Waikato Women’s Fund recharged and ready for 2022

The volunteer-led Te Ira Waahine o Waikato-Waikato Women’s Fund held its Annual Members Meeting in late 2021 and welcomed new committee members Fiona Welch, Jeanie Tseng, Samantha Durning, Kate Cornege, Karina Lonergan, Tracy Hemingway and Seluvaia Pouono. 

Alongside continuing members Rachel Afeaki, Chantal Baxter, Rosalie Norton and our Board Secretary Dee Holmes, the WWF 2022 committee is anticipating a full calendar year ahead, having then kickstarted the year with a strategy session facilitated by Community Waikato’s very own Sarah Gibbs. 

The purpose of the day was to reflect on the Waikato Women’s Fund’s work to date and to share and develop our shared sense of purpose with the new committee members in particular - to enable opportunities for women and girls across the Waikato to realise their dreams and aspirations. 

The consensus from the committee is that we are part of something incredibly special and through the generosity of our communities, together we will create a ripple effect of transformative change for our region, New Zealand and globally. Our dream is to achieve $1million by 2024!

Our goals for 2022 are to continue to grow the Fund and to raise its profile so our region’s communities better understand our mission and more people choose to participate. Our committee will work better to understand our members, partners and stakeholders, whilst ensuring sustainability and resilience for the Fund. We do all this underpinned by our values - kotahitanga, manaakitanga, whanaungatanga, and kaitiakitanga.

Due to the current pandemic environment our renowned annual signature event Waahine Toa scheduled for 26 March, has been postponed until further notice.

Otherwise, watch this space as we prepare to navigate and deliver on our 2022 plan – we are really excited!

We will look forward to celebrating International Women’s Day on 8 March, with the 2022 theme #BreakTheBias being a call to action for a world that is free of bias, stereotypes, and discrimination, for a world that is diverse, equitable, and inclusive.

Keep updated with our news and what is happening in our region for women and girls by checking out our Facebook and LinkedIn pages. Consider becoming a member and supporting the cause of the Waikato Women’s Fund. Feel free to connect with any of our committee members, we are all about networking and making connections across the motu!