Wed, 10 Dec 2025 17:34:43 +1300WeeblyMon, 13 Oct 2025 08:30:04 GMThttp://www.bpwhawera.org.nz/latest-news/octoberKia ora members and friends,

Spring is here, and with it comes a fresh opportunity to shape the future of our club.
Our Annual General Meeting is on the 20th of October, and we need your support to keep BPW Hāwera thriving.
We are still looking for a Club President—or perhaps Co-Presidents to share the load—as well as a Secretary and a couple more members to join our committee.
Two of our current committee members have let us know they won’t be continuing after the AGM, so we need some new hands to help carry the torch.
Please consider stepping up. The workload is light when shared, and being part of the committee is a great way to gain experience on a committee and contribute to our fun monthly dinners and inspiring guest speaker events. Your involvement makes a real difference.

Updates & Announcements

 Women’s Second Chance Scholarship
Applications have now closed for the year. The scholarship panel will be interviewing applicants shortly, and we hope to announce the winner soon!

 Wine Fundraiser
Thank you to everyone who supported our annual wine fundraiser. If you placed an order, your wine will be available for pick-up at the AGM from
Desiree.

 BPW NZ Forum – Sunday 12th October
Depending on when this newsletter reaches you, there may still be time to register and attend via Zoom. It’s a fantastic opportunity to connect with BPW members from across the country and hear updates from other clubs.

 Frocktober Fundraiser
Several of our BPW Hāwera members are participating in Frocktober to raise funds for the Ovarian Cancer Foundation New Zealand. And I heard they are organising a specific fund-raising event also. Watch out for that! What a wonderful cause—well done to all involved!
You can support the team by donating here:
 https://frocktober.org.nz/t/bpw-hawera

 Raffle Proceeds Update
At last year’s AGM, we agreed to donate raffle proceeds from 2024/2025 to the Taranaki Health Foundation in support of the new Taranaki Cancer Centre. We’ll be sharing the total amount raised at this year’s AGM—thank you all for your generosity!

Let’s continue to build a strong, supportive community together. We look forward to seeing you at the AGM on October 20th.
 
​Full Newsletter Click Here...
]]>Sat, 06 Sep 2025 12:00:00 GMThttp://www.bpwhawera.org.nz/latest-news/september-2025Kia ora members and friends,

As spring blossoms, September invites us to reflect on the legacy of women’s leadership and the opportunities ahead.

🌿 Celebrating Women’s Suffrage in Aotearoa
In 1893, New Zealand became the first country in the world to grant women the right to vote. This historic milestone was driven by the efforts of suffragists like Kate Sheppard, whose advocacy laid the foundation for women’s participation in civic life. Their legacy continues in every woman who steps forward to lead and serve her community.

The white camellia holds deep symbolic significance in the women’s suffrage movement, particularly in New Zealand, where it became an emblem of support for women's right to vote.  During the campaign for women's suffrage, supporters of the movement—especially men—would wear white camellia flowers to show their backing for the cause. The white camellia came to represent purity, justice, and the peaceful nature of the suffrage campaign. It was a non-confrontational but powerful way to signal solidarity.  In 1893, Kate Sheppard and other campaigners presented a petition with over 32,000 signatures to Parliament—an unprecedented act of civic engagement at the time. That same year, New Zealand became the first self-governing country in the world to grant women the right to vote. The white camellia has since become a national symbol of this achievement.

🗳️ September Dinner Meeting – an Informal Meet the (Women) Candidates
Date: Monday 15th September
Venue: SomeDay Café
Time: 5:45pm arrival for a 6:00pm start
Cost: $40 per person
RSVP: By Friday 12th September
Dietary Requirements: Please include with your RSVP
This month’s dinner meeting is a special opportunity to meet women candidates running in the Te Hawera Ward for both the Community Board, and Council. Join us in an informal setting to hear their perspectives, ask questions, and support women stepping into leadership roles.

