Women gathered in Hastings on Thursday night to learn about running for local government positions.
The panel was run by the National Council of Women, and hosted by former regional councillor Christine Scott.
The panel was made up of Hastings District councillor Jacoby Poulain, mayor of Central Hawke's Bay Alex Walker and a board member for Taradale Primary School, Rachel Read.
While the discussions was aimed at encouraging women to run in upcoming local elections, there was no shying away from some of the realities of public life.
Scott recalled a time when regional councillors were spammed with emails of abuse during the discussions around the Ruataniwha Dam.