Wāhine O Wairua

In the Beginning....

The Māori Women's Caucus was established in 1989 at a National meeting of the YWCA of Aotearoa-New Zealand. The origins of the Māori Women's Caucus stem from two major aspects. The first involved two committees, the Māori Women's Project and the Pacific Island Women's Project, which aimed at addressing issues of rape and sexual abuse within their communities.

At the same time the YWCA of Aotearoa-New Zealand also initiated change at World Council. These changes included young women's representation, issues around the position of indigenous women in the world and the credal base. These initiatives were carried out at World Councils in 1989, 1991, 1994 and 1999. During this time, the YWCA of Aotearoa-New Zealand also examined our own practices relating to young women and Māori women.

In 1994, the YWCA of Aotearoa/New Zealand was one of the first organisations to sign the Mātatua Declaration.

Purpose of the Māori Women's Caucus

The main purpose of the Māori Women's Caucus is to awhi Māori women within the YWCA of Aotearoa-New Zealand. Therefore, all Māori women have access to this caucus.

In 1999, a Hui was held in Rotorua to formalise the Māori Women's Caucus, to determine a name and establish protocols related to membership, funding and its future.

Wāhine O Wairua

In 2001, the Māori Women's Caucus name changed to Wāhine O Wairua at a Hui in Hamilton. The purposes and objectives of Wāhine O Wairua are fundamentally the same as the Māori Women's Caucus, but the name incorporates what we are about.

Today, Wāhine O Wairua works more on a political level, ensuring that the YWCA of Aotearoa/New Zealand is meeting its obligations in accordance with the Te Tiriti O Waitangi. In addition, Wāhine O Wairua supports Māori Women of all ages involved in the YWCA of Aotearoa-New Zealand.

Indigenous Women's Conference 2003 World Council was in Australia. ???????

This page was written by Geraldine (Gez) Harvey. Gez is 25 years old and has been involved with the Y for a number of years. She used to run the Y-Dub programme at Rotorua YWCA, and was the National Young Women's Vice President.