Two of the original charter members are still active members of our club. (Linda Nutt and Pat Campbell). The Zonta Club of Christchurch South celebrated its 40th birthday in September 2019 with a special birthday cake made by club member, Fiona Taylor, and entertainment by past Zontians, Elaine Mayo and Pam Brian.

SPONSORING & MENTORING NEW ZONTA CLUBS:

In 1988, Glen Price and Ann Skilling began organising a new club in Timaru, with the Charter Dinner for the Zonta Club of Timaru held on July 5^th 1989. With Glen Price (Christchurch South) as Chair of a further interclub SOM (Sponsoring and Organisation) committee, the Charter Dinner for the new Zonta Club of Ashburton took place on November 17^th 1993.

CLUB ORGANISATION:

Along with monthly dinner meetings (Canterbury Club, The Elms), we produce a regular newsletter and run a Club Facebook page. Standing committees include Service, Membership, Programme, Advocacy and Publicity/ Communications, along with a Sports Awards’ Committee (since 1991), Concert Committee (2017 & 2018), Golden Z Club Committee (from 2018) and inter-club Zonta Yellow Rose Run/Walk Committee (2019, 2020 & 2021).  Two members act as trustees for the inter-club Zonta Canterbury Tertiary Educational Scholarship. Club membership numbers decreased slightly during the period of the Christchurch earthquakes but are now maintained at a current healthy level.

ADVOCACY:

The Club continues to make submissions about many issues affecting women. ZC Christchurch South endorses Zonta’s Say No to Violence campaign by organising an annual Zonta Says No Breakfast and has supported Shakti, Aviva and similar groups aiming to eliminate domestic violence. Since 2015, at the initiative of then District 16 Publicity Chair, Marilou Crequer, various public structures, including the Christchurch Airport control tower and the Isaac Theatre Royal, have been illuminated in orange to mark Zonta International’s 16 Days of Activism against gender-based violence. As well, the Club gives active support to White Ribbon and UN Women events, with a good representation of members at the 2020 UN Women International Women’s Day Breakfast at Pemberton Gardens immediately before the Covid-19 lockdown. The Advocacy Committee also selects candidates for District and Zonta International scholarships. 

SERVICE & FUNDRAISING

Since 1979, Christchurch South Zontians have contributed to numerous service and fundraising events, including fashion parades, employment seminars, book sales and an annual art exhibition. By running multicultural International concerts, we were able to fund sewing machines donated to women in Herat, Afghanistan via the International Red Cross. We later produced and marketed our own unique wool protein-based hand cream. Annual garage sales and the sale of Entertainment Books have also assisted with fundraising for our service projects. For 31 years, ZC Christchurch South has organised the annual Zonta Sports Awards, with male and female participants from secondary schools throughout Canterbury and Westland. Covid-19 postponed this occasion in 2020.

Christchurch South also produces breast cushions for women who have undergone breast surgery, distributed through the Cancer Society to local hospitals. Recently, the Club achieved a significant production total of 3,300 breast cushions since the commencement of this project in 2006.

SPECIAL FUNDRAISING EVENTS:

Refurbishing the women’s night shelter at the Anglican City Mission in 2017 was funded by two inspiring Design and Arts evenings at Design Made Christchurch, originated and sponsored by one of our long-serving members, Pat Hopping. 2017 also saw our very popular presentation of the well-known Broadway production, Love, Loss and What I Wore, in the newly-opened University of Canterbury Music and Classics building in the Arts Centre. In 2018, we organised our unique sell-out ‘String Along with Zonta’ concert in The Piano Performing Arts’ Centre, featuring violinist, Fiona Pears, harpist, Helen Webby and Steve Thomas, the Bard of Christchurch, to raise funds for the then current District project, PADA (Perinatal Anxiety and Depression Aotearoa).

The tragic killings at Christchurch mosques in March 2019 focused our attention on service possibilities for local Muslim women. Club members contributed to transport costs for young Muslim mothers of children attending the Hagley College Preschool immediately after this Christchurch tragedy.

A number of Christchurch South Zontians participated in the Uniting Canterbury Women event at St Andrews College in July 2019 attended by almost 2,500 Christchurch women, while we further assisted UCW a few months later at a special dinner for affected women and their supporters.

