Anne Ruck
New Zealander of Welsh, Scottish and Irish descent
In 1983 Anne was an acting Social Work manager in South Auckland and following the birth of her daughter and the publication of Woman's Antiracism Action Group’s report this secondment was terminated. Anne trained social workers specialising in assisting people to acquire a social work qualification recognising their prior learning. She continues her studies in Te Ao Maori.
Anne Ruck MA, TTC, Dip Soc Wk, Te Whānautanga o te Reo (Kaupae 6), Māori
The story of the Women’s Anti Racism Action Group (W.A.R.A.G) 1982 – 1985.
"Members of the Women’s Anti Racism Action Group were feminist women staff members working in the Department of Social Welfare Auckland, Aotearoa/New Zealand. Department of Social Welfare was the then central government agency with responsibility for income support and child welfare.
We will tell the story of why we formed, describe the context of the time, how we developed as a group, why we published the report “Institutional Racism-DSW Tāmaki Makaurau” (1984) and what it covered.
We will consider the impact of our work within the institution of Department of Social Welfare and beyond, the personal impact on our individual members, and also what we have learned from our experience of trying to change an institution from the inside.
You can read the report here: https://trc.org.nz/sites/trc.org.nz/files/Institutional%20Racism%20WARAG.pdf
