Planting marks centenary of Women’s Institutes
Standing next to a kowhai planted in the Dunedin Botanic Garden yesterday to celebrate 100 years of the New Zealand Federation of Women's Institutes is the organisation's Eastern Otago president Mary Reet.
The largeleaved kowhai is one of about 40 being planted across New Zealand to celebrate the centenary.
The tree species occurs naturally in the east of the North Island, where Anne Spencer, who founded the organisation, lived.
Mrs Reet said when Women's Institutes first began in 1921, there was a strong focus on providing education for women.
‘‘A lot of women at the time were finding it hard to get the same education as men. And quite interesting, if you look at the history, some of the women back then were learning how to change tractor tyres and stuff like that.’’
Nowadays the federation puts a lot of effort into fundraising for good causes.