🗳️ Voting in the Local Body Elections
Local elections run from 9 September to 11 October 2025.  Voting papers will be delivered by mail between 9–22 September.  If you’re enrolled by 1 August, you’ll receive your papers automatically. If you enrolled after that date, you’ll need to request a special vote from your local council.
Voting is by postal ballot, so make sure to return your papers early. The final day to post your vote is 7 October; after that, you’ll need to drop it off at a council ballot box
For more information or to check your enrolment, visit vote.nz.

🎓 Women’s Scholarship – Applications Close 25th September
Encourage the women in your life to apply for our annual BPW Hawera Women’s Scholarship. It’s open to those based in South Taranaki pursuing further education or training. Applications close 25th September. The application form is available on our BPW Hāwera website, the link is here and further details can be found on our Facebook page. Let’s help spread the word and empower more women in our community!

📣 AGM in October – Fresh Ideas Welcome!
Our Annual General Meeting is coming up next month. We invite members to consider joining the committee. Whether you’re new or long-standing, your ideas and energy are welcome. Let’s keep our club vibrant and forward-thinking.  We are still needing someone to step up into the Club President role.  A great development opportunity for those wanting to gain confidence in a leadership role, or those that would like to give back to our little club.
Thank you for your continued support and enthusiasm. Together, we honour the past and shape the future.

​Full Newsletter Click Here...
]]>Sat, 09 Aug 2025 12:00:00 GMThttp://www.bpwhawera.org.nz/latest-news/august-2025Kia ora koutou,
The daffodils are out in my garden so we must already be in August! As always, there’s plenty happening in our club, and I’m excited to share some updates and opportunities with you all.

A Note on Resilience and Community Support
I want to take a moment to acknowledge that the past few weeks and months have been challenging—for myself and for many others in our community. Work-based changes have brought a lot of stress, and while I’m fortunate to land in a confirmed position, I know that’s not the case for everyone. The unemployment rate in New Zealand is now the highest it’s been since 2020, and many in our community are feeling the pressure.
As a club, we have an opportunity—and a responsibility—to support one another. Whether it’s checking in on a friend, offering a listening ear, or contributing to local initiatives, every small act matters. Right now, you may have seen on social media, there’s a drive to collect cans (and other non-perishable food items) for the Hāwera Food Bank, and this is something we can all contribute to when we’re able. It doesn’t have to be just this month—regular support, even in small ways, can make a big difference.  You can donate yourself or bring along to our dinner on the 18th of August and I will ensure it gets to the right place!
Let’s continue to be a club that uplifts, connects, and cares. 💛

Scholarship Applications Open!

Our BPW Hāwera Women’s Education Scholarship is accepting applications. This scholarship supports local women in their educational journeys, and we encourage you to share this opportunity widely. The application form is available on our BPW Hāwera website, the link is here and further details can be found on our Facebook page. Let’s help spread the word and empower more women in our community!

Annual Wine Fundraiser – Let’s Raise a Glass!
Our popular wine fundraiser is underway! For each 12 bottles of wine sold $40 goes directly to BPW Hāwera, helping us fund initiatives like our scholarship programme. The more wine we sell, the more we can give back. So please consider placing an order and encouraging friends, whānau, and colleagues to do the same. Cheers to supporting women! You should have received the email with the order form already, if not, download the form here or email our Gmail account and we will send it out.  Offer closes on Monday 18th August so get onto it!

Committee News & Opportunities
We’re sad to see Anna step down from our executive committee at the next AGM due to other commitments. Anna has been a wonderful contributor, and we’re incredibly grateful for her generous offer: Dunlop Insurance will donate $600 annually to cover guest speaker dinners and gifts. What a fantastic legacy—thank you, Anna!

