INCLUDE   RESPECT   INSPIRE

Construction boom sees NAWIC expand to New Plymouth

  • By NAWIC
  • •
  • 06 Jun, 2017

More women than ever are joining New Zealand’s booming construction industry with a 40 per cent increase in National Association of Women in Construction (NAWIC) members over the past year sparking the launch of the first regional satellite chapter in New Plymouth.

The New Plymouth NAWIC group will operate as a satellite chapter of NAWIC Wellington. 
NAWIC president Donna Howell is excited about providing more support to women in construction who live and work in Taranaki.

“Over the last year we’ve had an increasing number of women from outside the main centres requesting support from NAWIC. We’ve decided to start with New Plymouth as our first satellite chapter due to the large number of requests from the Taranaki area.

“It is thrilling to see NAWIC grow from the three existing chapters in Auckland, Wellington and Canterbury out into the regional areas. We hope to expand into other regional areas to support women in construction all over New Zealand.

“We’re seeing a huge growth in membership numbers which reflects the overall growth in the numbers of women choosing a career in construction.  

“It is particularly exciting to see younger women changing the face of the industry. There has never been a better time to be a woman in construction with plenty of opportunities, such as operating your own business, available to women across the sector.”

Donna hopes that the launch of NAWIC’s regional chapters will also lead to an increase of women in senior positions within the construction industry throughout New Zealand.

“While it is fantastic to see increasing numbers of women choosing a career in construction, this isn’t reflected in the participation of women at a decision-making level and as we expand we hope to see an upswing in the numbers of women holding senior positions.”

NAWIC will launch its New Plymouth satellite chapter on Tuesday 13th June at The Hour Glass from 5:30pm. NAWIC Wellington chapter chair Janine Mitchell will discuss how NAWIC can support women throughout their construction careers. Everyone is welcome to attend the free information event including students and parents.

A new record number of nominations has been reached 

By Jen Tyson • 20 Mar, 2024
Now that nominations for our 2024 awards have officially closed, we would like to take a moment to express our gratitude and appreciation for all those who have taken the time to put a nomination in for themselves or someone else. We have reached a new record number with 242 submissions, this number has doubled in the last 3 years and the calibre of nominations remains high.

Lets talk about periods.

By Jen Tyson • 27 Feb, 2024
In 2024 this should not be a challenge that women in construction still need to face at any level. As an advocate for women in trades, women's health, periods and mental health, I have been sharing some of what I have observed and experienced onsite throughout my 6 years in construction. I do this in the hopes that the industry will improve and become more inclusive for future generations of anyone who chooses to work in the industry.

Encouragement from some amazing Wāhine toa - 2024 Awards buzz

By Jen Tyson • 13 Feb, 2024
In the spirit of providing some additional encouragement, we reached out to some of our amazing finalists and winners from last year to ask them a few questions about what it meant to them to be nominated, become a finalist and what they would say to others to encourage them to put themselves or someone else forward. Thanks to all those who opted to share and be part of the cheering squad for this years nominees.
Show More
Share by: