Women's Studies Association (NZ)/Pae Akoranga Wāhine

WSA (NZ) is a feminist organisation formed to promote radical social change through the medium of women's studies. It is a small, voluntary, non-profit organisation, independent of any institution.

We believe that a feminist perspective necessarily acknowledges oppression on the grounds of race, sexuality, class and disability, as well as gender. Māori are the tangata whenua of Aotearoa. We address racism and promote biculturalism in our work and activities as aims of our organisation.

Who We Are

The Auckland-based Organising Group is responsible for the running of the Association. Current members are Alison Kagen, Sylvia Baynes and Colleen Smith. Until early 2014 the Association had been run for many years by a Wellington Organising Group. Past convenors of the Association include Hilary Lapsley, Ana Gilling, Mary Mowbray, Prue Hyman, Lesley Hall and Claire-Louise McCurdy.

Our National Committee members are:

Auckland

Alison Kagen, Sylvia Baynes and Colleen Smith;

Hawke's Bay

Amy Wethington (Hastings);

Palmerston North

Jenny Coleman;

Wellington

Ana Gilling, Claire-Louise McCurdy, Fe Day, Hilary Lapsley, Kath Boswell, Linda Hill, Mary Mowbray, Sylvia Bagnall;

Nelson

Phillida Bunkle;

Christchurch

Rosemary Du Plessis;

Dunedin

Sue Odlin (Newsletter);

South

Jenny Campbell (Mossburn);

Overseas

Karen due Theilade;

Far North

Ruth Renner (website).

The main aims of the Association are:

To undertake, promote and disseminate research about women, by women from a feminist perspective.
To inform and educate women about women in culturally appropriate ways.
To encourage the preservation of existing material about women in culturally appropriate ways.
To facilitate the establishment of women's studies courses with a feminist perspective.
To undertake and promote the publication of material about women.
To organise and participate in activities, conferences, seminars and displays in furtherance of the aims of the Association.

Annual Plan

Read a summary of our 2014 Annual Plan here.

Read about 25 years of WSA(NZ) in an article from a recent Women's Studies Journal, a scholarly journal published by our Association since 1984.

The Constitution of the Women's Studies Association (NZ) Incorporated may be read in pdf or docx format.