New Zealand Women Kicking Arse!!
Restored from the Empower Network archive (2011–2017), lightly edited to meet our current advertising standards. Views are the original author’s.
New Zealand Women are known as strong willed, hard working, innovative and sometimes ‘loud’, their presence in the media lately proves that they are also not to be stopped when it comes to their passions.
I am one of these New Zealand women and although I have not been featured obviously in the media of late I like to think that my words are slowly taking root on the internet and will eventually be seen and ‘liked’ by many thousands world wide. The women I am highlighting in this article today have done the same studious work over weeks, months, years and even decades to attain the recognition they rightly deserve for their efforts in pursuing their passions. They are a testament to all New Zealand women.
New Zealand Women – Jane Campion
An accomplished New Zealand Director with a colourful and prestigous career, Jane Campion will be honoured at the Cannes Film Festival this year as the recipient of the Carrosse d’Or (Golden Coach) Award for her innovative qualities, her courage and her independant mindedness.
Jane was the only woman ever to win the festivals top award in 1993, the Palme d’Or, for The Piano, a film that also won her an Oscar for best original screenplay. Born in Wellington,NZ, April 30 1954, Jane is a screenwriter, producer and director currently living in Australia. Her most recognised films include The Piano, her first short film Peel, Sweetie, An Angel At My Table, The Portrait Of A Lady and Holy Smoke! Janes work has always recieved high praise from critics all around the globe. Her films have tended to gravitate around themes of gender politics, such as seduction and female sexual power, but her work has a depth and talent to it that few recognise as anything but feminist. We are glad to have Jane Campion as one of our New Zealand Women.
New Zealand Women – Holly Mathieson
Dunedin born Conductor, Holly has earned herself a name (and New Zealand Women) recently by putting New Zealand Composition and Musicians on stage in Berlin.
”My main aim is to be a platform for celebrating and integrating the best of New Zealand’s composers with great works of the 20th and 21st centuries. There are also so many great kiwi musicians and singers here in central Europe, so I’m looking forward to providing them with freelance income.”
In addition to this project in Berlin, Holly is director of Rata Ensemble (Berlin), co-directs the Reuleaux Ensemble (London) and last month, she worked with members of the Berlin Philharmonic and other top German orchestras in the acclaimed Dirigentenwerkstatt des Kritischen Orchesters, she also had her American assisting debut with the Charlotte Symphony. Later on this year, she will guest conduct with the Vanbrugh Ensemble in London and St Matthew’s Chamber Orchestra, in New Zealand. Holly remains one of the New Zealand women working abroad to keep our name and our character alive.
New Zealand Women – Gin Wigmore
Gin Wigmore has exploded onto the stage in the United States recently coinciding with the release of her second album ‘Gravel And Wine’. The singer/song writer was born in Auckland 6th June 1986 and wrote her first song, ‘Angelfire’, at age 14, two years later her father died and she stopped singing and writing. After teaching in Argentina in a kindergarten for a bit she returned to New Zealand and wrote ‘Hallelujah’ as a tribute to her father. Her sister entered the song in the US based International Songwriting competition in 2004 and it beat 11,000 entries from 77 countries making Gin the youngest and only unsigned grand prize winner in the history of the competition. The rest is history! Gin Wigmore is raw, untamed, exhilerating talent and we are proud to have her in the ranks of New Zealand Women.
New Zealand Women – Lucy Lawless
Born March 29 1968 in Auckland, NZ, Lucy Lawless was best known to the world as ‘Zena, warrior princess’ for the longest time. Recently her fame has taken on a different stance, although, the similarities to her previous role are quite hilarious. She is still a warrior, still fighting the baddies and her voice is definately still being heard around the world.
Lucy has been seen to be extremely active in the fight to stop Shell Industries drilling in Alaska. She works tirelessly with Greenpeace to this end and has also had a voice in many other disputes including the debacle with the filming of ‘The Hobbit’ in New Zealand and the actors/actresses involved. Lucy Lawless is definitely among the unsung New Zealand Women.
There are, of course, many many more New Zealand women that deserve mention here for their contibutions to our fair country: i.e. Kate Sheppard (Campaigner and Author), Frances Alda (Soprano), Katherine Mansfield (Author), Dame Whina Cooper (Politics), Jean Batten (Pilot), Sarah Hodges (Pilot), Kiri Te Kanawa (Opera Singer), Helen Clark (Prime Minister), Barbara Kendall (windsurfing medalist), Valerie Vili (Olympic Shotputtist), to name just a few, and there will be many many more New Zealand Women who will follow their passions and in doing so gain the eye of the masses, in the years to come.
To all these New Zealand Women, we salute you and we also salute all New Zealand women who remain invisible but also play a crucial part in keeping the wheels of our great country turning…..