Top Five Inspiring Women

Katherine Rich
It came as a shock to many when National’s Katherine Rich announced she would stand down from politics to spend more time with her family. Given predictions that that she would have been a shoe-in for the Education Minister role if National had won the next election, it left many asking why you’d wait it out in the Opposition party for nine years, only to leave when glory lay in reach. The answer was simple for Rich, if she stayed, she’d spend more time as mother of the nation rather than of her own two littlies.

Respected by colleagues either side of the political spectrum, Rich made her mark by sticking to her guns when it came to supporting the “anti-smacking” bill and fighting against Don Brash’s welfare policy (which saw her sacked!). She’s an nzgirl who fought for her principles and is now leaving politics on her own terms, with her head held high.

This month we profiled the story of Jewel Grimshaw (click here to check it out), the nzgirl who at just 21-years-old was told she was HIV Positive after contracting the virus from her ex-fiance. Contrary to popular stereotypes, she had not been sleeping around, she wasn’t a drug addict, she wasn't a gay man and she wasn’t from a third world country. Jewel's fame didn't stop there though, she was part of Positive Women's national campaign that made her the 'young, pretty' face of HIV, featuring on the internet, in magazines, on billboards and the back of buses.

For a disease that is usually kept hidden, bringing HIV into the mainstream and putting your name to it was a very brave decision that we salute! To find out more about Positive Women click here.

Helen Clark is a woman who needs no introduction. The current Prime Minister of New Zealand, and the first elected female Prime Minister, she has been in office since December 1999. She joined the Labour Party in 1971, and was elected as MP for Mt Albert in 1981, a title which she continues to hold! Throughout her three terms in power, she has been the influential leader behind a huge number of changes to our country, from economic growth, new social policies and some very staunch foreign policies – we love that we’re still nuclear-free and how she stood up to George Bush over the war in Iraq!

Last year she was ranked by Forbes magazine as the 38^th most powerful woman in the world, and in January she was also the awarded the United Nations Environment Programme Champions of the Earth award in recognition of the government’s promotion of sustainability initiatives. Phew! In a world where politics is all too often dominated by men, this is one nzgirl who is totally holding her own!

 

New Zealand tennis player Marina Erakovic has gone from strength to strength this year. First she reached the semi-finals at January’s ASB Classic. Now she’s gone on to become the 98^th ranked player in the world, after reaching the semi-finals at a Memphis tournament last week. She’s the first female player since Belinda Cordwell in the 80s to achieve a ranking on the Women’s Tennis Association list. Pretty damn impressive for a 20-year-old nzgirl.

Expect this to be only the start of her story, her ranking means she should get direct entry into the French Open and Wimbledon – allowing her to truly compete on the world stage. We’ll definitely be keeping an eye on this extremely talented sportswoman.

 

While devoted fans were gutted at the news Misery’s clothing label is closing down, it’s an exciting time for the artist. We’ve heard Tanya Thompson is heading to New York to try her hand at art in the big city. Plus she has upcoming shows both here and in Australia and the US. Her decision to leave the clothing label behind to focus on her art must have been a hard one to make, but with her incredible talent, is sure to pay off in the long run. We’ve always been big fans of her work and are sure this is just the start of even bigger and better things for her so New York better watch out!