NZFGW Whakaminenga Wahine o Aotearoa kua whiwhi tohu April 2015 8
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Guest editorial: Storytelling, Writing and Gardening: reflections on my journey to Academia
“If there’s a book that you want to read, but it hasn’t been written yet, then you must write it.” - Toni Morrison
As a child I read, and read often. My mother surrounded us with books and poetry and instilled in us a passion for words and writing. From a very young age I understood the power of a story.
My Koro Piripi and my Poppa Trevor too understood the power of stories.These two men, one Māori and one Pākehā, who despite living in the same small town in the South Waikato lived worlds apart,both kept meticulous journals of their own storiesand the stories of my ancestors.I now get to read their stories, explore their words and their worlds, worlds that are so vastly different yet in many ways connected. For this I am truly grateful.
There are some stories, however, that I have had to search for and come to know in other ways. Stories that unfold through, and are folded into, my own experiences as a young Māori woman and mother. These are the stories my Nanny Daisy and my Nanna Val. They are also the stories of many other grandmothers and aunties, atua wāhine (female deities) and ancestresses. They are stories of mana wāhine (strong and powerful women), that I am humbled to call my nannies.
I know much more about the stories of my Pākehā grandmother, Nanna Val, than I do my Māori kuia, Nanny Daisy. Nanna Val is a wife, mother to three girls, and an incredible craftswoman and cook. I spent many childhood hours playing in her beautiful garden, sneaking raspberries that were meant for jams and listening to her, from the comfort of a sunny window seat, as she baked and cooked. She would also write to me in my early years of undergraduate study when I had left a small rural town to venture into university in the city. I am grateful that I can still sit with her in her sunroom and listen to her stories. I have kept the letters she wrote to me, and I cherish them, as I do the memories from a childhood surrounded by her garden, the smells of her baking and her love and admiration.
As a young girl, I didn’t spend as much time with Nanny Daisy – the time I did spend with her, however, I was in awe (and to be honest sometimes a little intimidated). She had a fascinating life. At about the age of 15 her own mother died and after that time she spent many years living with, and working for, a Pākehā farming whānau, whom she held a particular fondness for. Eventually she met my koro and together they had 15 children (three of whom she birthed at her home at Pikitū Marae) and had numerous grandchildren and great-grandchildren. My memory of her is of a cheeky old woman, eating fish heads and betting on the horses, living in a small flat always bursting at the seams with family and laughter. I know, from other family members, that she was incredibly hardworking, caring and funny. I sat, listened and watched her but paralyzed, by my age or my naivety or most probably a combination of the two, I very rarely asked her about her stories. Her pains and joys, struggles and triumphs were a mystery to me wrapped up in an outspoken, cheeky and loving old kuia.
From both of these women (and my ancestors preceding them) I inherit rich histories and geographies that want to know more about. This is, at the very heart of it, why I continued into graduate and post-graduate study. My research was and still is 'insearch of my nannies’ gardens'.[1] In searching for their gardens I seek to know, hear, read, see, and feel their pain, struggles and successes, as well as their passion, love and joy. This, as I illustrate throughout my research, is not an easy endeavour because so many of the stories ofour ancestors have been retold, distorted and disfiguredbeyond recognition, by colonialism, or simply lost altogether. I knew little about the garden of my kuia, my Nanny Daisy; as her’s was a secret garden that I am only just beginning to uncover the depth and beauty of now. I have been told by whānau that Nanny Daisy could grow food even in of the most demanding of conditions - a fitting metaphor perhaps given the conditions of colonialism which she had to endure in her life and through the births of her 15 children.
There are an increasing number of authors, scholars, artists and storytellers – mana wahine – who dedicate their work, energy and lives to replanting the seeds left to us by our tūpuna (ancestors) that help us make sense of our own experiences, as Māori women, as daughters, sisters and mothers.[2] To them I am eternally grateful! It is my hope that my work can contribute to this, that in researching and writing what I want to read, as a young Māori woman and mother, I can begin to create a garden/gardens that will endure for my daughters and sons and generations yet to be born.
