Equality for women in the aviation rescue community was put under the spotlight at Queenstown Airport last Friday.
In the first event of its kind, representatives from 27 emergency airport service teams from across New Zealand came together in
Queenstown to network and discuss areas for improvement in the industry.
Airport rescue firefighter Tegan Stallard, who planned the event, says it’s important to remember in industries like hers, ‘‘women are not just small men’’.
During the morning session, Auckland International Airport senior firefighter and first responder Laura Andrews, who recently completed a two-month expedition to the South Pole, spoke about the challenges she faced as the only woman on the trip, and how that correlates with
the experience women face, as a minority in the industry, on a daily basis.
Stallard says they also discussed the the term ‘one-size-fits-all’, which is outdated and in emergency services doesn’t work, while in the afternoon the women joined forces and braved the bracing cold for a hike up Queenstown Hill.
She’s grateful to Queenstown Airport for its support and hopes it’s the first of many events of its kind — Christchurch International Airport’s
potentially hosting something similar later next year.
