Wanted: Auckland’s female change-makers of today

MEDIA RELEASE
13 July 2018

Members of the Auckland Women’s Fund are seeking 30 change-makers who reflect the spirit of our suffragists to invite to a retreat day on Sunday 16 September. Up to 10 of these invitees – people working to improve the lives of families, women and girls around Auckland – will also receive an award during the retreat.

Online nominations are sought from this Monday 16 July through to Friday 10 August, for people who deserve to be recognised and supported in the work they are doing today to make change happen. People can nominate themselves or someone else.

The Women’s Fund is a collective of philanthropists who have been pooling donations since late 2017 under the governance of the Auckland Foundation. The underpinning principle of the fund’s establishment is ‘the strength of women and the dreams of girls’, and founding members are spread across a range of demographics, including professional women, millennial women and well-connected women of means.

The fund is still in its first year and while it continues to grow, its current 70 members want to mark the 125th anniversary of women’s suffrage with a gift to today’s champions of change in Auckland.

The retreat has been designed as a day of reflection and inspiration, with great speakers and attendees having the opportunity to connect with resources they need for their mission – and each other. Some pampering will also be given on the day and organisers are keen to hear from Auckland businesses who may be able to contribute a gift in-kind for women making a difference in Auckland.

Like every fund held by the Auckland Foundation, the Women’s Fund takes advantage of its existing cost-effective governance.

Dellwyn Stuart, CEO of the Auckland Foundation, says:

“It's 125 years since women gained the hard-won right to vote in New Zealand, leading the world and profoundly transforming the role of women in our country.”

“We want to celebrate the social change-makers of today, girls and women who have stood up and are making a difference in the lives of others.”

“Our fund is still in only its first year and growing, but we felt it was right to celebrate this important date that marks such a tremendous success and shows the leadership of New Zealand, and in particular New Zealand women.”

“We are setting up the retreat in acknowledgement that these hardworking change-makers often don't get time to step back and reflect.”

“While New Zealand has one of the best track records in the world around leadership and female empowerment, we cannot afford to become complacent.”

“The statistics about how well we are doing as women are still confronting when you drill into them, but on the other side of the story I’m seeing a huge amount of positivity about what women can achieve together, sharing ideas, investing in solutions and encouraging leadership.”

What: Nominations open for Women's Fund Retreat Day and Awards
When: Monday 16 July and Friday 10 August 2018
Where: Visit https://aucklandfoundation.org.nz/2018-womens-fund-awards

Who are we looking for?
Angela Barnett works with teenage girls on self-esteem and confidence through her non-profit programme ‘Pretty Smart Talks’, and has already nominated two people she believes should be contenders for the awards.
Angela says:
“The two women that I think should be nominated are the two women behind Shakti. They’ve set up refuge for migrant and refugee women - there’s two in Auckland and there’s three throughout the country - and they’ve done it from absolutely nothing. They’re incredible.”

About Auckland Foundation
As one of 16 community foundations in New Zealand, Auckland Foundation’s mission is to enable efficient place-based giving. The community foundation structure enables cost-effective giving for donors who wish to make an impact by providing the legal, governance, compliance and fund management requirements, doing away with the requirement to set up numerous charitable enterprises. Auckland Foundation offers flexible solutions to donor-advised funds, with funds pooled and invested in perpetuity, building an endowment for Auckland while also being distributed to support local projects throughout the year.

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