WAITANGI, NEW ZEALAND - This year’s Global Women hui, or gathering, was held from May 23-25 with the theme Aotearoa New Zealand 2040: Reimagined Together. Among the distinguished attendees was Dame Jenny Shipley, the 36^th Prime Minister of New Zealand and Co-chair of the International Finance Forum (IFF). The gathering - which takes place every year - featured many of the country’s most influential Maori and non-Maori female leaders, acting as a platform for attendees to share their thoughts regarding the future of the country and its women.

In its own words, Global Women was founded for the purpose of “promoting inclusion and diversity for improved societal and economic growth”. This has helped the country achieve an excellent reputation for inclusiveness and gender equality, and Global Women has helped shape this by articulating and discussing the most pressing issues facing the country’s women today and how these relate to the world at large and New Zealand’s role in it. This is still a work in progress, however, as a gender pay gap persists and women still struggle to achieve equality of opportunity. There is also a significant backlash among those who resist change, and this can be seen in increasing levels of discrimination and extremism.

Dame Jenny Shipley was New Zealand’s first female Prime Minister, and after retiring from politics in 2002 she returned to the private sector while focusing on the development of leaders both in New Zealand and globally. In addition to her role at the IFF, she is also a director, advisor, and keynote speaker for Global Women and Champions for Change, with a special interest in mega trends in business as well as economic and social development opportunities globally.

At this year’s gathering, Shipley reemphasized her support for leadership and paving the way for the next generation of leaders, having previously asserted that “Being in a leadership role doesn’t mean just occupying the space. It means using the power to influence outcomes in a way that is meaningful. Any fool can describe what’s wrong; leaders identify what’s wrong and then put strategies in place that will change it.”

Shipley was joined by Global Women Chair Theresa Gattung, Google New Zealand chief executive Caroline Rainsford, ex-Attorney General Margaret Wilson, and Dame Marilyn Waring, one of New Zealand's most well-known and outspoken feminists, among others. Looking ahead to 2040, speakers stressed that people would have to “choose to be an observer or participant in the future of [New Zealand]”. From the opening session, Seeing Yourself in Te Tiriti as a Living Document, through to the final interactive strategy session planning for the future, each speaker invited reflection and facilitated connection. They also reminded everyone that New Zealand is a vital member of the global community, and that increased interactions with women everywhere are beneficial to all. Similarly, while New Zealand undoubtedly has much to teach the rest of the world, it also stands to learn a great deal as well. Much progress has been made leading up to 2024, but there remains so much more to be done.

Participants left the gathering unified in their vision and purpose to build an equitable, sustainable, and thriving future for New Zealand.