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Salient. Newspaper of the Victoria University Students' Association. Vol 42 No. 23. September 17 1979

[Introduction]

Drawing of two people sitting on the ground

The idea of having a Women's Resource Centre for Wellington developed in August 1977 when a small group of women began to meet and discuss the lack of focus for women's activities and ideas in Wellington and the isolation and fragmentation of women's activities groups that were in existence. A Centre was seen as an accessible place for women to make contact with other women and from it, women's activities could grow and develop.

The facilities to be offered would depend on individual women and groups using the Centre and would be determined by what these women feel their needs are, what they could offer and the energy they have to get things operating.

From discussion with Wellington women a framework for the establishment and expansion of a Women's Centre evolved which included such projects as:

A resource of information on health, the legal system, financial institutions, service industries (motor mechanics, plumbing etc) political activities, the arts.

A focus for community networks providing services for women (refuge, counselling, childcare, education etc)

Activities to include women not previously directly involved in feminist activities.

A place for discussion of feminist theory and its application for the New Zealand scene.

In matters of health, professional services, trade services, art, craft and law and finance we feel that women between us have access to most of the knowledge that we need, and thus we need each other to continue enquiring and sharing. Many areas of knowledge are at present obscured by a professional mystique, by which we are made to feel that anything which does not have a stamp of approval (eg the name of a well-known authority, the printed word or professional jargon) is no good.

By pooling our knowledge and skills in learning groups we can become more independent and free from some of the rip-off merchants so prevalent in our present society.