GirlGuiding New Zealand | |||
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Māori | Ngā Kōhine Whakamahiri o Aotearoa | ||
Headquarters | Christchurch | ||
Country | New Zealand | ||
Founded | 1908 | ||
Founder | David Cossgrove | ||
Membership | 10,000 | ||
National President | Fiona Harnett | ||
Affiliation | World Association of Girl Guides and Girl Scouts | ||
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Website http://www.girlguidingnz.org.nz |
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GirlGuiding New Zealand (in Māori Ngā Kōhine Whakamahiri o Aotearoa) is the national Guiding organisation in New Zealand. GirlGuiding New Zealand currently splits New Zealand into 8 regions around the country with approximately 10,000 members (as of the beginning of 2016).
There are three main principles to Guiding, remembered by the trefoil and the three fingered salute. These are: To be true to yourself and develop your beliefs, to live by the Guide Law, and to take action for a better world.
All girls, regardless of race, faith or other circumstances, may become enrolled members of GirlGuiding New Zealand as long as they are able to understand, and are willing to make the promise. Pippins do not make the promise.
Lieutenant Colonel Cossgrove served in the Second Boer War with Robert Baden-Powell, founder of the Scout and Guide movement. Following Baden-Powell's ideas Cossgrove established Boy Scout troops in New Zealand in 1908. His daughter Muriel wanted an organisation for girls so, after correspondence with Baden-Powell, Cossgrove started the Girl Peace Scouts and, on Baden-Powell's suggestion, wrote the programme in the book Peace Scouting for Girls, which was published in 1910. By the time the book was published, there were over 300 girls already practicing Peace Scouting in Christchurch (Cossgrove's home), Dunedin and Auckland, creating confusion about the starting year. Letters from Muriel in 1908 discussing Peace Scouts with a friend have been found and this is generally the accepted date for the origin of the New Zealand Guide movement. The Peace Scouts became an incorporated society in 1919 and Cossgrove was the head until his death in 1920. Leadership was then continued by his wife and son. The organisation became officially affiliated with the UK branch of Guiding (now Girlguiding UK) in 1912 and, in 1923, the organization changed its name and programme to Guides New Zealand and was a founding member of the World Association of Girl Guides and Girl Scouts in 1928.
From 1923 to 1968 the promise read: