Practical Campaigning Workshop for Women at Waikato Leadership Day
Tuesday 25th August 2015

Aspiring female politicians and campaign managers will have the opportunity to attend a masterclass in campaigning at the upcoming Waikato Women in Leadership Day on27 August.

Minister for Women, Hon Louise Upston, Waikato Regional Council Chair Paula Southgate, and Waikato Regional Council Deputy Chair Tipa Mahuta will facilitate a workshop that aims to address the practical aspects of running for elected office.

Titled Surviving the Warzone: A Practical Guide to Running for Elected Office, the workshop will cover areas such as fundraising, gathering support, managing media and negative criticism as well as balancing work and family life during the election period.

Minister Upston says that addressing the practical barriers of running for office is a vital component in encouraging more women to run for election, “everyday, I come across women who are already making a valuable contribution to their communities, and who would make excellent elected representatives. It’s a matter of encouraging them to take the first step.”

All three facilitators are members of Women in Politics, a non-political, non-partisan organisation that aims to increase women’s representation in political office in New Zealand.

Upston and Southgate are current board members, and all three have had long careers in politics so far.

Women in Politics Chair and Hamilton City Councillor, Angela O’Leary says that the organisation was formed as a response to the inadequacy of female representation in local and central government.

“Women represent about 30% of all elected officials, and this is a figure that has remained stagnant for around the past decade. We are a country that prides itself on women’s suffrage, and it is important to have open conversations as to why there aren’t more women politicians. We all have a responsibility to make this happen.”

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