The New Zealand Parliament hosted a leadership event for the Commonwealth Women Parliamentarians (CWP) New Zealand Group that brought together aspiring women leaders from Parliament, local government and community organisations to connect, exchange ideas and share their experiences.

The CWP ‘Taking the Lead’ event also brought together women Parliamentarians from the Pacific Region including the Deputy Speaker of the Parliament of Fiji, Hon. Lenora Qereqeretabua, MP and Hon. Tina Browne, MP from the Cook Islands.

Participants were welcomed by the Co-Chair of CWP New Zealand, Hon. Dana Kirkpatrick, MP and the Vice-Chairperson of the CPA International Executive Committee, Hon. Carmel Sepuloni, MP (New Zealand).

Seventeen Members of the New Zealand Parliament presented on different topics during the workshop, including two Ministers, and four male MPs who presented on a panel of male champions. The keynote speaker was Hon. Nicola Willis, MP who is New Zealand’s Minister of Finance.

The goal of the event was to empower the next generation of elected women leaders, by giving them an opportunity to learn from current Parliamentarians and the event was funded by CWP Gender Strengthening Funds 2026.

Local Councillor for Hastings District, Elisha Milmine said that the event brought together an incredible group of women doing amazing work across New Zealand and the Pacific, each bringing passion, courage and commitment to their communities.

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The Commonwealth Women Parliamentarians (CWP) promotes equal participation in all Legislatures and is the network of women Members of the Commonwealth Parliamentary Association (CPA) with almost 180 Parliaments in its membership. The Commonwealth Women Parliamentarians (CWP) was founded in 1989 to increase the number of women elected representatives in Parliaments and Legislatures across the Commonwealth and to ensure that women’s issues are brought to the fore in parliamentary debate and legislation. The network campaigns for gender equality in all spheres.

The Commonwealth Parliamentary Association connects, develops, promotes and supports Parliamentarians and their staff to identify benchmarks of good governance and the implementation of the enduring values of the Commonwealth. The CPA is an international community of around 180 Commonwealth Parliaments and Legislatures at national, state, provincial and territorial level working together to deepen the Commonwealth’s commitment to the highest standards of democratic governance.

For media enquiries, please contact communications@cpahq.org.