We’re also looking for new members to join our executive committee. It’s a great opportunity to learn, grow, and contribute in a supportive environment. If you’ve ever considered stepping up, now’s the time to reach out, we will distribute nomination forms next month.
And speaking of stepping up… my tenure as club president ends this October. We’ll need someone to take the reins and continue leading our amazing club. If you’re interested or want to know more, please reach out—I’m happy to chat.

August Dinner 18th August – Tech Tips & Tools. 

Please RSVP by Friday 15th August.
This month’s dinner meeting will be a little different. We’re inviting everyone to share their favourite technology or tech tips. Whether it’s an app that saves you time, a clever AI tool (like the one helping me write this newsletter!), or a digital shortcut or piece of hardware you swear by—bring it along! Let’s learn from each other and explore how we can make the most of the tools available to us.

Just a reminder to reduce cash handling for our executive team, who must take time out of their day to head into the bank, we kindly ask members to pay for dinners and raffles online whenever possible. This small change makes a big difference in simplifying club administration. Thank you for your cooperation!

​Full Newsletter Click Here...
]]>Sat, 12 Jul 2025 12:00:00 GMThttp://www.bpwhawera.org.nz/latest-news/july-2025I hope this newsletter finds you well, warm, and dry. Here are some important updates and reminders to keep you informed and engaged with our club activities.

Women’s Education Scholarship – Applications Open This Month!

Applications for the BPW Women’s Education Scholarship open this month! This is a fantastic
opportunity to support women in our community who are pursuing their educational goals. The criteria and application form are on our website and will be on our Facebook page also. Please help us spread the word by sharing this information with women who may be interested in applying. Let’s continue to empower and uplift women through education!

Upcoming Dinner meeting, please RSVP: BPW Candlelighting Ceremony – Monday, 21st July

At our upcoming dinner meeting on Monday, 21st July, we will hold our annual BPW Candlelighting Ceremony. This special event is a time to reflect on the importance of being part of BPW International, a global network of women working together to achieve equality and empowerment.
It’s a moment to celebrate our shared values and the incredible impact BPW has worldwide. We look forward to seeing you there as we honour this tradition together. We also have a bit of a fun session planned – see you there.

To streamline operations and reduce cash handling for our executive team, we kindly ask members to pay for dinners and raffles online whenever possible. This small change makes a big difference in simplifying club administration. Thank you for your cooperation!

Desiree is once again organizing our annual Wine Fundraiser, and it’s set to kick off on 14th July. Keep an eye on your emails for all the details and order forms! This fundraiser is a fantastic opportunity to enjoy some great wine while making a difference. A proportion of the wine sales goes directly to BPW Hawera, helping us support local women through initiatives like our Women’s Education Scholarship. The more wine we sell, the more we can empower women in our community!
As you may recall from our AGM last year, we agreed that all proceeds from our monthly raffles for the year would be donated to the Taranaki Health Foundation to support the new cancer centre at Taranaki Base Hospital. By ensuring strong wine sales, we can keep our scholarship account topped up. Let’s make this year’s Wine Fundraiser a success! Share the details with friends, family, and colleagues, and encourage them to place their orders. Together, we can enjoy great wine and make a meaningful impact in our community. Cheers to supporting local women! 

Join the Executive Committee – We Need You! As we approach our AGM in October, I encourage members to consider joining the BPW Hawera Executive Committee. Your support and involvement are vital to the success of our club. We are especially looking for a new Club President, as my term will come to an end at the AGM. If you’re interested or have questions, please talk to one of the current executive members now. Let’s work together to keep BPW Hawera thriving! --- Thank you for your continued support and dedication to BPW Hawera. Together, we are making a difference in our community and beyond. We look forward to seeing you at our upcoming events and hearing
your ideas for the future of our club.

Check Out Our Updated Website! Thanks to Dee our BPW Hawera website has been updated and is looking fantastic! It’s now easier than ever to stay connected with club news, events, and resources. Take a moment to explore the site and see all the great updates.
Reminder, if you are on Facebook and do not currently follow our page, I recommend you do so, you’ll find us easily at BPW Hāwera. We will be posting more information and content on our Facebook page to supplement our monthly newsletter, our monthly meetings, and our Web Site
content.

