Women's Health Action

Women's Health Action

Women working for women

About us

The story behind the name

Since 1984 Women's Health Action has been at the forefront of women's health in New Zealand. Founded by health activists Phillida Bunkle and Sandra Coney, the group came to national prominence when it broke the story of 'the unfortunate experiment' at National Women's Hospital in Auckland.

Women's Health Action represented consumers at the inquiry and has stayed on the case by monitoring the implementation of the Cervical Inquiry Report, prodding sometimes reluctant health care officials. It played a leading role in helping to get cervical screening off the ground and lobbied to see the appointment of a Health Commissioner. Well-informed, outspoken and sometimes controversial, Women's Health Action has a proven track record as advocates for women and health care consumers.

Who we are

Women's Health Action is a registered charitable trust governed by board of trustees. We have an office in Auckland with six staff. We rely on grants, private donations, fees, and contracts for services, to finance our activities.

As advocates we

Lobby health officials and politicians
Make submissions and contribute to policy development processes
Make media statements
Act as consumer reps on government and other health sector committees
Publish reports, books and discussion papers
Network with other community groups and health professionals.

Back in 1993 we planted this pohutakawa at National Women's Hospital, to honour the hospital doctors who tried to stop 'the unfortunate experiment'.
Every year we check its progress on the anniversary of the release of the Cartwright Report

Info-line

Need to know about particular health issues, treatments or services?
Ring us and we can give information or refer you to someone who can help. Ph: 09 520 5295 (New Zealand people only)

Health information

Our large range of pamphlets, fact sheets and health packs covers a wide variety of topics. We can also search out information just for you, or send you our catalogue of resources.

Women's Health Update

This succinct and easy-to-read bulletin has up-to-the-minute news about policies, research and women's health services, written especially for health professionals, health agencies, women's groups and others interested in women's health. Published quarterly.

Women's Health Watch

A quarterly newsletter covering the controversies, campaigns and happenings in women's health within New Zealand and from overseas. Published quarterly.

Get togethers

Our workshops, seminars, meetings and conferences provide the latest information from expert speakers and leaders, as well as giving the opportunity for women to network. Support groups on specific topics are set up from time to time.

"Risk versus Choice' seminar, May 2000, was well-attended by interested midwives

Help us keep women's health on the map

We support Health consumers' rights

Reproductive rights
Health services that meet women's needs
Health professional accountability
Health promotion
Ethical health research
Women's Health Action focuses primarily on the health of well women,
providing the support and information that enables them to make decisions about their health that are right for them.
We develop and distribute high quality information so that women and providers are up-to-date and knowledgeable.
Resources are evidence-based.
We are wary of medicalisation and, where appropriate, emphasise what women can do for themselves
(for example, by way of diet and exercise) to maintain good health.
Women's Health Action adopts a health promotion approach, recognising the economic, social and
political factors that impact on the health of women.
We take a special interest in population-based public health programmes, such as screening,
always asking the question: 'Is this in the best interests of women?

Become a Women's Health Action Supporter
$NZ 55pa. (o'seas please contact us)
This entitles you to:

Women's Health Watch - 4 copies a year
Women's Health Update - 4 copies a year
Notification of events
Discounts on events and publications
Copy of Annual Report

Subscription to Women's Health Watch (includes Update) $NZ 25 pa. (o'seas please contact us

Fill in the membership form here

Contact: Women's Health Action, PO Box 9947, Newmarket, Auckland, New Zealand
phone: +64 -9-520 5295, fax: +64 -9-520 5731,
email: info@womens-health.org.nz or
jo@womens-health.org.nz

Women's Health Action needs your support to keep working for women

Annual Report Summary 2003 - 2004

2003 was a tumultuous year for WHA . Staff numbers have decreased as contracts are completed and people move on.

WHA provided information and assistance to individual women and health service providers.
We responded to –

373 phone enquiries
355 email enquiries
18 person-to-person enquiries
and we increased the capacity of our Website which receives an average of 56,000 hits every 3 months

WHA ran a programme of seminars and events which included workshops on menopause,

the health of young NZ women,
breastfeeding exhibitions,
discussion lunches with district health board members and
womens groups, and
our annual Cartwright Lunch and
Suffrage Day Breakfast

WHA published and distributed information for women, community groups and health professionals

Over 9000 Health Update newsletters distributed four times during the year
Over 1200 Health Watch newsletters distributed three times during the year
9123 Vitamin K pamphlet
2971 Ultrasound
97 Fibroids
276 Heavy Menstrual Bleeding
2 Heart Health
2 Move It
10 Protecting our Future
52 Information Packs
20 Fact Sheets
6 Books
5 Papers
2 HIV Reports
200 HRT cards
94 HRT info. Sheets
241 Employers B/feeding Packs
1572 Maori Breastfeeding Posters

WHA represented, and advocated, for women health consumers on a large number of issues including:

the Trans-Tasman Therapeutic Products code of practice,
advertising codes,
cancer control strategy,
nursing studies and
assisted reproductive technology legislation

WHA spoke out on a wide range of issues affecting women:

HRT,
breastfeeding in the workplace,
RU486,
and legislation affecting womens health such as:
- the Health Screening Amendment Bill,
- Assisted Reproductive Technology and
- Prostitution bylaws.

WHA staff at Cartwright lunch Aug 05

Women's Health Action staff at the Cartwright luncheon in August 2005.
Top row from left: Jo Fitzpatrick, Irene Johnson
Bottom row: Linda McKay, Louise James.
Photo: Jenny Kirk.

Thank you
We thank those organisations that have generously given us grants during this financial year: Lottery Welfare, J. R. McKenzie Trust, the Sir John Logan Campbell Trust and the ASB Community Trust.
In addition, a variety of organisations helped by donating goods for raffles at our events, including: Lane Walker Rudkin; Tandem Books,
We are also extremely grateful to those who sponsored out events, in particular, Health Sponsorship Council for the Suffrage Brunch.

Staff

The staff at Women's Health Action have changed recently, and the office is usually open 9am - 5pm Monday to Friday.

Jo Fitzpatrick.
Director
Works full time.

Kristen Berger
Policy Analyst
Works full time.

Linda McKay, Coordinator.
Linda works 3 days a week, and has special responsibility for responding to individual queries from women. She also handles our accounts, office administration, database and mailouts.

Louise James
Louise works 4 days per week as our Breastfeeding Advocate.

Irene Johnson
Irene works 1 day a week as our Librarian and managing our resources.

We are all involved in networking and advocacy, and in ensuring the success of our seminars and events. Several other women help us out on a regular basis. These include our Trustees and Jean Hughes who oversees the website as well as helping with the newsletters.

WHA trustees are:Paulette Benton-Greig, (Chair), Ginny Braun, Jenny Kirk, Jesse Irwin, Karen Skinner and Lydia Sosene