- Issue date
- 7 March 2025
Happy International Women’s Day to all the women and girls across Aotearoa New Zealand.
Tomorrow is a chance to not only celebrate the achievements and contributions of women and girls, but to inspire change and acknowledge where we can do better.
This year’s themes are “Accelerate Action” and "For all women and girls." We’re focused on taking action to reduce the gender pay gap and encouraging everyone to join us by sharing information about what actions you're taking to address the gender pay gap.
I'm proud of the work the Ministry for Women has done over the past year to accelerate action for women and girls, through things like launching the Gender Pay Gap toolkit, supporting women into leadership and governance roles, and raising awareness and sharing stories about women's health.
We're also committed to accelerating action for a gender equal world, and next week I will be in New York to attend the sixty-ninth session of the United Nations Commission on the Status of Women (CSW69) to continue that work. I’m looking forward to connecting with other international delegations to share insights and approaches into advancing gender equality.
There are several events taking place to celebrate International Women’s Day and I encourage you to see what’s happening in your area, or host an event yourself. Thank you to all those who have helped make these events happen.
Let’s join together to mark this day and reflect on the actions – big and small – that help drive change and accelerate action towards a gender equal world.
Noho ora mai
Kellie Coombes
Te Tumu Whakarae mō te Wahine | Secretary for Women and Chief Executive