Let's talk about menopause, a conversation for Menopause Awareness Week 2024

Registrations for this session are now closed

Registrations closed 2pm Thursday 10 October as attendance capacity was reached. We thank everyone for their interest in this session.

This session will not be recorded, and we encourage those who may have missed out to see if there are other events happening online or in their area as part of Menopause Awareness Week.

If you have any questions, email event@women.govt.nz. 

Kick-start Menopause Awareness Week 2024 with an insightful webinar on how to create and foster a supportive and safe work environment for those going through perimenopause or menopause.

Join the Ministry for Women for an in-depth conversation with Sarah Connor (advocate, speaker, and founder of Menopause Over Martinis) and Alica Barwell (Lead - NZ Police Menopause Support Network) to grow your understanding of what peri/menopause is, normalise talking about the potential life changes, and gain some practical tools to support yourself and/or anyone in your life impacted by this important stage of life.

• Date: 14 October 2024
• Time: 12:00 - 1:00pm
• Where: Online via Zoom

We welcome anyone and everyone to join us for this session, not just those nearing or experiencing menopause. Anyone from any age, gender, or culture in any role can benefit from learning about menopause and is welcome into this conversation.

This webinar will not be recorded to ensure it is a safe environment for both panelists and attendees to share their experiences, questions, and support during the session.

There will be New Zealand Sign Language (NZSL) interpreters at this event.

Make sure you stay until the end of the session to be in with a chance to take home one-of-two spot prizes that will help spark conversations about menopause at home or work!

Registered attendees will receive the Zoom link one working day prior to the event.

About the speakers

Sarah Connor

Sarah Connor grew up on a farm in Hawke’s Bay between Hastings and Taihape on the Ngaruroro River not far from the Kaweka Ranges. She now lives in Wellington with her partner, two children, and a shed full of bikes.

As a guest speaker and advocate, she facilitates conversations about menopause/ruahinetanga for workplaces, networks, associations and community groups all over Aotearoa. Sarah has shared her lived experience and knowledge with 40+ organisations including Air New Zealand, Xero, Sharesies, the New Zealand Defence Force, Inland Revenue, MBIE, various city councils and conferences. She’s also a freelance writer and campaigner for change.

While Sarah is not a doctor, she has been exploring, writing and talking about menopause since 2019 when perimenopause impacted every aspect of her health and wellbeing in a significant way.

On World Menopause Day 2020, she launched Menopause Over Martinis*, as an invitation for people to talk about menopause over dinner (the martinis were/are obviously optional). This grassroots project has since grown into a movement to make menopause less taboo.

Sarah’s mahi often features in the media, and she is an active voice on social media and in her community. For World Menopause Day in 2023, her second series of outdoor ads about menopause appeared on 40 screens in 26 shopping centres and on the streets of 11 towns and cities nationwide.

One conversation at a time, her mission is for everyone to be informed, understood, supported and celebrated during this normal, inevitable and powerful stage of life.

Alica Barwell

Alica Barwell has been with NZ Police for 17 years, and currently works in the Southern Emergency Communications Centre, Christchurch.

Alica is one of the co-leads for the New Zealand Police Menopause Support Network, which was established in 2022 after learning that there were no supports in place within the organisation for people transitioning through perimenopause and menopause in the workplace. 

New Zealand Police now have a private Facebook peer-support page, guidelines have been published for the organisation (managers and employees), presentations to district and area leadership teams are ongoing and there is an organisation wide survey coming out in October. 

There is a Menopause Support Intranet page for all Police staff, as well as a separate section on Menopause including resources on the New Zealand Police Wellness Hub.

Alica has been liaising with the Australasian Council of Women and Policing to access funding for a monthly speaker series in conjunction with the Australian Federal Police and other Australian Police jurisdictions. Alica is assisting her trans-Tasman counterparts develop and publish their own guidelines.

Alica brings her own experience with perimenopause and menopause to her advocacy and support, working to help others in her organisation and beyond journey through this life change and help workplaces to adapt and change to support their employees.