“For me, our organisation has always been there to help and support people and communities in need.” “The bonds in the organisation go very deep, I could not see some members across the country for years, but as soon we do, we immediately click and laugh and enjoy each other’s company.” The Women s Institute was first established in Canada in 1886, and imported to Britain in 1915. The movement arrived in New Zealand in 1921. The South Canterbury region s federated group was formed on June 13, 1930, when representatives from the Gapes Valley, Arundel, Orari, and Woodbury divisions gathered at the Parish Hall in Geraldine to discuss merging into a big organisation.