BPW Franklin Dinner meeting

Virginia Warren from BPW Franklin Inc

Our meeting last month commenced with the welcoming of two new members Maddie and Amanda and several guests with their partners. Helen B. then took us through the draft remits proposed for conference 2023. Outline below.
1. THAT Pay parity changes made by Government include measures to address disparity currently seen to significantly disadvantage Pasifika and Maori women as opposed to other ethnic groups who are also disadvantaged by gender.
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2. BPW NZ urges the Ministry of Justice and Department of Corrections to address the challenges victims face during the parole review process, by undertaking the following actions:
a. ensuring the Victims Notifications Register accurately notifies victims or their delegated contact person, or parole hearings, even if the victim has since died
b. expanding those eligible to be on the Victims Notifications Register to include whanau and friends of direct victims to be able to appear on behalf of the victim at hearings
c. undertaking an independent review of the parole board review process from a victims perspective to invite recommendations to make other improvements
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3. THAT BPW NZ call on the government to change the course structure for training of student nurses to :
a. Include reimbursement of students for personal costs incurred by work placement training in their first and second years
b. Include an allowance payment to reflect the cost of full time study for third year students
c. Include a structure of training balanced between work placement and classroom/theoretical training to avoid overwork.
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4. THAT BPW NZ call on the Government to advocate for the wider implementation of Enduring Powers of Attorney (for Care and Welfare and Property) in the community by:
a. Legislating for a Register of Powers of Attorney
b. Take steps to educate the community about the importance of having Enduring Powers of Attorney and how to put one in place with a view to increasing this to at least 30% of the population as identified by the Register above, increasing to 80% of all persons over 65 years of age.
c. Appointing or creating an organisation to support those who lose Capacity and require the appointment of a Welfare Guardian to act in their interests when they do not have somebody suitable to do so.
d. Requiring all Powers of Attorney for Property to file annual financial reports as is required by Court Appointed Property Managers.
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5. THAT the New Zealand Federation of Business and Professional Women (BPW NZ) Inc urge the Government to ensure that disabled learners thrive in New Zealand schools by implementing the recommendations of the Education Review Office report Thriving at School(?) regarding Education for Disabled Learners in Schools, including but not limited to:
a. strengthening prioritisation of disabled learners in schools, and accountability for how well they are doing
b. increasing disabled learners’ sense of belonging and acceptance in school, and teachers’ capability in teaching disabled learners
c. increasing disabled learners’ and whānau understanding of their education rights, how to raise concerns or make a complaint, or get someone to advocate on their behalf
d. improving the coordination of supports for disabled learners, and pathways both in and beyond school
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Our speaker Mich Newton gave us some lovely insights to the Auckland Botanical Gardens. How ideas have developed under the management of Jack Hobbs including the conservation of threatened species, the growing on of large numbers of plants for the regional parks and the use of the feedback from visitors to keeping the whole 64hectaries relevant to today’s visitors, (including 10 hectares of native forest).
All round it was an enjoyable and informative evening.
Our dinner meetings are on the fourth Wednesday of each month and visitors are always welcome. For more information please email secretary@bpwfranklin.org.nz