Twizel hosting first women’s symposium

Twizel is not only home to what is thought to be New Zealand’s only all-female community board, it is also about to stage the first South Island Women’s Symposium.

Every woman should leave the inaugural event feeling confident in her own ability, organiser Dr Sharon Blanchard said.

She said a leadership background intuition had prompted her to ‘‘bring these women together, for no other reason than to build on the incredible knowledge and expertise of all of us’’.

The day-long symposium, on November 8, entitled ‘‘Unleash Your Potential’’, was borne out of a ‘‘Women and Leadership’’ speaker series that Blanchard created earlier in the year.

‘‘Our first meeting was in the dead night of winter, a cold night and these 20 women turn up for three speakers and it was an incredible evening,’’ she said.

‘‘Then the next meeting it grew to 40, then 60, so it has a bit of a life of it’s own.’’

Blanchard, who has a doctorate in leadership, moved to Twizel three years ago and knows firsthand the challenges of living and working in such a remote place.

‘‘It was really a question of how am I going to use my leadership skills here, what am I going to do in Twizel? How can I engage with other women?’’

She said there is such a ‘‘collage of amazing women’’ in the town, from those who have been there all their lives supporting the hydro scheme or farming and building the community, to people who have moved there after careers in Auckland, Wellington or further afield.

‘‘There was a realisation that I’m not the only one searching for an outlet to be involved in and to share and discuss,’’ she said.

Blanchard hopes about 60 women will attend the symposium to join sessions on diversity and adversity in leadership; being authentic; and achieving balance between power, wellness and happiness.

■ For full details about the programme and to buy tickets, visit www.leadership4women.org.