Led by the Women’s Assistance Coordinators Janet Taylor and Angela Cronin, the eight volunteers who make up the Women’s Assistance Forum (WAF) gathered at NZALPA House in November for a training event.

The Women’s Assistance Volunteers (WAVs) will provide support and advice to their female colleagues, ensuring more than 250 NZALPA members will soon have more access to support through the WAF, which will offer peer-to-peer support for women working as pilots and air traffic controllers.

The training event focused on a number of general topics of interest as well as issues that are specific to the needs and requirements of women aviation professionals.

Discussion points included comparisons of parental leave policies and how to manage it;  pregnancy/breastfeeding and flying; the work/life balance and handling work pressure; childcare issues; post-partum depression; sexism in the workplace; and mental health and wellness, including depression, anxiety and issues of confidence.

Another support tool is the women’s assistance contact line. This is intended to help remove any real or perceived barriers to seek assistance directly from those who have valuable wisdom to share.