ZONTA Hunter Newcastle Women of Note exhibition

The Hunter Newcastle Women of Note exhibition is an initiative of the Zonta Club of Hunter Newcastle (ZCHN). We chose International Women’s Day 2026 to highlight 10 women who have made a significant contribution to their community, career, or life in general. The main purpose is to highlight the contribution women, past or present, have made to our Hunter Newcastle region. Our objectives include bringing attention to the struggles some women have experienced and the ways they have overcome this; and to encourage our present young women by viewing and learning from the history of others. It should be noted the women have been randomly selected and that there is a huge resource of successful women who are quietly working to improve the lives of others.

Our aim is to raise publicity for the ZCHN; to show appreciation of our local women, from past generations to present, of their contributions to our society; and to highlight this research at MAP mima to enable sharing with the community.

We are proud of the women selected as they have had a direct impact on our Hunter Newcastle region through their workplaces, programs and dedication. These women have affected long term change in their fields of expertise. Their advocacy pursuits have brought about acknowledgments of human rights, recognition and shared stories.

About Zonta

The mission of Zonta International is to build a better world for women and girls. We do this through service and advocacy and we focus on empowering women and girls through education, economic independence and ending violence. Our Zonta Club of Hunter Newcastle Inc has been in existence for almost 12 years and has a membership of approximately 30 members.

Some of ZCHN’s achievements include scholarships for local women in Midwifery and TAFE as well as supporting overseas programs; supporting an Indigenous Award for a Young Indigenous Woman; promoting programs during the Zonta Says No and 16 Days of Activism in the form of Yarn Wrapping, mask displays; supporting seven local Refuges for women and children; producing birthing kits for low resourced communities around the world; making breast cushions for the Hunter Breast Cancer Foundation to assist women after breast cancer surgery.

Accessibility

MAP mima is located in Speers Point Park, off Park Street, on the edge of Lake Macquarie. MAP mima is accessible by ramp with accessible toilets. MAP can be reached easily from the lake foreshore cycleway, the water, or by public transport. There is plenty of parking for cars, and buses with accessible spaces available, onsite and in the surrounding parklands.