Interview with Marion Wood

Marion Wood was born in Bombay, India in 1945. Talks about parents, family background and influence of father's socialist views. Mentions move to England, school years in Essex, university in Bristol, East Germany and Marseilles. Describes work at translations firm, decision to move to New Zealand and teacher training. Talks about teaching experiences in Wellington, and meeting Tim Shadbolt, Erich Geiringer, Gordon Tait and Carol Shand at a Student Congress. Describes interest in Tim Dyce's work on community and communal living. Talks about working as a voluntary community worker in Mount Victoria, Wellington for several years.Talks about marriage to James Kebbell, children, and experience of motherhood. Mentions helping establish Wellington's first Trade Aid shop, living in Samoa, involvement in groups such as the Coalition for Open Government, Council for Trade and Development, and Pesticides Action Network in 1980s.

Briefly describes work as Director of Urban Training Centre for the Christian Ministry in 1985 (concerned with racism and sexism). Talks about involvement in feminism and facilitating structural analysis workshops in New Zealand and the Pacific. Talks about involvement in Wellington YWCA (Young Women's Christian Association') from 1983, becoming Executive Director of YWCA of Aotearoa-New Zealand. Discusses issues such as poverty, paid parental leave and prostitution law reform. Mentions helping establish Project Waitangi in 1986 and the Waitangi Consultancy Group. Talks about the impact of the New Right and the focus of voluntary groups on social at the expense of ecomomic issues during the 1990s. Talks about future goals and mentions women admired in YWCA.

Interviewer(s) - Jill Abigail

Accompanying material - Biographical information, CV, project release form.

Arrangement: Tape numbers - OHC-9079-80

Quantity: 2 C60 cassette(s). 1.50 Hours and minutes Duration.

Finding Aids: Abstract Available - abstracting complete OHA-2879.

2 photos (colour) holding banner on rally outside parliament

Original recordings not available for playback. Surrogate copies will be provided.