On 26 - 28 July 2024 women from across the country gathered in Taupō for the 2024 HNZ women's weekend. Traditionally haemophilia and bleeding disorder education has been geared towards men. This educational weekend specifically targets women with bleeding disorders, and women who carry the haemophilia gene, of all ages. Women’s Weekend offers a safe and supportive environment where women can increase their knowledge, and discuss issues that relate to their age & stage.

The women rolled into Taupō on Friday and began the weekend with a fantastic introductory session, run by Iona Kahu. This was the perfect way to get the weekend going, and gave the attendees the opportunity to find out more about each other and to settle in. The women really enjoyed this session, and felt that having at icebreaker made a huge difference to how the weekend got underway.

With the ice broken it was time for dinner and our special after-dinner speaker. We were lucky enough to have HNZ board member Lauren Nyhan Zoom in to talk about bleeding disorders and intimacy. Lauren was a guest speaker at the recent World Federation of Hemophilia World Congress, where she addressed the same topic. It was so valuable to have the opportunity to discuss what can be a challenging topic in such a safe and supportive environment. 

The result of these, quite personal, opening day activities was that the women very quickly became comfortable with one another. This allowed for some excellent engagement and participation as the weekend went on. The personal stories shared were inspiring and lead to a safe space for others to share. It was lovely to see women connecting and feeling heard across generations.

Day two saw the start of our education programme. A big part of these weekends is about learning skills and information to help women deal with their bleeding disorders. Women with bleeding disorders often spend a lot of their time and emotional energy supporting other members of their whānau, who almost always have a bleeding disorder too. While there is some general information, the education sessions at women's weekend tend to focus on women's health needs. 

This time we started with nurse practitioner Vanessa Minor and Hematologist Nicola Eaddy, both from the Auckland HTC, who talked about living with the haemophilia gene, von Willebrands, and other bleeding disorders. These sessions went very well, and prompted a number of questions and discussions. Vanessa, Nicola, and Lauren also sat on an experts panel at the end of the weekend. This allowed the women to reflect on what they'd learned and ask questions related to the sessions. 

Outside of the specifically BD related health sessions, we also had a couple of more general wellness sessions. HNZ member Ashley Fowlie talked to us about mindfulness, and led us through a macrame workshop. This was a very relaxing session, which encouraged the women to really think about being in the moment, and making time in their busy lives for themselves, from time to time.

We also had women's health expert Linda Dear in to talk about menopause. This was a fascinating session from one of Aotearoa's leading menopause experts. With a wide range of ages present, it was lovely to see questions being asked and advice being given from within the group. This was by far the highest rated session of the weekend in the evaluations, and even generated a rallying cry for the weekend (if you know, you know).

However, this event was not all about education and wellness sessions. We also got out and about for some well-earned social time. On Saturday afternoon the women were able to head over the road to soak in the hot-pools, go for a walk around the thermal terraces, or take advantage of the opportunity for some free time. As you can imagine, the majority opted for a nice long relax in the thermal pools. That evening we all enjoyed a burst of nostalgia when we dined at Cobb & Co. This was a great night out, which prompted a call for karaoke at the next edition of women's weekend!

The weekend finished up with the experts panel on Sunday morning, before the women had the opportunity to reflect on the weekend as a whole, and offer their thoughts.

By all reports, this was a very successful event. Some knowledgeable sources even said the best ever! Of course we couldn't have done this without the support of the HNZ community, the Board, and the people who put the time into organising it. Thank you to all involved.

We're looking forward to the 2026 edition already!