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Event:               Photographic exhibition

Venue:              Thistle Hall Gallery, 293 Cuba Street, Wellington

Duration:           18th to 23rd September 2012. 10am- 6pm Tuesday - Saturday, 10am - 4pm Sunday

Contact:            Stacey Mendonca.        027 271 7970     Email: exhibition@nawic.org.nz

Purpose:           Showcase the diverse skills that women contribute to the construction industry

Photographer:   Toya Heatley of Digitalpix, Cathy Tracey and Margaret Yiannoutsos

Host:                National Association of Women in Construction (NAWIC)

Women of all ages, educational backgrounds and ethnicities are embracing diverse career paths and making a successful contribution to all areas of the work force. This is increasingly evident within the construction industry.

Building trade and construction management roles were once the express domain of men, while areas such as Architecture, Engineering, Town Planning and Quantity Surveying appear to have had only minor female participation. Women are now providing valuable roles in all aspects of construction from those on the tools, right through to professional and education positions.

The theme “Girls Can Do Anything” was once used to encourage women into varying and different career choices. Nowadays “Girls Are Doing Everything” and so we salute our achievements as women involved in almost every area of building and construction.

This exhibition creates a photographic montage of women in many construction disciplines. It forms a backdrop of information and support, encouragement, appreciation and celebration of the diverse skills that they, alongside their male colleagues, contribute to the building and construction industry. We hope to offer a few surprises and prove that women have solidly stamped their mark in this field.

“We’re truly proud to put this exhibition together to honour some of the ways in which our female colleagues are contributing to the building industry and environment” says Shauna Herminghouse, leader of the NAWIC Exhibition Project team. “We want to showcase them to people within our industry as well as the wider public, illustrating the significant work women are doing either on their own, amongst other women, or right in there with the guys, which some people might not traditionally expect. Similarly, it’s not every day you see women involved in construction putting on an art gallery exhibition of beautiful photographic portraits. It’s a really captivating way to make our colleagues’ achievements visible and accessible to the public.”

The exhibit pays specific tribute to the late Professor Helen Tippett, through collections of her portraits and architectural drawings, illustrating her legacy in construction. Former Dean of Architecture at Victoria University and one of the foundation members of the New Zealand Institute of Building she was awarded an OBE for her contribution to the New Zealand Building Industry in 1994. She was a long-standing friend of NAWIC and challenged women to continually progress in their profession.

Through this exhibit we aim to inspire women already working in the industry to higher success and encourage those not yet into the workforce to consider construction as a realisable career choice.

The exhibition is timed to coincide with the anniversary of NZ Women’s Suffrage.

The National Association of Women in Construction (NAWIC) was founded in Texas in 1952 by a group of 16 women. It has grown to an international organisation with presence in the USA, UK, Canada, Australia, South Africa and New Zealand. NAWIC has been active in Wellington since 1996 and has over 100 members. NAWIC encourages women to pursue, establish and sustain successful careers in the construction industry.

With support from our sponsors: Resene, Studio Pacific Architecture, BECA, BCITO, RCP, Equus.