Dunedin branch breaks from YWCA
A piece of paper taped over a sign is all that remains of one the country’s oldest feminist groups.
The Dunedin branch of the YWCA began in 1878 – becoming the first YWCA in the southern hemisphere – but that
141-year-old history has come to an abrupt end.
The split comes after the board of the Dunedin branch unanimously voted to disestablish its group from the national body. The move became effective on July 7.
The national body has downplayed the break away. YWCA of Aotearoa NZ copresident Kimberley Kilgour said the move was ‘‘something that has been discussed over a period of time so wasn’t a surprise’’.
However Pat Johnston, a former copresident of YWCA Dunedin and now with the new Dunedin group – Working for Otepoti Women Inc – said there was more to the move. She alleged the national body ‘‘threatened to come and take us over’’ just over a year ago, risking the more than
$300,000 the branch had sourced locally. Johnston said the Dunedin branch had stopped engaging with the head office about the same time.
The Dunedin chapter, which once had just eight members but now has 30, had to pay a ‘‘significant contribution from our funds’’ annually to the national body.
‘‘We stepped back and asked ‘why are we doing this, what are we getting out of it?’ We can use that money in our community.’’
That cost coupled with the Dunedin branch running a highly successful angel fund was not a priority for the Auckland national office, Johnston said.
The angel fund, sourced from local donations, had helped hundreds of Dunedin women start businesses and provide training opportunities. Its success contrasted with other YWCA branches closing in Wellington, New Plymouth, Rotorua.
Money from each of those branches was held at head office and not being spent in the communities where they were raised, Johnston said. ‘‘We were absolutely determined for that not to happen.’’
Kilgour said that any funds from disestablished associations were held in trust. ‘‘We are working through options for strategic application of the funds to impact young women within those specific communities. While we are sad that the YWCA will not be physically operating in Dunedin for now, we are happy that the former Dunedin YWCA board will continue to offer services that are valuable to the community, which is ultimately our objective.’’