Women in Sport Waitaha

Important reading below ⬇️

When her daughter was just 3 years old, Sarah Styles, then-leader of Australia’s Office for Women in Sport, heard her say something she would never forget.

Walking to the playground after nursery, her daughter said: “I can’t go on the big swings, Mum. I’m a girl.”

Where had she got this idea from? Especially considering her mum’s job meant that she had only ever seen women play sport live and had always played dress-up in women’s sport kit.

Everything in her life up to this point had shown her that women belong in sport. But somehow even she was susceptible to society’s harmful gender stereotypes.

Why? From the moment they’re born, many girls are stereotyped away from sport and towards a life on the side-lines.

They’re told – however subtly – that they’re more fragile, less sporty and less brave than the boys their age.

So, by the time they reach primary school, they have already developed fewer skills, and by the time they’re teenagers, 4 in 10 will walk away from sport.

If we’re serious about closing the gender play gap, we must tackle the issue at its core.

Our toolkit helps parents and caregivers to challenge stereotypes, dismantle barriers and question their own subconscious bias, so that every girl knows there’s a place for her on the big swings.

Download the kit: https://womeninsport.org/resource/parents-toolkit-creating-mini-allies/

✍️ Source: Sarah Styles for Women’s Agenda

Hey team, who wants to catch some international women's cricket this Sunday at Hagley Oval? Drop us a note as we have a few double passes to give away!

White Ferns Hagley Oval

Our White Ferns are playing South Africa next Sunday at Hagley Oval.

And guess what?! Our friends at NZ Cricket have given us a couple of double passes to give away! Like this post and tag a mate you wanna bring with you (by 8pm Wednesday night) and we'll randomly select 2 followers to get along to the action next Sunday!

Our White Ferns are playing South Africa next Sunday at Hagley Oval.

And guess what?! Our friends at NZ Cricket have given us a couple of double passes to give away! Like this post and tag a mate you wanna bring with you (by 8pm Wednesday night) and we'll randomly select 2 followers to get along to the action next Sunday!

This International Women’s Day, we’re celebrating the women and girls who power sport in Waitaha — on the field, on the sideline, in leadership, officiating, coaching and all those working and volunteering across the community.

But celebration alone isn’t enough.

We need to open doors, drop ladders, and advocate for change so more women and girls can thrive in sport.

And we need men alongside us doing the same.

Progress happens when we ALL give — together.

Happy International Women’s Day from Women in Sport Waitaha.

A sharp reminder of why we exist...

If you aren't on our mailing list, you may have missed the news of our next Breakfast Event...

🦸‍♀️ Come and hear from the incredible -

🥇 with 11 Paralympic gold medals shes one of our greatest ever athletes!

📆 10th March, 8am at the Elms

RSVP here: https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLScdwjI0kHbpDcEYKiifxppuL8TedL-Qq19fcwpCjv2VRwHuXQ/viewform?usp=sharing&ouid=103493299534632934303

If you aren't on our mailing list, you may have missed the news of our next Breakfast Event...

🦸‍♀️ Come and hear from the incredible Dame Sophie Pascoe -

🥇 with 11 Paralympic gold medals shes one of our greatest ever athletes!

📆 10th March, 8am at the Elms

RSVP here: https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLScdwjI0kHbpDcEYKiifxppuL8TedL-Qq19fcwpCjv2VRwHuXQ/viewform?usp=sharing&ouid=103493299534632934303

Signing off for 2025!

We are logging off for a few weeks to enjoy the break, but we are excited about what 2026 could bring.

So we wish all of our supporters a wonderful, restorative, happy break. Thanks for backing us this year - we are excited about the momentum we are building, and the community we have around us.

Enjoy your sport, and dream big for what women and girls in our region (& beyond) could achieve together next year!

We would like to offer you an exclusive 2 for 1 ticket offer for this Sundays Mainland Pouakai vs Southern Hoiho Semi Final.

Get in quick as tickets won’t last!

You will not want to miss Sunday afternoon playoff basketball in Christchurch which could possibly be the last ever professional basketball game played at the historic Cowles Stadium. Book your tickets today!

2 for 1 Tickets - https://premier.ticketek.co.nz/shows/show.aspx?sh=POUAKSEM25&ep=2for1semi

We are absolutely delighted with yesterday's final breakfast series of 2025. A powerhouse panel of women leading the way in the governance space. Thank you to Purvis, Wong and Morrison for sharing your experiences and advice - it was a valuable way to round out 2025, and gosh, it got our Committee thinking about what we could be doing to support women working or aspiring into governance!

A few key takeaways were:
➡️ To make use of your networks if you are looking for a governance role (with over 200 locals on our mailing list, we have some good reach!)
➡️ The importance of bringing other allies along with you, especially if you are a minority at the board table - and how we need men to stay with us and support the move towards gender equity
➡️ Appreciating the difference between governance and operations, or "work imagined" versus "work done"
➡️ The challenge we face with the significant decline in volunteerism, and how to consider bringing more younger voices to the table for succession so that the existing hardy few might avoid burnout
➡️ And a reality check and reminder that "change is slow". Unfortunately, some conversations might have been happening for years, if not decades, so to bring perseverance and patience to the role!

We would love to hear what you learned, or were reminded of, in this session?

Thanks to Hotel Elms for hosting us this year, and to everyone who has come and connected through our Breakfast Series!

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Great intern opportunities below ahead of a pinnacle year for our region! ⬇️

From club days to game days, 2026 could be your year to step into the sports industry! 🏉👏🏽

Check all the details here ⬇️
https://www.canterburyrugby.co.nz/careers/2026-event-internships