As part of the wide range of events being held in Tauranga to commemorate the 125^th anniversary of women's suffrage in Aotearoa New Zealand, two women who played key roles in the landmark 1975 parliamentary select committee inquiry into the role of women in NZ society will recount how the inquiry came about, at a lunchtime talk on December 4.

Suffrage 125 organiser Debbie McCauley says among the milestones marking the progress of women's rights in New Zealand, the inquiry, unprecedented in New Zealand's parliamentary history, deserves recognition.

'We're fortunate that former Speaker of the House and Law Professor Margaret Wilson, a significant player in mobilising the inquiry, and Adrienne von Tunzelmann, who drafted the report, will share their experiences and insights.”

The 100-page report, written in the midst of women's rights activism in the 1970s, painted a picture of persistent inequality, concluding ‘without reservation the need for an accelerated effort to remove all impediments to the equal participation of women in society'.

A copy of the report is held in the Tauranga City Library.

Debbie says the vast scope of the inquiry was a ‘first' for New Zealand. Over 200 proposals for improving the status of women were put to the committee in well over 100 submissions.

The list of submitters reads like a ‘who's who' of leading women of the time. The wide-ranging recommendations were intended not just for Government, but also targeted to the private sector, trade unions, the professions, and women themselves.

Some of the committee's findings seem almost quaint in today's terms, while others are as relevant now as they ever were.

Billed as ‘Nothing Happens by Accident! Mobilising for Women's Rights', the upcoming Suffrage 125 talk will draw lessons on how women today can influence the political agenda.

Both speakers have continued to champion the cause of equal rights for women, both receiving the 1993 NZ Suffrage Centennial Medal.

Professor Wilson has been widely recognised for her work on women's rights in politics, law, and in the university.

This year she will receive a NZ Women in Leadership excellence award for her work on gender equality in tertiary education.

Adrienne has taken lead roles in women's organisations and supported many women in pursuing their own careers.

The lunchtime talk will be taking place on Tuesday December 4, from 12.30pm to 1.30pm in the Tauranga City Library.

To register for this free event, head to www.eventbrite.co.nz/e/nothing-happens-by-accident-tickets-52688971131