Sport – Sanitarium supports Whanake o te Kōpara young women leaders

• Sanitarium provides 20 scholarships for participants of the Whanake o te KōparaLeadership programme to attend the 8th IWG World Conference on Women & Sport in November.
• 20 young women from across Aotearoa will participate in the world’s largest gathering to advance gender equity and equality in sport and physical activity.
• Whanake o te Kōpara is a young women’s leadership programme now in its second year, delivered by Women in Sport Aotearoa and The Shift Foundation.

Sanitarium is a household name in Aotearoa and its commitment to people’s health and wellbeing has remained steadfast for over 120 years. They help tackle hunger in New Zealand through the KickStart Breakfast Programme, support New Zealand Food Network, provide relief aid for communities in the South Pacific and encourage active lives through the famous Weet-Bix Kids TRYathlon.

WISPA is delighted to be working with the team at Sanitarium to support the development of young women leaders aged 19-25. The scholarships will enable 20 women from the Whanake o te Kōpara Leadership Programme to participate in the world’s largest gathering to advance gender equity and equality in sport and physical activity. The event will attract around 1200 global sports leaders, activists and influencers both in person at The Aotea Centre, Tāmaki Makaurau, Auckland and online.

Sanitarium Marketing Manager, Peter Davis said: ” We are delighted to support future leaders involved in Whanake o Te Kōpara and give them the opportunity to experience first-hand the benefits of being immersed in the IWG World Conference on Women & Sport.

This contribution aligns with our strategic vision to encourage active and healthy lifestyles within our communities. We are proud to be part of this inspiring programme that promotes inclusive and equal opportunities for women and girls in sport and physical activity.

Over 220+ sessions and nearly 500 presenters are already confirmed and will provide a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity for these young women to collaborate and learn alongside international participants on a variety of topics that interest them.

WISPA CEO, Rachel Froggatt said: ” Whanake o te Kōpara was founded because we (WISPA), alongside The Shift Foundation identified at the time that there were few leadership opportunities for young women, particularly in the sport, active recreation and wellbeing sectors. The programme was designed to address this gap, offering a safe and empowering environment for the participants to begin and build their leadership journey while strengthening their confidence, values and self-belief.

Sanitarium has enabled us to provide an even richer experience for the women on the programme. To be a participant at the IWG World Conference will be a really unique experience for these young women and I believe it will shape and strengthen their leadership journey beyond the programme.”

Whanake o te Kōpara, now in its second year, with young women coming from across the motu (country) including; Kerikeri, Invercargill, Masteron, Nelson and our main centres. They met for the first time in July for their first wānanga where WISPA Co-Founder Sarah Leberman and Shift Founder Fran McEwen, and their respective teams, facilitated the three days.

WISPA Co-Chair and Co-Facilitator of Whanake o te Kōpara, Sarah Leberman MNZM said:“The programme enables participants to identify their values, passions and strengths. It focuses on highlighting how everyone can exercise leadership, irrespective of who they are., During the programme, they explore how they would like to make a difference to people in their communities, via a Human-centred design process. The focus is on the process, rather than a specific outcome by the end of the programme.

The 8th IWG World Conference on Women & Sport is right before our last wānanga and is the perfect backdrop for the young women to share their ideas, learn from a global community and be inspired by what’s happening around the world.”

The next wānanga will take place in Ōtautahi, Christchurch this Friday.

Women in Sport Aotearoa, Ngā Wāhine Hākinakina o Aotearoa, exists to transform society through leadership, advocacy and research, ensuring that all women and girls gain equity of opportunity to participate, compete and build careers in play, active recreation and sport in Aotearoa New Zealand.

WISPA was established by 22 original Foundation Members – made up of senior women from across sport, business, government, and academia – and launched on UN International Women’s Day 2017. Its strategic vision is to see ‘women and girls valued, visible and influential in sport’. It is working toward this through delivery of insight and research, change leadership, advocacy campaigns, speaking engagements and events like the Captains’ Lunch and the Sport NZ Women and Girls Summit.

WISPA works across Aotearoa New Zealand and is currently delivery agent for the International Working Group (IWG) on Women and Sport Secretariat and Conference 2018-22, with the 8th IWG World Conference taking place in Tāmaki Makaurau Auckland and Online between 14-17 November 2022. The conference is being designed and staged by WISPA, with support from more than 150 volunteers.

Women in Sport Aotearoa is a charity. Its funding comes from a mix of grants and trusts, donations, fundraising, gifts and commercial partnerships.

The IWG is the world’s largest network dedicated to empowering women and girls and advancing sport. Established in 1994, the IWG advocates for gender equity in sport and physical activity year-round, partnering with key agencies, including UN Women and UNESCO. It developed and remains guardian of the Brighton plus Helsinki 2014 Declaration on Women & Sport, which now has almost 600 signatories, and delivers the well-respected IWG Progress Report at the quadrennial IWG World Conference. The IWG administrative function moves every four years and is currently in Aotearoa New Zealand. In mid 2021 it was announced that the IWG Secretariat and World Conference 2022-26 quadrennial will be hosted by the United Kingdom, with the Sport and Recreation Alliance taking over as global delivery agency in mid 2022. The IWG UK Secretariat will be hosted in London and the 9th IWG World Conference on Women & Sport will take place in Birmingham in mid-2026.