At the crack of dawn on Monday, a group of Year 12s and 13s were treated to a hearty breakfast and a good dose of inspiration from some wāhine toa in our community. Hosted by the Dunedin Branch of the New Zealand Council of Women, this annual event is always sensational.

The speakers included Rachel Brooking, a lawyer and current member of parliament; Dr. Scarlett Hagen-Jacobs; a former Mountain-biking world champion and now a lecturer at the Otago University Business School, Harmony Pearce, a plumber, drainlayer and gasfitter; Jemma Geoghagan, a biologist and virologist; April Eden, an investment adviser and Harriet Moir an entertainer and celebrant.

Each woman spoke passionately about their journey to success and the barriers they have surmounted. While every speaker talked positively about their careers and their experiences, it was clear that there is still much work to be done before women truly achieve equality. We must never be complacent. 

It was lovely to catch up with Miss Janice Sinclair who was a long-serving teacher and dean at Otago Girls’. Janice is the chair of the branch and is a huge advocate for women and has been all her life and into her retirement. She is a taonga.