and assess online applications
2.
spend a concentrated time period over 2-3 weeks
3.
work as part of a team
The Awards site is now open on https://nzfgw-applications.org/ or www.nzfgw.org.nz and click on the Awards
button on the top bar.
If you would like to register your interest for this role or this or future years, please contact the Awards
Convenor Rowena Taylor on awardsconvenor@nzfgw.org.nz by 30 June.
CALLING ALL WOMEN IN SCIENCE – HAVE YOU GOT A GREAT MENTOR??
The Association for Women in the Sciences (AWIS) is on the lookout for people who are doing their
best to keep females in science. Applications are now open for the Miriam Dell Award for
Excellence in Science Mentoring. This is the
second time the Award has been offered – the
inaugural Award was presented to Dr Judith
O’Brien of the University of Auckland in 2013.
The Miriam Dell Award is awarded on a biennial
basis to someone who demonstrates
outstanding mentoring efforts to retain females
in science, mathematics or technology.
Nominees can be from any part of the science
system – including teachers at primary or
secondary schools, lecturers or supervisors in tertiary education, or from commercial science-based
organisations. They may have mentored, formally or informally, females at any stage in their career
– from school age to the science workforce.
More information, including nominations forms, can be found at http://www.awis.org.nz/aboutus/the-miriam-dell-award/2015-nominations/ or on our Facebook or Twitter
First Young Members potluck of 2015 organised by Mitra Etemaddar and Carol Jess in Dunedin (see
above), it was a great success and a great opportunity to meet with other members.
Young Members: Any events, ideas for events or general comments about what you would like to
see more of as a member of NZFGW, please email amanda.taylor@vuw.ac.nz. I would like to have a
regular Young Members column and would like to share all the awesome things you are up to!
Please email me with any pictures or notices.
Please advise us of key events and any worthy news from your award recipients, or members undertaking
interesting activities - particularly those that promote our goals - email gaila@waikato.ac.nz with items for
the February edition of NZFGW News by 20 May 2015.
Disclaimer: While every effort has been made to ensure the accuracy of information in this newsletter, neither
the Editor nor NZFGW accept liability for any errors of fact or opinion.
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