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Women Together – Ngā Rōpū Wāhine o te Motu

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To mark the 125th anniversary of women’s suffrage in 2018, we prepared an online version of Women together: a history of women’s organisations in New Zealand / Ngā rōpū wāhine o te motu.

This important reference work was published in 1993 to mark the centenary of women’s suffrage. For the online edition we've worked with the original editor, Anne Else, to update both the entries on individual organisations and the thematic overview essays. Entries on 23 significant new organisations formed since 1993 have also been added.

Read an introduction to the history of women's organisations in New Zealand.

Follow the links below to find histories of organisations and theme-based overviews. The themes included are: Māori; Political; Welfare; Religion;  Employment; Health; Service; Education (early childhood and girls and women); Rural; Sport; Arts (arts and crafts and performing arts); Immigration; and Lesbian. The table can be sorted by organisation name, theme, and start and end dates.

 

List of women's organisations
Organisation Theme Start year End year
Altrusa International (New Zealand) Service
Amazons Softball Club Lesbian
Architecture+Women New Zealand Employment
Armstrong and Arthur Charitable Trust for Lesbians Lesbian
Association of Anglican Women
  • Mothers' Union
Religion
Association of Home Science Alumnae of New Zealand
  • Association of Otago University Home Science Alumnae
Education: girls and women
Association of New Zealand Embroiderers' Guilds Arts and crafts
Association of Women Artists Arts and crafts
Atalanta Cycling Club Sport and recreation
Auckland Feminist Teachers Education: girls and women
Auckland Women Lawyers' Association Employment
Auckland Women’s Political League Political
Baptist Women New Zealand
  • Baptist Women's Ministries
  • Baptist Women's League
Religion
BDS Book Group WELL 124 Sport and recreation
Broadsheet Collective Political
Business and Professional Women New Zealand
  • New Zealand Federation of Business and Professional Women
Employment
Canterbury Women’s Institute Political
Catholic Women's League of Aotearoa-New Zealand
  • Catholic Women's League of New Zealand
Religion
Charlotte Museum Trust Lesbian
Chinese Women's Organisations Immigration and ethnicity
Church Women United in Aotearoa / New Zealand
  • Women's Committee of the National Council of Churches
Religion
Coalition for Equal Value Equal Pay
  • Council for Equal Pay and Opportunity (CEPO)
Employment
Combined Early Childhood Union of Aotearoa Te Rau o te Aroha o te Kōhanga ki Aotearoa
  • Early Childhood Workers' Union
Employment
Cone Religion
Costume and Textile Association of New Zealand
  • New Zealand Costume and Textile Section of the Auckland Museum Institute
Arts and crafts
Council of Jewish Women of New Zealand
  • Union of Jewish Women
Immigration and ethnicity
Creative Fibre
  • New Zealand Spinning, Weaving and Woolcrafts Society
Arts and crafts
Dairy Women’s Network Rural
Domestic Workers' Unions Employment
Dominion Federation of Townswomen's Guilds Service
Dress for Success New Zealand Service
Dunedin Collective for Woman Political
Dunedin Tailoresses' Union Employment
Family Planning
  • New Zealand Family Planning Association
  • Sex Hygiene and Birth Regulation Society
Health
Farming Mums NZ Rural
Federation of New Zealand Housewives Political
Feminist Art Networkers Arts and crafts
Fitness League
  • Women's League of Health and Beauty
  • Health and Beauty Movement
Health
Frocks on Bikes Sport and recreation
GirlBoss New Zealand Education: girls and women
GirlGuiding New Zealand
  • Girl Guides Association New Zealand
  • Girl Peace Scouts' Association
Sport and recreation
Girls' Brigade New Zealand
  • The Girls’ Life Brigade New Zealand
Religion
Girls' Friendly Society Welfare
Graduate Women New Zealand
