Paying it forward to end period poverty in Aotearoa/New Zealand: Pedagogies and politics of care, community, and academic activism

Abstract

Period poverty is a significant issue in Aotearoa/New Zealand, yet public discourses around menstruation are rare, marked by social stigma, and kept outside of university classrooms. Simultaneously, student activism is on the rise, as are critical pedagogical approaches that resist hierarchical education models and value community engagement. In this article, we draw on shared lecturer/student experiences of taking part in COMS305: Media and Social Change, a course at the University of Canterbury in 2020, during which five students started a menstrual item donation drive benefitting two local charities. Together, we reflect on the initiative and wrestle with a number of questions arising from it before offering future recommendations.