Marta Garcia from Spain, the executive president of Women’s Worldwide Car of the Year, the only car awards in the world voted entirely by women.
International Women’s Day will be celebrated with four female keynote speakers on March 8 at the Turner Centre in Kerikeri.
Dame Jenny Shipley was the first female Prime Minister of New Zealand from 1997 to 1999 and the first woman to lead the National Party. She served as the 36th Prime Minister. She lives in Russell and is an active member of the local community.
Ripeka Evans is deputy chairwoman of Television New Zealand Limited and a director of Wellington Regional Council Holdings Limited and Greater Wellington Rail Limited. She is chairwoman of the Courageous Conversation Aotearoa Foundation and a trustee of Tai Tokerau whenua trusts. She holds a Master of Business Administration from Massey University and is a member of the Australian Institute of Corporate Directors.
Mere Mangu has been a staunch advocate for the rights of women to speak on the marae and in previous years she has stood during pōwhiri to call for change. She called the move to allow women to speak as inevitable, especially with Te Tai Tokerau electing its first female MP in Te Pāti Māori’s Mariameno Kapa-Kingi, saying that as a woman, “she needs her voice to be heard on behalf of our people”.
Karleen Everitt was appointed as the Kaitohu Rautaki Māori head of te ao Māori strategy ANZ in June 2021. Prior to this appointment she had her own company Manaaki Solutions Limited which she founded in 2006.
She was the first wāhine Māori to be appointed as the chairwoman of Northland’s Regional Economic Development Agency, Northland Inc. She has held a number of governance roles, serving both Māori and non-Māori entities and currently sits as deputy chair of the St Stephen’s and Queen Victoria Schools Trust Board.
Also celebrating International Women’s Day and generated from Europe is the Women’s Worldwide Car of the Year which will announce the winning car for 2025. It is the only car awards in the world voted entirely by women and was founded in New Zealand.
Included in the awards line-up is a recognition for the Best Technology in a car and the Most Female-Friendly Car Company.
Only two women are on the panel of the New Zealand Motoring Writers’ Guild and they are among the 85-strong jury of Women’s Worldwide Car of the Year. One lives in Auckland and the other lives in Russell.
Northland designer exhibiting at Auckland Design Week
The wonderfully named LyZadie Renault is an architect by training and an artist by calling.
Her designs are entrenched in New Zealand’s natural landscape and she is committed to producing sustainable products. As a result she has been invited to exhibit at Auckland Design Week from March 3 to 9 under the theme Chance + Change.
She will give a keynote talk on exploring how furniture evolves into art which appeals to collectors.
Her father, Serge, left Normandy in France at the age of 22. He ended up in New Caledonia where he met and married Celine. When LyZadie was 14 the family packed up and came to New Zealand and in turn she eventually met and married her now husband Michael Pollard.
They moved to England and she won a place at the Architectural Association in London, the oldest architectural school in Britain. They subsequently returned to New Zealand with their four children, Ashe, Jaden, Aveia, known-as-Coco, and Oceane.
They lived in Bland Bay, north of the Whangaruru Harbour, before eventually moving to Auckland although she strongly retains Northland links. In 2018 she set up LyZadie Design Studio and works with, and includes in her studio, two other Northland designers.
Amie Redpath has her own studio in Whangārei Heads. She works mainly in stone using a new workout of ancient materials. As a nature lover and rock gatherer from an early age, Amie (of Ngāi Tahu and European descent), began her exploration with rock carving in 2011.
Antoinette Elizabeth from YOURPRANANZ in Kerikeri. The gallery is dedicated to showcasing Mother Nature through a collection of pounamu carvings, bespoke jewellery, crystals and mineral specimens. She’s created the Hokey Pokey Collection using locally sourced minerals.
LyZadie is a member of the Northland Women’s Club and as such she is still firmly entrenched in the north.
New World Kerikeri employee celebrates 30 years
In 1983 Charlie Smellie from Kerikeri opened the town’s first supermarket. It was a New World, literally, and was sited on Homestead Rd where Bunnings used to be until recently.
When Claire Wilkes first walked into New World Kerikeri in November 1991, she could not have imagined that over three decades later, she would still be serving the community she’s grown to love.
Originally from the UK, Claire moved to New Zealand with her Kiwi husband and was hired by the then-owner Russ Wilkinson. After spending five months working at the supermarket she returned to the UK but in 1995 she and her young son and husband came back to Kerikeri where she resumed her role at New World.
In 2004 Wlkinson built a new shop and gave the store its distinctive stone facade because he wanted to replicate the Stone Store theme. Wilkes has worked at both stores for the last 30 years and her passion for her work remains unwavering.
“Everything has got faster, technology has changed the way we shop and Kerikeri has just got so much bigger,” she says, referencing the transformation she’s witnessed in both the retail setting and the community.
She started as a checkout operator and has taken on numerous roles throughout her time. Currently, she spends her days serving customers at the checkout and supporting those at the self-service area.
Her connection with the store runs deep, not just because of her years of service but because of the relationships she’s built up along the way.
“I have made wonderful connections and have seen the circle of life as customers come and go and they brighten my day,” she says.
Over the years, she’s seen babies in prams grow into young adults who now work alongside her at the Kerikeri store.
She is known for her exceptional work ethic, going above and beyond to help others. It might be assisting a customer with a shopping query or lending a hand to a colleague, she is someone who people seek out for guidance because she embodies the heart of customer service.
For her, working at New World Kerikeri has been more than just a job, it’s been a rewarding and fulfilling experience. As she marks the significant 30-year milestone, she is quick to acknowledge that she is not alone in her long service.
“I want to thank my wonderful colleagues who have been with me through the years. We’ve built a solid team, and I couldn’t have done it without their support.”
Bocky Boo Gelato opened in Whangārei in 2019 and quickly became a local favourite.