Dr Naomi Simmonds completed her Masters thesis in 2009 which looks at contemporary understandings and relationships with Papatuanuku. Her PhD extends this work to examine the spatial, spiritual and embodied experiences of childbirth and maternity in Aotearoa New Zealand. The PhD is titled "Tu te turuturu no Hineteiwaiwa: Mana Geographies of Birth in Aoteroa New Zealand.Noami also has experience in, and a passion for, Maori environmental management and sustainability practices. She is committed to working with whanau, hapu and iwi to support them in achieving their kaitiaki aspirations.
Public consultation: National Action Plan on Women Peace and Security
Public consultation is now open on the New Zealand Government's draftNational Action Planfor the implementation of United Nations Security Council resolution 1325relating to Women, Peace and Security. Submissions close Wednesday 20 May 2015.
The draft Plan promotes efforts to empower women and to combat violence against women in conflict-affected countries whereNew Zealandhas an existing development programme or other form of direct leverage. This includes programmes supporting leadership of women and women’s participation in peace-making and conflict prevention. It also relates to international deployability of senior staff within the New Zealand Defence Force and New Zealand Police.
Women in International Security New Zealand is holding apublic workshopon the Plan on 5 May 2015 in Wellington. This willbe an opportunity to discuss the draft Plan with Government senior officialswho are drafting the plan.
Written comments can be emailed 20 May 2015. We encourage those seeking to make written submissions to attend the workshop and to look at thewealth of work in this fieldbeing undertaken internationally, including by non-governmental organisations. TheNew Zealand United Nations Security Council websiteincludes recent statements on all issues before the Council, including on Women, Peace and Security.
Source: http://women.govt.nz/news/public-consultation-national-action-plan-women-peace-and-security#sthash.dvLp4xKB.dpuf
See document at http://www.mfat.govt.nz/downloads/media-and-publications/Features/Draft%20National%20Action%20Plan%20on%20Women%20Peace%20and%20Security.pdf
PUBLIC CONSULTATION:
New Zealand National Action Plan on Women, Peace and Security 2015 – 2019
Date: Tuesday 5 May 2015 Time: 8.45am-1.00pm
Venue: Grant Thornton , Level 15, 215 Lambton Quay, Wellington
Hosted by Women In International Security New Zealand and Massey University with the support of Amnesty International and Grant Thornton.
CIR report: Bernadette Devonport
IFUW has formally changed its name. You will still be able to use the IFUW name on the web for a while. If you google ifuw, you land on the graduatewomen.org site. The IFUW site will remain active until all the pages in GWI have been switched and referenced. All publications not current, but previous to IFUW, will remain branded IFUW as that was how they were published.
The GWI Update newsletters for April have some interesting items that warrant further reading. Go to the GWI website and look at 15 April and 22 April issues. They refer to a recent workshop on Gender Leadership and GWI’s involvement in the 66th session of the UN Economic Commission for Europe’s discussion on part of the international framework for sustainable development. As in my last newsletter item I also encourage you to gain entry to the members’ corner of the IFUW website. There are some very good issues and items here.
Did any of you successfully complete the GWI survey on participating in webinars? I hope that you were able to do so. Feedback is very important if we are to get more robust and interactive sessions. Do apply to participate when the next webinar is scheduled. Sorting out the time gap between Europe and us is easy and most of the webinars are held mid evening here in New Zealand.
We voted on another resolution this month. The Australian Federation of Graduate Women proposed, and we seconded, the motion That the amendment to the Dissolution Clause of the IFUW Constitution be treated as an emergency resolution and that voting by the General Assembly proceed as soon as possible 88.2% of those who voted were in favour of the resolution so now we are voting for the amendment to the dissolution clause, which will make the GWI Constitution compatible with Swiss law.
SAVE THE DATE!!
