Women's Electoral Lobby, Taranaki Branch
Production date
1976-1991
Description
The Women’s Electoral Lobby (WEL) Taranaki Branch had its inaugural meeting in May 1976. The first major project for WEL Taranaki was a submission in October 1976 to the Johnson Committee on human development and relationship courses in schools. 450 questionnaires were sent to parents of primary and secondary school children. Over 300 questionnaires were returned and this enabled WEL to have reliable information on the feelings of parent’s expectations of the education system.
In April 1977 another survey was conducted on rural depopulation, mostly asking when and why farm worker families moved into town. The answer was almost unanimously when children reach school age so to avoid long school bus trips. This information was used at the 1977 Christchurch United Women’s Convention in the rural women’s workshop.
In 1984 WEL Taranaki conducted a strong campaign against the pub entertainment of jelly-wrestling. The first local publican who received a phone call was so surprised he promised not to host one again.
WEL Taranaki regularly submitted submissions on legislation such as the CSA Act, Broadcasting Amendment Act, Rape Law Reform Bill, Electoral Act Review, on the Johnson Report itself, the State Services Amendment Act and the Homosexual Law Reform Bill. The Lobby also wrote three submissions to the Taranaki United Council on regional planning as well as on other local issues.
During election times WEL Taranaki had to forgo large electoral campaigns due to small member numbers. However surveys of local and national candidates were undertaken. Objective reporting on candidates replies led to a strong media presence from WEL in the local newspapers reporting on electioneering.
In 1984 WEL Taranaki hosted the national conference. To celebrate this the Govett-Brewster Art Gallery staged an exhibition on new women artists, which later toured New Zealand, and hosted a series of evening lectures on female participation in art, trade unions and employment.
WEL Taranaki was also represented, from 1978 at the local National Council of Women branch and upheld national WEL policies within the very conservative Taranaki NCW branch membership.
Due to waning membership numbers WEL Taranaki was officially closed in January 1991.
Object detail
Box 1
- Cashbook 1976 – 1992
- Minute book 20 June 1976 – 17 July 1983
- Minute book 4 August 1983 – 21 July 1984
- Registrations and payment folder
- WEL policy and strategy
Box 2
Folder One:
- Inwards correspondence
- Outwards correspondence
- Coordinated correspondence
- WEL Taranaki newsletters, no. 1 June 1976 – no. 10 May 1978
Folder Two:
- Employment. Newspaper clippings, correspondence, submission on the employment equity report.
- Unemployment. Newspaper clippings, correspondence.
- Multinational foreign investment. Newspaper clippings.
- Family Proceedings Act. Newspaper clippings, correspondence.
- Environment. Newspaper clippings.
- Local Government. Submission to the Internal Affairs and Local Government Select Committee on the Local Government Law Reform Bill, correspondence, Submission on the Taranaki Regional Planning Scheme 1984, press statement, Submission to the Taranaki United Council on the Regional Planning Scheme, surveys on local bodies, newspaper clippings.
- General elections 1978. Newspaper clippings, press statement, completed questionnaires to election candidates.
- General elections 1981. Newspaper clippings, correspondence, completed questionnaires to election candidates.
- General elections 1984. Newspaper clippings, correspondence.
Folder Three:
- Media, the press and broadcasting. Submission to the Commerce and Energy Committee on the Broadcasting Amendment Bill, newspaper clippings,
- Maternity Leave and the Employment Protection Act. Newspaper clippings, correspondence.
- Freedom of Information Act. Newspaper clippings, correspondence.
- Rape. Newspaper clippings, Submission on the Rape Law Reform Bill, correspondence.
- National Council of Women. Newspaper clippings, correspondence, remits for the National Council of Women.
- Abortion and the Contraception, Sterilisation and Abortion Act. Newspaper clippings, Submission on the Contraception, Sterilisation and Abortion Amendment Bill, public meeting notices and information, correspondence, press statement.
- Health. Newspaper clippings, Submission on an Area Health Board for Taranaki, Submission on Informed Consent, correspondence.
Box 3
Folder Four:
- Women’s Studies Conference, Taranaki 1986. Programme of events, notes.
- Pornography and sexist entertainment. Newspaper clippings, correspondence, objection kits, policy notes, hotel licences.
- Homosexual law reform. Newspaper clippings, correspondence, speech notes, church documents.
- Johnson Report. Newspaper clippings, Submission to the committee on Health and Social Education on the Johnson Report, correspondence.
- Committee on Women. Newspaper clippings, correspondence.
- Education. Newspaper clippings, education survey results, notes.
- Electoral systems. Newspaper clippings, Submission on the Electoral Act Review, research on electoral systems.
- Domestic Violence Bill and Domestic Protection Bill. Newspaper clippings, Submission to the Statutes Revision Committee on the Domestic Violence Bill, Submission to the Domestic Protection Bill, correspondence.
Folder Five:
- Rural women. Newspaper clippings, correspondence, speech notes, summary of rural survey conducted in Taranaki.
- Town and country planning. Newspaper clippings, Submission on the Taranaki Regional Planning Scheme 1984, Submission to the Taranaki United Council on the Regional Planning Scheme, WEL policy on town planning.
- UN Convention on Elimination of Discrimination. Newsletter, newspaper clippings, correspondence.
- National Parks Development Bill. Correspondence, newspaper clippings, information.
- Advisory Committee on Women’s Affairs. Newspaper clippings, correspondence, press statement.
- Central Government. Newspaper clippings, correspondence, Submission on the State Services Amendment Bill, Submission on New Zealand’s Defence Review, Submission to the Clerk of the House of Representatives on the Bill of Rights for New Zealand, Submission to the Minister for the Environment on the Report of the Post-Environment Working Party.
- Housing. Newspaper clippings.
- Matrimonial Property Act and Amendment Bill. Newspaper clippings
- Human Rights Commission. Newspaper clippings, corrrspondence.
Miscellaneous newspaper clippings
Box 4
- 1976-1983 National conferences
- 1984 National conference (held in Taranaki)
- 1985-1991 National conferences
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