A small group of Gisborne Business and Professional Women (BPW) members marked International Women’s Day by laying flowers on the Margaret Sievwright monument.

March 8 was International Women’s Day (IWD) — a day to mark a collective action and shared ownership for driving gender parity.

The day has well over a century of history of women advocating for change — the first IWD being held in 1911.

Gisborne BPW president Brenda Kinder said the club was committed to doing something on the day each year to maintain the awareness needed to keep driving forward the call for pay equity for women, along with highlighting the social, economic, cultural and political achievement of women.

“IWD belongs to all groups of people who are committed to fairness and justice for gender equality.

“When women aren’t present, we should ask: ‘If not, why not?’ When women are discriminated against, we must call that out as poor practice.

“This year the theme is Inspire Inclusion. When we inspire others to understand and value women’s inclusion, we forge a better world.”

Gisborne BPW meets monthly for networking.