70th Anniversary – BPW New Zealand

With the theme “The Power to Make a Difference” BPW New Zealand staged its 70th anniversary conference at the Copthorne Hotel in Masterton, Wairarapa, NZ (May 1 to May 3).

I had the privilege to observe the conference for 1 day. It’s a truly inspiring experience. There was about 200 ladies – honorary members, international members, BPW NZ executive team and BPW past presidents – who organized themselves to discuss very relevant issues affecting women in our current society.

The morning session was led by an encouraging talk by attitude specialist, Janice Davies (http://www.attitudespecialist.co.nz)

Her poignant message is about acknowledging that women are so much more than who they think they are and they should start recognizing it and start using their skills to help others.

Then, the delegates were given insights on women in New Zealand media – bringing into attention that women don’t make the news (especially for significant big events) as much as men do.

In the afternoon, there was a lovely set of panelists who spoke about the advocacies supported by BPW:

1. Stop domestic violence
2. Financial Literarcy
3. Work/Life Balance (which also included more comments about the recession)

It was a long day. Tiring yet fulfilling and informative.

I have enjoyed the warm and accommodating company of the BPW women who have chosen to set aside personal time to reach out to the community, raise funds to sponsor less privileged people in other countries and to mentor young women leaders.

There’s so much that needs to be done in terms of improving the status of women. Let’s step up to take on the challenge of making a positive difference to other people’s lives.

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The good news is that BPW NZ is now looking to form a local club in Wanganui.

If you are from Wanganui and are interested in joing BPW efforts, please contact Leah at lvdconsulting1@gmail.com