​Full newsletter click here...
]]>Sat, 07 Jun 2025 12:00:00 GMThttp://www.bpwhawera.org.nz/latest-news/june-2025May was Pink Ribbon month. I would like to thank our speaker last month, our own Te Aroha Hohaia for sharing her journey with breast cancer. It was such an honest and emotional story. A strong reminder to ensure we self-check our breasts but also make and keep our regular check-ups, including breast screening appointments. A big thank you to our generous club members, we managed to raise $425 for the NZ Breast Cancer Foundation.

With the upcoming local body elections, we are needing someone to organise our ‘Meet the Candidates’ evening. This is a great develop opportunity for someone to step up and have a go. You will be fully supported, all the templates and checklists already exist, and Anita Scott will guide you through step by step. Please email BPW Hawera or reach out to Anita or one of the executive if you would like more information. We need to get this locked in so we can book dates and the venue.

June the 1 st is World Milk Day. Malnutrition (which includes overnutrition, undernutrition, and/or micronutrient deficiencies) affects 3 billion people worldwide. A report sponsored by the Bill & amp; Melinda Gates Foundation titled “The Race To Nourish a Warming World” was unveiled during Climate Week NYC in September 2024, outlines four solutions to the global malnutrition crisis, the first of which is ensuring more productive cows and safer milk for vulnerable populations. As the report highlights, there is an urgent need to, “ensure kids get healthier even as the world gets hotter.” Its great to see dairy called out as a number one solution.

As a rural club in a rural town dominated by the dairy industry, we are well aware of the major influence it has in our community. Along this theme we will have a very relevant speaker, Mags Bremer, from Dairy Trust Taranaki (DTT) as our guest at this month’s dinner meeting. I was very privileged to hear from Mags when I visited the DTT site on Whareroa Road and was blown away by the science that is going in to making dairying even more environmentally friendly. Some very clever initiatives under way! I won’t steal Mags’ thunder, but I can assure you that you’ll enjoy learning about the great stuff going on here in Taranaki even if you aren’t working in the dairy industry.

We have updated the BPW Hawera Women’s Education Scholarship criteria based on club members feedback last dinner meeting so will bring the revised version along for ratification by members.
Selection & award criteria includes:
 Someone who currently resides or plans to live and work in South Taranaki.
 Targeted to any woman wanting to pursue an education that hasn’t taken a traditional path straight out of secondary school. Examples could be a career change or a career path they are pursuing, either is acceptable.  Any further education for a locally based woman will be considered.
 Does not need to be a member of BPW Hawera to apply
 Membership will be offered at a heavily discounted rate of $50, and dinners to be discounted by $5 per meal for the first year.
 Does not have an age restriction to application.
 Has not received this scholarship via BPW Hawera in the past.

We will also maintain mentorship, and right to not award and carry over funds to the next year if a suitable recipient is not awarded in the year it is offered.
I know many of you will be wondering and yes Desiree will be organising the annual Wine Fundraiser again this year. It is expected to kick off late in June or in July – watch out for that in your emails!

As you are probably aware, we give little gift packs to visitors to our club dinners, that contain information about BPW and our club, as well as a few little treats, and promotional items such as pens, pads etc from our club members. We are currently short of items for the gift bags, so if you have something you want added in to the gift bags to promote your business, please bring it along to a dinner meeting or pass on to a member of our committee. Can be something as simple as your business card, attached to a chocolate bar.

Reminder, if you are on Facebook and do not currently follow our page, I recommend you do so, you’ll find us easily at BPW Hāwera. We will be posting more information and content on our Facebook page to supplement our monthly newsletter, our monthly meetings, and our Web Site
content.

​Full Newsletter click Here...
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