GWI 32ndTriennial Conference, Cape Town
21-23 August 2016General Assembly (GWI members only)
24 -26 August 2016Public Conference
“At the crossroads between education, gender and human rights”
Mid-term Report from Elizabeth Chan
I'm having an absolutely fantastic time at Yale Law School (YLS), where I began my studies in August 2014. My academic studies have focused on three areas: international arbitration, advocacy and international human rights. In terms of international arbitration, I took a course in international investment law last semester, and also wrote a paper on the disclosure of third-party funding arrangements in international arbitration with Professor Michael Reisman, one of the most brilliant professors in international law and a much sought-after arbitrator. My paper has just been accepted for publication in a US journal called The American Review of International Arbitration, which is published by Columbia Law School.
This semester, I'm taking international commercial arbitration with two partners from Shearman & Sterling (one of the top arbitration practices globally) and advocacy in international arbitration with two partners from Williams & Connolly (a top Washington DC firm). I've also focused on gaining oral advocacy skills. I took the constitutional litigation seminar course last semester, which involved arguing two US Supreme Court cases before two Federal Court judges in a courtroom. This semester, I'm taking complex civil litigation, which involves doing oral advocacy on US civil procedure topics before a Connecticut District Court judge. I also participated in the Willem C. Vis International Commercial Arbitration Moot as an oralist, being part of the first YLS team to the Hong Kong competition. We were thrilled to advance to the octo-finals, ranking among the top 16 teams (out of 107 teams).
I am also very involved in the Lowenstein International Human Rights clinic. I travelled with my clinic to Nepal in January, where we conducted field research for a report we're writing about the World Bank. This semester, I'm also doing a Lowenstein project with the European Human Rights Advocacy Centre, working on cases concerning individuals who were detained and ill-treated in eastern Ukraine for several months in 2014.
It's been wonderful developing relationships with professors -- the student body generally has a very close relationship with them. Professors frequently host events for students at their homes. When I first arrived in New Haven, we had a welcome lunch for LL.M students at the home of Professor Brilmayer, my lecturer in a course on international treaties and agreements. I went to Professor Amy Chua's (author ofBattle Hymn of the Tiger Mother) home for an event with the Asian Pacific American Law Students' Association. My clinic instructor, Professor Jim Silk, hosts a dinner at his home for clinic students twice a semester, which is a great way to bond with other students in my clinic. After a particularly strong snow storm, Professor Ayres (who supervises the Hearing Officer Project, discussed below) invited a group of students to his home to go sledding (which was delightful!) and to enjoy hot chocolate. This semester, I'll be hosting Professor Abbe Gluck at my tiny apartment -- Professor Gluck is a very influential scholar who has recently written and spoken extensively on US Supreme Court litigation relating to the operation of Obamacare. Yale Law Women (a student organization supporting women students in the law school) sponsors these Faculty Dinners, giving women students the opportunity to get to know their professors in small, intimate settings. Later this month, I'll be attending a ballet concert in New York with a professor.
The offering of extra-curricular activities and volunteering opportunities at YLS is fantastic. I'm involved in the Hearing Officer Project, which involves sitting as an arbitrator in arbitrations at the Connecticut Department of Consumer Protection. I sat as an arbitrator (along with another YLS student) in automobile dispute resolution arbitration last semester, and drafted and gave an arbitral award. I will be sitting on another arbitration later this month. This semester, I've just trained to participate in the Medical-Legal Partnership. A few weeks ago, I went to a local medical clinic and interviewed patients there and "screen" them for any legal needs (e.g. relating to family law, landlord-tenant, medical debt and immigration issues). The screening process allows us to refer those with legal needs to organizations that can provide appropriate legal assistance. I've also just finished my training to assist people with filing temporary restraining orders. I'm also involved in the Asian Pacific American Law Students' Association, participating in its social events and reading group.
I am very grateful to the NZFGW for its support, which has enabled me to have a wonderful time in the United States -- thank you again!
Mid-term Report from Kate Oswin