United Women’s Conventions was a key part of the rise of the Second Wave of Feminism. With the rise of the Women’s Liberation, the National Women’s Conventions were held to focus on feminist issues. Women challenged and wanted to change female stereotypes of the time and promoting equal opportunities with men.
The National Women’s Liberation acted as a channel for the Women’s Liberations movements. The first National Women’s Liberation Conference was held in Auckland in 1972. The United Women’s Conventions was important in two respects. It acted as a channel for the initiatives around New Zealand. It was also a significant event where the liberation movement came together as a national level. The Second United Women’s Convention was held in Wellington in 1975. The United Nations designated 1975 “International Women’s Year”, so in June and estimated 2,200 women from all over NZ converged on Wellington for the United Women’s Convention. The event was unprecedented and received major media attention. Participants in the Convention were overwhelmingly in favour of free access to abortion and claimed to be the voice of New Zealand women. Women from all over the country surrounded the Winter Show Buildings. It continued on a larger scale to be a meeting point for all women. The United Women’s Conventions were held in Christchurch in 1977 and Hamilton in 1979. On each convention the gathering became larger. This led to challenges on a political level, feminism continued to affect the lives and attitudes of people living throughout New Zealand.