  • New Zealand Federation of Graduate Women
  • New Zealand Federation of University Women
Education: girls and women
Haeata Māori
Home Birth Associations
  • New Zealand Home Birth Association
Health
Hospital Library Visitors' Association
  • Hospital Lady Visitors' Association
Service
Inner Wheel Clubs of New Zealand
  • International Inner Wheel
  • Association of Inner Wheel Clubs
  • Association of Inner Wheel Clubs of Great Britain and Ireland
Service
Islamic Women’s Council New Zealand (IWCNZ) Immigration and ethnicity
Kidsarus 2 Arts and crafts
Koło Polek Polish Women’s League Immigration and ethnicity
La Leche League New Zealand Health
Labour Women's Council Political
Ladies' Committee of the Canterbury Female Refuge Welfare
Lady Liverpool's and Mrs Pomare’s Maori Soldiers' Fund Māori
League of Mothers and Homemakers of New Zealand
  • League of Mothers
Welfare
Lesbian Community Radio Programme Lesbian
Lesbian Information, Library and Archives Centre Lesbian
Lesbian Links Lesbian
Lesbian Mothers Defence Fund Lesbian
Lesbian Summer Camps Lesbian
Lesbians In Print Lesbian
Lower Hutt Women’s Centre Service
Magdalena Aotearoa Performing arts
Mahila Samaj Immigration and ethnicity
Māori Women's Institutes Māori
Marching New Zealand
  • New Zealand Marching Association
  • New Zealand Marching and Recreation Association
Sport and recreation
Mata Aho Collective Māori
Mesh Down Under Health
National Collective of Independent Women's Refuges Welfare
National Collective of Rape Crisis and Related Groups of Aotearoa Welfare
National Council of Women of New Zealand Political
National Organisation for Women (NOW) Political
National Party Women's Sections Political
Netball New Zealand
  • New Zealand Netball Association Inc.
  • New Zealand Basketball Association Inc.
  • New Zealand Basketball Association
Sport and recreation
New Horizons for Women: Hine Kahukura Education: girls and women
New Plymouth Women’s Centre Welfare
New Zealand Co-operative Women’s Guild Service
New Zealand Council of Trade Unions Te Kauae Kaimahi Women's Council Employment
New Zealand Federation of Country Girls' Clubs Rural
New Zealand Federation of Home and Family Societies
  • Society for the Protection of Home and Family
  • Society for the Protection of Women and Children
Welfare
New Zealand Federation of Women's Institutes
  • New Zealand Federation of Country Women's Institutes
  • Women's Institutes
Rural
New Zealand Free Kindergarten Teachers' Association Education: early childhood
New Zealand Kindergartens – Te Pūtahi Kura Pūhou o Aotearoa
  • New Zealand Free Kindergarten Association
  • New Zealand Free Kindergarten Union (NZFKU)
Education: early childhood
New Zealand Medical Women’s Association Employment
New Zealand Methodist Women's Fellowship
  • Methodist Women's Missionary Union
  • Methodist Women's Missionary Auxiliary
Religion
New Zealand Nurses’ Organisation
  • New Zealand Nurses' Association
  • New Zealand Trained Nurses' Association
Health
New Zealand Prostitutes' Collective Employment
New Zealand Rational Dress Association Health
New Zealand Women Teachers' Association Employment
New Zealand Women Writers' Society
  • New Zealand Women Writers' and Artists' Society
Arts and crafts
New Zealand Women's Bowling Association Sport and recreation
New Zealand Women's Christian Temperance Union Political
New Zealand Women's Cricket Council Sport and recreation
New Zealand Women's Food Value League Health
New Zealand Women's Hockey Association
  • New Zealand Ladies' Hockey Association
Sport and recreation
New Zealand Women's Royal Army Corps Association Service
New Zealand Working Women’s Council Employment
Nga Maia Maori Midwives Aotearoa Māori
Ngāti Toa Rangatira Women's Hockey Club Māori
Onehunga Ladies' Benevolent Society Welfare
Pacific Islands Women’s Health Project Aotearoa
  • Pacific Islands Women’s Project Aotearoa
Immigration and ethnicity
Pacific Women's Organisations Immigration and ethnicity
PACIFICA
