Governor’s message
Kia ora koutou katoa, Hello everyone.
After the grim weather of the last week, it’s a pleasure to think back over the last few months and talk about what’s coming up.
And there’s a lot going on – Young Women in Leadership Awards, Conference planning, our regular Foster Hope update from Ashburton Club and more.
Ngā mihi, Jen
What I’ve been doing
2025 Area meetings
The first quarter of each year was busy with our Area Meetings. We completed these for 2025 with the Area 5 meeting in early April.
Thank-you to everyone who attended this year’s meetings –from home or from a venue shared with others – and supporting the decision to deliver them virtually.
Some of the key parts of the meetings were:
- the Core Values package from Zonta International. Thank-you for your contributions through the MentiMeter. Along with the hundreds of other members who contributed globally, your ideas will contribute to the development of our Core Values and Code of Conduct
- The keynote speakers at each meeting, including Helen Bowie, Zonta International Advocacy Chair, who gave a fantastic summary of Advocacy activities happening internationally and the Four Focus Areas, Four Moments of Activism and Four New Initiatives
- Margaret Currie, D16 Foundation Ambassador who updated us on our Foundation giving so far in the Biennium – 24% of our target of $70,000 NZD, and
- D16 Nominating committee members – Anne McMurtrie, Margaret Coe and Alison Grant
- And of course, our board members who, as Area Directors hosted the meetings, and other members who attended them.
The link below takes you to the Zonta International website and a wealth of webinars on a variety of topics.
Zonta Young Women in Leadership Award 2025
Clare Bruce, our Young Women in Leadership chair has organised the judging panel for this year’s District Award winner. Following the process described by Zonta International, they will be announced in the next few months.
Many thanks to Clare and the judging panel and to each club which has made an award to a young women in your community.
District Project Foster Hope
A social media campaign has started on the D16 Facebook and Instagram pages. The campaign is currently set to run for 10 weeks and will help raise awareness about both Zonta, Foster Hope and the work Zonta do to support Foster Hope. Please go and check out these posts and give them a ‘like’ or a ‘share’.
Invercargill club had the pleasure of hosting Juanita from Foster Hope at a fantastic recent meeting via Zoom. Juanita is the Otago coordinator of Foster Hope and was awarded Community Women of the year last year in December.
All the amazing people at Foster Hope are Volunteers and give countless hours of their own personal time to make the lives of foster children and families better. They strive to ensure that every child in care knows that their community cares about them.
If you have any photos or any stories you would like to share regarding your interactions with Foster Hope, please send them through to the Ashburton Club. ashburton@zonta.org.nz
Front middle from left to right: June Matthews, Foster Hope Wellington based coordinator, Governor Jen, Cheryl Horo, Mana Club president.
SAVE THE DATE 10-12 October 2025
Make your bookings!
Our conference planning is gaining momentum! Enthusiastic members from Mana, Manawatu, Tauranga, and Wellington are teaming up to bring this incredible event to life. With their dedication and collaboration, we’re shaping an inspiring and unforgettable experience. Stay tuned as the excitement builds!
Exciting news—the conference website is launching soon! Within the next few weeks, you’ll be able to access all the details you need, including the full programme. Here’s a sneak peek at what’s coming up:
📌Key Dates:
– Conference business meeting 5 October 1pm online
– Guided tours of Te Tiriti and suffragette exhibitions Friday morning, 10 October
– Registration opens Friday, 10 October at 12 noon
– Workshop Friday, 10 October at 1pm – 4pm
– Opening Event kick off Friday, 10 October at 5pm
– Conference Programme runs Saturday, 11 October from 8:30am – 5pm
– Gala Dinner sparkles on Saturday, 11 October from 6:30pm – 10:30pm
– Conference Concludes on Sunday, 12 October at 12 noon
Stay tuned—the countdown is on! 🎉
The Rydges Hotel , Wellington* have provided us with a code for accommodation bookings https://www.rydges.com/private-page/zonta-2025/
Rydges Hotel, Wellington is at 75 Featherston Street, Wellington, if you are looking for other accommodation options
Booking information for Rydges Hotel, Wellington
1. Visit ZONTA 2025 | Rydges Hotels & Resorts
2. Enter your required dates
3. Enter number of guests staying , click apply
4. Click ‘CHECKROOMS’
5. Your special rates will appear on the rates screen
6. Click ‘BOOKNOW’
Cancellation Policy: Bookings/room nights can be cancelled at no charge up until 3pm, 3 days prior to arrival. Cancellations received after this time will incur, a fee equal to 100% of the booking costs.
Remits & Bylaws for Conference 2025
An email was sent to all clubs on 4 April 2025 with information about how to submit Remits and Bylaws for conference.
A reminder that your submissions need to be received by 31stMay at the latest to secretaryd16@zonta.org.nz
If you’re able to send them earlier, that would be appreciated. Thank-you to those clubs who have already sent their submissions.
Zonta International Convention 2026
We had our meeting on the 8th of February. Governor Jen and Lieutenant Governor Sarah got the meeting rolling getting us to think about why we became members of Zonta and what keeps us members and delving into our core values. Jen reminded us of the Zonta International and District 16 strategy and got us thinking about what this means at our district, area and club levels.
Guest speaker, Helen Bowie gave an extremely insightful talk on advocacy, really highlighting what advocacy means from a Zonta perspective. Helen’s wealth of knowledge on Zonta advocacy really shone through.
We had a fantastic update from Margaret Currie on how the Foundation funds are progressing and the Foundation initiatives.
I always like hearing about what has been happening at each club and what are considered the highlight activities for each club. These updates from each club were a great opportunity for clubs to reflect on their own activities but also draw inspiration from what other clubs are doing.
Thank you to all those that participated in the meeting, either as a speaker or attendee. It was great to have your support and interest in either sharing or learning about Zonta. I hope to see you all again at conference in October.
Dr Nicola Schreurs
Zonta District 16, Area 2 Director 2024-2026
Thank you to our sponsors.
Key dates Zonta NZ and Zonta International
11 May 2025 Zonta says Now Intercontinental Think Tank Webinar (register on ZI website)
14 May 2025 Meet UNFPA – a webinar for ZI members (register on ZI website)
15 May 2025 New Member Webinar ZI (register on ZI website)
17 May 2025 Zonta NZ/D16 Board meeting (virtual)
27 May 2025 Zonta Advocacy Webseries: Spotlight on Zonta says No (register on ZI website)
30 May 2025 Nominations Information Sessions (register on ZI website)
14 June 2025 Zonta NZ/D16 Board meeting (virtual)
19 July 2024 Zonta NZ/D16 Board meeting (virtual)
5 October 2025 Zonta NZ/D16 Conference business meeting (virtual)
9 October 2025 Zonta NZ/D16 Board meeting (in-person)
10 – 12 October 2025 – District 16 (NZ) Conference Wellington
11 – 14 July 2026 — Zonta International Convention, Vancouver, Canada