I spent this last week attending a great conference in New Zealand coordinated by the ECE Men in NZ.
There were several presenters besides myself. Dr. Sarah Farquhar shared her research about the current situation in New Zealand. Interestingly, the
percentages are going up in New Zealand. Not as high as it was back in the 1990s but there is an increase.
There was a great crew of leaders that made the event go so well. Simon and David (who coordinates the NZ website) Gerald, Robin and the President of the group – Russell. And of course, Adam Buckingham who put many hours into making the event a success and brought me around to several early childhood programs to get a personal experience with New Zealand.
One of the most fascinating and meaningful things about this event and New Zealand is the work towards acknowledging the Mairo people’s culture and history. The conference began with a opening prayer.
In addition, at the end, there was a presentation by men who teach in a Pasifika school.
Adam Buckingham did a great job coordinating the conference with his crew of men and women. He also was able to get a TV3 New Zealand interview to happen.
You can see the video clip here.
Be sure to leave a comment.
There’s a strong group of men and women in New Zealand working to recruit more men. And I think we will continue to see great things happening in the future.
I want to thank both Robin and his family and Adam and his family for all their generosity in hosting me. I hope to post more photos from the events. It continues to be clear to me that women continue to be our best champions and make a big difference both big and small ways. Thank you!