In September of last year, QMFem was launched with our first meeting which, from then on, has taken place every Thursday at lunchtime.

Our inaugural event was our first ‘Starting the Conversation’ evening. Naomi Ferguson, the first female Commissioner of the Inland Revenue Department, spoke to students, faculty, and parents. She left the crowd inspired for our futures and empowered to formulate change.

Shortly after this event, QMFem members read ‘Good Night Stories for Rebel Girls’ written by Elena Favilli and Francesca Cavallo, to a group of junior school students. The book includes a collection of short stories describing the inspiring stories of women who have broken gender barriers with their talent, vision, and drive. The girls loved it; we highly recommend sharing this book with the young people in your life.

This year, the 8th March marked International Women’s Day. QMFem’s purpose for this year’s International Women’s Day was to leave the students, staff and community feeling empowered, inspired, and ready to create change. The day began with a livestream of the UN Women Aotearoa International Women’s Day Breakfast. The theme for this year was, “Gender Equity Today for a Sustainable Tomorrow”. Speakers including Dame Cindy Kiro, Ranjna Patel and Sophie Handford captivated the audience on how without gender equity we cannot achieve climate justice. At lunchtime, we hosted a bake sale where over $500 of donations for The Kiribati Women and Children’s Support Centre was raised. Kiribati has the highest rate of domestic violence in the Pacific, and all proceeds from the bake sale will be used to support the lives of these victims.

On Monday the 11th April, we hosted our first debate. The motion was ‘THAT Gender Equality will never be obtained’. The debate was between the college’s Premier A and Premier B debate teams. The adjudicator was Old Girl Isobel Scherf, an experienced and accomplished debater. Both teams presented their thoroughly researched points convincingly and confidently, which led the adjudicator to a difficult decision. The debate was given to Premier A who were negating the motion. The audience was left thinking about where they stand on the argument, as well as being more educated on the topic.

It has been a wonderful inaugural period following the launch of QMFem. We would like to thank all staff, students and members of the community who have given their time, support, and generosity. Without this support, these events could not have occurred. We are excited to continue working with our community to promote gender equality and inspire the future.