New Zealand Parliamentarians' Group on Population and Development

In honour of Samoa Language Week check out some everyday phrases in Samoan below and practice with your aiga, uo, ma e masani (family, friends, and acquaintances)!

Wonderful collaboration and celebration of the work being done to improve gender equality around the world!

As chair of Wedd MP for Tukituki has participated in different panels discussing how to advance sexual and reproductive health and rights, and the initiatives taken in New Zealand.

Check out the latest newsletter from The Asian Forum of Parliamentarians on Population and Development (AFPPD). Important work being done by members throughout the region, including who hosted an online briefing in February.

https://afppd.net/afppdwp/wp-content/uploads/2026/03/Asian-Forum-Newsletter-11.pdf

afppd.net

An exciting milestone in New Zealand and Kiribati’s ongoing relationship!

Yesterday, New Zealand Minister of Foreign Affairs Winston Peters and Kiribati Vice President Honourable Dr. Teuea Toatu met in Kiribati and signed a statement of partnership, committing to shared partnership principles and shared understandings in order to pursue the following priority areas:

Te Reitaki | Partnership, Democracy and Values
Te Mauri | Health and Wellbeing
Te Raoi | Peace and Security
Te Tabomoa | Prosperity

Read the statement here:

TE MAURI DIALOGUE: Kiribati - New Zealand Statement of Partnership [Statement was signed in Kiribati on 19 January 2026 by New Zealand Minister of Foreign Affairs Winston Peters and Kiribati Vice President Honourable Dr. Teuea Toatu.] TE MAURI DIALOGUE

January is Cervical Cancer Awareness Month!

Not only is this an opportunity to get that screening or vaccine you may have been putting off, it is also a reminder of the global efforts to reduce cervical cancer deaths through vaccination and early detection.

Cervical cancer is one of the most preventable and treatable forms of cancer if caught early.
Regular screening is crucial to detect changes in the cervix that could, if untreated, develop into cancer.

A key element of NZPPD’s work is representing New Zealand at international conferences and events.

In 2025, Vanessa Weenink MP for Banks Peninsula represented New Zealand on a study tour to the Philippines in March and as part of a delegation to the International Conference on Family Planning on Colombia in November.

Both of these trips were invaluable opportunities for a New Zealand Parliamentarian to engage in global conversations around sexual and reproductive health and rights. NZPPD would like to thank the European Parliamentary Forum for Sexual & Reproductive Rights for hosting Vanessa on these trips.

The Asian Forum of Parliamentarians on Population and Development (AFPPD) has published their e-newsletter for September-November 2025:

https://afppd.net/afppdwp/wp-content/uploads/2025/12/Asian-Forum-Newsletter-10.pdf

It's great to see coverage of Australia and New Zealand's activities on the front page, as well as an update on AFPPD's Annual Conference and Executive Committee meeting that NZPPD's Chair, Catherine Wedd MP for Tukituki, attended.

afppd.net

The 16 Days of Activism Against Gender-Based Violence, which runs from 25 November to 10 December, is over halfway through for 2025.

Learn more about this year’s theme: “UNiTE to End Digital Violence against All Women and Girls”, here: https://www.unwomen.org/en/what-we-do/ending-violence-against-women/unite/theme

As UNFPA Asia and the Pacific’s post below reminds us, we all have a role to play in preventing digital violence.

Preventing digital violence is a collective effort.

Online abuse thrives when harmful content is normalized, shared, and amplified.

But we know that prevention works when people take action together. Families, schools, communities, and civil society can create digital spaces that promote respect instead of hate. Feminist leaders and youth-led digital movements are already showing the way.

When individuals speak out and support survivors, they help shift harmful norms and stop violence before it starts. Together we can build safe and inclusive online communities.
👉
asiapacific.unwomen.org/en/stories/in-focus/2025/11/in-focus-16-days-of-activism-2025



UNFPA | UN Women Asia and the Pacific | Australian Government Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade

Keen to be part of more conversations about advancing sexual and reproductive health and rights across the Pacific? Follow NZPPD's new LinkedIn page!

New Zealand Parliamentarians' Group on Population and Development (NZPPD) | LinkedIn New Zealand Parliamentarians' Group on Population and Development (NZPPD) | 4 followers on LinkedIn. NZPPD is NZ's only cross-party MP group advancing sexual and reproductive health and rights in the Pacific. | New Zealand Parliamentarians' Group on Population and Development (NZPPD) is....

Yesterday, Tuesday 14 October, NZPPD hosted the New Zealand launch of the State of World Population Report 2025, in collaboration with the United Nations Population Fund.

Thank you to everyone who attended and participated in the engaging discussion.

For more information on the report, and to download an online version, visit: www.unfpa.org/swp2025