PADA:

The 2018-2020 PADA (Perinatal Anxiety and Depression Aotearoa) District 16 Project was conceived and developed by Christchurch South Zontians with professional expertise in perinatal issues, and successfully put forward to the 2017 District Conference. Retired senior midwife, Lynne King, had District responsibility for the co-ordination of the PADA District project. In 2019, all Christchurch Zonta clubs organised an inter-club Zonta Yellow Rose Run/Walk in Hagley Park, with impressive efforts by Zontians and friends, including Area 3 Director Phillippa Jacobs and Lt. Governor Desirae Kirby. Our planned April 2020 Zonta Yellow Rose Run/Walk was cancelled due to the Covid-19 crisis but later took place in October, with a good total of funds raised for PADA. Governor Desirae and Lt Governor Phillippa were again keen participants.

BOOK LAUNCH:

In August 2019, Christchurch South’s Pat Hopping and a small committee organised a special fundraising book launch evening at Design Made, Christchurch, to introduce International Honorary Zontian Dr Marilyn Waring’s latest publication, The Political Years. City Councillor Jamie Gough was MC while Marilyn provided an entertaining outline of her early influences and life in politics.

GOLDEN Z CLUB:

A landmark achievement was the establishment of District 16’s first Golden Z Club at Lincoln University in April 2018, under the leadership and continuing input of club member, Jan Fortune. Both Governor Janet Hope and Lt. Governor Souella Cumming attended the special inaugural function at Lincoln University, along with Lincoln University’s Vice Chancellor and the Mayor of Selwyn District.

Among other activities, the Lincoln Golden Z Club has held well-attended Pink Ribbon Breakfasts. Christchurch South Zontian and cancer researcher, Dr Margaret Currie, gave an inspiring address at both the Golden Z Club’s 2019 and 2020 Pink Ribbon Breakfasts.

PUBLICITY & COMMUNICATIONS:

During 2018, under the expert direction of Publicity and Communications chair, Jocelyn Johnstone, ZC Christchurch South, carried out a series of broadcasts on the Plains FM’s Women on Air programme to promote Zonta events and the highlights of membership.

DISTRICT & INTERNATIONAL OFFICE-HOLDERS:

The Zonta Club of Christchurch South has provided two District Governors, Mary Kincaid (1994-1996) and Anne McMurtrie (2010-2012), along with others who have held District and International office. These include Glen Price (Area 4 Director, Chair of the District Bylaws Committee, member International Bylaws/Resolutions Committee 1980-84), Wendy Almond (Area 3 Director, District Secretary, 2017 District Conference Chair), Marilou Crequer (District Public Relations Chair 2014-16) and Jennifer Loughton (District Historian and Archivist 2008-2018, author of Empowering Women, A History of Zonta International in New Zealand 1965-2016). Past Governors Mary Kincaid and Anne McMurtrie have both served as members of the Zonta International Nominating Committee, with Mary also District 16’s representative at the inaugural international ZISVAW Conference. Anne McMurtrie (J M Klausman Scholarship) and Lynne King (PADA D16 project) have both had District co-ordination roles.

DISTRICT CONFERENCES:

In 2012, it became obvious that on-going earthquake after-shocks and a shortage of accommodation would make it impractical to host the D16 Conference in Christchurch. In a true example of Zontian sisterhood, the combined Zonta Clubs of Auckland came to the assistance of Christchurch Zonta Clubs by organising and hosting the Christchurch District Conference in Auckland. In September 2017, the District 16 Conference, organised by Christchurch South’s Wendy Almond, again took place in Christchurch. A variety of inspiring speakers included senior police officer, Superintendent (now Assistant Commissioner) Tusha Penny, and Kimberley Wallace, alpine rescue and Antarctic safety expert. In September 2019, almost half of ZC Christchurch South members attended the Australia and New Zealand Combined Districts’ Centennial Conference in Brisbane.

In August 2021, we again faced the challenge of a Covid lockdown, with some events postponed or cancelled, and Club meetings held via Zoom. Once again, many members donated their regular dinner payments to Club funds.

Our Club representatives on the Canterbury Tertiary Scholarship Trust assisted in the selection of  Carla Selvam-Lyne as a worthy recipient of the Scholarship who later addressed the annual Combined Clubs’ Dinner at The Rydges. The 2021 Secondary School Sports’ Awards were affected by Covid restrictions for a second year, with judging successfully achieved but without the presence of candidates and their parents at the usual Sports Awards’ Dinner.

Presentation of proceeds from the Combined Christchurch Zonta Clubs’ Yellow Rose Fun Run/Walk to representatives of Grandparents Raising Grandchildren, July 2021.