“Empowering women in Tāmaki Makaurau with support, education, counselling, community kōrero, advocacy & safe space.”
About
Mātou
Who are we?
Te Wāhi Wāhine o Tāmaki Makaurau
- a friendly, accessible place for women and non-binary people
- committed to Te Tiriti o Waitangi and open and responsive to today’s challenges
- run by knowledgeable and passionate feminists
- open to all women, trans and cis, of all ethnicities, incomes, cultures, sexual orientations, ages and abilities
- a place to get involved and feel you belong
- a provider of free or low cost services and activities
- a well-established organisation dedicated to promoting empowerment and well-being for all women
- actively working in collaboration with other like-minded agencies.
Vision
Aronga
A Society where all wāhine and women are well resourced and empowered within their communities to achieve equity, safety and well-being.
Mission
Hoaketanga
The Auckland Women’s Centre facilitates empowerment and well-being for all women.
Philosophy
Rapunga Whakaaro
Committed to working for change for all women from intersectional feminist perspectives.
Strategic directions
- Provide affordable, accessible, quality services, programmes and resources for women in response to their needs
- Help prevent violence against women and children.
- Engage and partner with women in their communities.
- Be an effective voice for gender equality and well-being.
Auckland Women’s Centre supports trans rights
Our Centre welcomes all women (whether cis or trans) and non-binary people, and we respect and honour each person’s self-identification. In our services and in our advocacy, our Centre aims to increase equity and empowerment for all women, trans and cis.
Trans people in Aotearoa, including trans women, face considerable discrimination, bullying and violence, leading to high rates of distress (CountingOurselves.nz). This is not ok, and – as with all gender-based violence including violence against cis women – it is the responsibility of our whole society to eliminate it (including the government’s responsibility, as per UN guidance).
The patriarchy gains power from policing gender identities and sexualities, dictating gender conformity and restrictive gender expressions. Conservative gender norms lead to the devaluing and disrespect of everyone not seen as fitting into the privileged gender “box” of being a straight cis man.
Auckland Women’s Centre is deeply opposed to attacks on trans rights which – in Aotearoa as in Europe and the US – are largely driven by politicians “to attract votes and distract attention from real problems” as the Council of Europe’s Commissioner for Human Rights Dunja Mijatović puts it. As she says:
“Anti-gender movement actors seek to blur the lines for their audience by adopting the vocabulary of human rights, but what they are doing in reality is working to deprive other groups – mainly women and LGBTI people – of their rights.”
Our vision is that all women, trans and cis, enjoy full access to their human rights, including the right to live in safety, and the right to live free of gender discrimination.
Trans women are women, and trans rights are women’s rights.
