Diversity at forum
Each September the Heretaunga Women’s Centre (HWC) holds a month of celebrations, commemorating the anniversary of New Zealand women gaining the right to vote and opening of the Hastings-based centre, originally the Hastings Women’s Rest in 1921.
This September is no different — or is it? Along with other events during the month, the “big event” is the centre’s women’s forum titled Same Same but Different Different.
“The forum explores what it means to be different in our society and ways that those who are considered different are working to overcome this,” says centre manager Margot Wilson.
Margot says this is a special time for the centre.
“It’s when the centre takes a pause to look outward from what we do here and celebrate the women of our community, with a month of special and diverse events at a reasonable cost.”
Two keynote speakers, along with six speakers who will be running workshops, will be major drawcards at the forum.
High-profile transgender politician Georgina Beyer will speak about her life and what it takes to be inclusive in 2019.
Georgina spoke last year at the prestigious Oxford Union, and in recent years has duelled with endstage renal failure and fought back with a kidney transplant.
“She will talk about her amazing and very diverse life.”
Wairoa-born Mereana Pitman is also confirmed as a keynote speaker.
Mereana was recently made a Member of the New Zealand Order of Merit for services to Ma¯ ori and family violence prevention and has been a prominent campaigner and activist on Ma¯ ori issues for 25 years.
“Always controversial, you won’t want to miss what she has to say.”
Two younger speakers, Sophie Handford and Tabby Beazley, will make sure the youth voice is heard, Margot says.
“It is fantastic this year to have these two speakers representing the youth voice.”
Sophie, who is 18, is the youth coordinator for the School Strike 4 Climate organisation as well as being a youth MP for Kris Faafoi.
Tabby is the founder and managing director of InsideOUT, an organisation which works to make Aotearoa a safer place for young people of minority genders and sexualities.
Tabby has been volunteering and working in rainbow communities since she was 15 and is the first and only New Zealander to receive a Queen’s Young Leader Award.
Other speakers at the forum include policewoman Sam Eddie, Hawke’s Bay District Health Board nurse director for Ma¯ ori health Ngaira Harker, Hawke’s Bay Multicultural Association president Rizwaana Latiff and social scientist Carole Gordon. All of the speakers, including Georgina Beyer are donating their time to speak.
“The forum promises to be an outstanding event, and tickets are selling fast.”
Although the forum is the big ticket event for September, the centre is also hosting a movie night, a story telling event and the women’s Ribbon Walk Suffrage celebration.
■ For more information and tickets for the forum visit http://heretaungawomenscentre.nz/ 2019-forum/
For more information and tickets for the movie visit http://heretaungawomenscentre.nz/ movie-night/