TEDxWellingtonWomen announces name change to TEDxKateSheppardPlaceWomen

The team that brought you the sold-out 2015 event TEDxWellingtonWomen are pleased to reveal TEDxKateSheppardPlaceWomen as the name of their 2016 event.

TEDxKateSheppardPlaceWomen honours iconic suffragist Kate Sheppard and the history of the women’s movement in New Zealand. The name change signifies a move towards a TEDx event the whole country can own, expanding the focus beyond Wellington.

Natalia Albert, TEDxKateSheppardPlaceWomen Director and License holder, says the event’s name is a celebration of the legacy of those who campaigned for women’s rights in New Zealand.

“We changed our name to TEDxKateSheppardPlaceWomen because we wanted to clearly signal what we stand for. We want to celebrate the importance of our history as a progressive nation around gender equality; create a more inclusive event to reach a broader, like-minded audience and use a name people can connect with on a more personal level. To me, Kate Sheppard is a beacon of strength, courage and initiative for women in New Zealand to this day,” Ms Albert says.

“She stepped out of her comfort zone to campaign for women’s rights. TEDxKateSheppardPlaceWomen encourages attendees to step out of their comfort zones by spreading new ideas and sparking meaningful discussion in a way that honours her legacy.”

New Zealand was the first country in the world where women were granted the vote but inequalities remain. Women in New Zealand earn 11.8% less than their male peers, are underrepresented in leadership and governance roles and a third suffer some form of violence from an intimate partner.

“Globally, women experience varying degrees of inequality. I was born in Mexico, one of the most dangerous places for women. I am grateful every day in New Zealand, where I now choose to live, that the women who came before me paved the way for improved gender equality. We still have a long way to go,” Ms Albert says.

In 1896, three years after New Zealand became the first country in the world where women were granted the vote, Kate Sheppard was the founding President of National Council of Women of New Zealand which today is an event partner for TEDxKateSheppardPlaceWomen.

TEDxKateSheppardPlaceWomen is currently crowd-sourcing ideas for a theme that is a hat tip to the values that Kate Sheppard embodied while still being broad enough to apply to a wide range of speakers and their ideas worth spreading. Click here to submit a theme idea.

TEDxKateSheppardPlace is a locally organised, not-for-profit event where change-makers will share inspiring ideas. TEDx events offer an unparalleled opportunity to engage in meaningful discussions, stretch your world views, diversify your perspective, kickstart personal and professional relationships and learn about powerful ideas that are taking shape in both our local and global communities.

More details about TEDxKateSheppardPlaceWomen will be released shortly. It will take place in Wellington in late October 2016 - mark your diaries!

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