  • Pacific Women's Council
Immigration and ethnicity
Palmerston North Music Club
  • Palmerston North Girls' Music Club
Performing arts
Pan-Pacific and South-East Asia Women's Association
  • Pan-Pacific Women's Association
Political
Parents Centres New Zealand
  • Federation of New Zealand Parents Centres
  • Wellington Parents Centre
  • The Natural Childbirth Association
Health
Playcentre Aotearoa
  • New Zealand Playcentre Federation
  • New Zealand Play Centre Federation
  • New Zealand Federation of Play Centres
  • New Zealand Federation of Nursery Play Centre Associations
Education: early childhood
Positive Women Inc.
  • Positive Women
Health
Presbyterian Women Aotearoa New Zealand
  • Association of Presbyterian Women
  • Presbyterian Women's Missionary Union of New Zealand
  • Presbyterian Women's Missionary Union
Religion
Ranfurly Club Sport and recreation
Rebekah Lodges of the Independent Order of Odd Fellows Service
Relief Society of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints Religion
Royal New Zealand Plunket Society
  • The Plunket Society
  • The Society for the Promotion of the Health of Women and Children
Health
RSA Women's Sections Service
Rural Women New Zealand
  • Women’s Division Federated Farmers
  • Women’s Division Farmers’ Union
Rural
Salvation Army Women’s Ministries
  • Salvation Army Home League
Religion
Screen Women's Action Group Performing arts
Shakti Community Council
  • Shakti Asian Women’s Support Group
Immigration and ethnicity
SHE Lesbian
SheEO NZ Employment
Social Hygiene Society Health
Society for Research on Women in New Zealand Education: girls and women
Society of Women Musicians of Otago Performing arts
Sophia Religion
Soroptimist International of Aotearoa New Zealand
  • Soroptimist International (New Zealand)
Service
Spiral Arts and crafts
Te Kākano o te Whānau Māori
Te Kaunihera o Ngā Neehi Māori o Aotearoa National Council of Māori Nurses Māori
Te Kōhanga Reo Māori
Te Roopu Raranga Whatu o Aotearoa
  • Aotearoa Moana Nui A Kiwa Weavers
Māori
Te Ropu o te Ora Women's Health League Māori
Te Rōpū Wāhine Māori Toko i te Ora Māori Women's Welfare League Māori
Te Tari Puna Ora o Aotearoa New Zealand Childcare Association
  • New Zealand Association of Childcare Centres
Education: early childhood
TechWomen Employment
The Aunties Welfare
The Guides of Whakarewarewa Māori
The Health Alternatives for Women Health
The Women's Gallery Arts and crafts
Tīwhanawhana Trust Māori
UN Women National Committee for Aotearoa NZ
  • New Zealand National Committee for UNIFEM
Political
Wāhine Taharua Māori
Waikato Women in Education Education: girls and women
Wanganui Women's Political League
  • Wanganui Women's Franchise League
Political
War Brides' Organisations Immigration and ethnicity
Wellington Christian Feminists Religion
Wellington Equity Women's Caucus Performing arts
Women Climbing Sport and recreation
Women in Agriculture Rural
Women in Science Education Education: girls and women
Women's Art Initiative Collective Arts and crafts
Women's Committees of the New Zealand Public Service Association Health
Women's Electoral Lobby of New Zealand Political
Women's Golf New Zealand
  • New Zealand Ladies' Golf Union
Sport and recreation
Women's Health Action
  • Fertility Action
Health
Women's Institute Drama Groups
  • Country Women’s Institute Drama Groups
  • Women's Institute Drama Groups
Performing arts
Women's International League for Peace and Freedom
  • International Committee of Women for Permanent Peace
Political
Women's National Abortion Action Campaign Health
Women's Patriotic Associations Service
Women's Studies Association (NZ) Pae Akoranga Wāhine
  • Women's Studies Association
Education: girls and women
Women's Unemployment Committees Welfare
Woodhatton Spinners and Weavers Arts and crafts
Young Women's Christian Association of Aotearoa New Zealand Welfare
Yugoslav Women in Organisations Immigration and ethnicity
Zonta International (New Zealand) Service