Menopause rights take centre stage in new nationwide outdoor campaign

A series of six digital out-of-home ads created by two Kiwi campaigners are hitting the streets and shopping centres across New Zealand via the Locky Docks network and oOh!media NZ ahead of World Menopause Day on 18 October.

Guest speaker and campaigner for change Sarah Connor says it was women’s stories that inspired her to create the latest ads: “A woman once told me she’d rather resign from her job than tell her boss that perimenopause was impacting her health. Another told me her GP suggested she go home and learn about menopause from a website, and book another appointment in a couple of weeks if she was still feeling spontaneously tearful, endlessly exhausted and unable to muster any joy. And then there was the woman who said she’d felt supported at work when she was pregnant, became a mother and when her children left home, but when she got to menopause, there was nothing. After a conference I spoke at once, a woman shared that she’d had both of her ovaries removed without being told what to expect next: menopause overnight. She was 30-something with young children. And I’ve heard from women whose health insurers consider menopause a pre-existing condition even though it’s a stage of life that half of the world’s population will go through.”

Connor happily notes that across New Zealand and the world, greater awareness has led to more people than ever being informed and supported if their health and wellbeing is impacted by fluctuating and declining hormones through peri/menopause: “At the same time, there’s untold women struggling to make sense of the potential 34+ symptoms. And too many people continue to be dismissed, minimised, misunderstood or not given the best advice based on the latest research.

That’s what got Connor thinking about people’s rights through peri/menopause: the right to be listened to; to have good care and support; to be healthy and safe at work; to be treated with respect; to be free from discrimination; and to make an informed choice.

For the fourth year running, Connor has teamed up with brand strategist and creative Helen Milner. Milner felt strongly that this year’s ads should be incredibly direct. Women have rights relating to perimenopause and menopause – rights that are written into law.

The Human Rights Act 1993 means it’s unlawful to discriminate against people on the basis of their age, sex or disability. The Code of Health and Disability Services Consumer’s Rights means everyone is protected by ten rights including the right to be fully informed and treated with respect when accessing a health or disability service. And, the Health and Safety at Work Act 2015 means employers are obliged to ensure, so far as is reasonably practicable, the health and safety of employees while at work, which includes both their physical and psychological health.

Milner believes those rights are too often neglected through menopause: “While people need to know their rights, we’re calling for active leadership, accountability and shared responsibility across both the public and private sectors and society at large – to ensure women’s rights are embraced, endorsed and embedded in everyday practice.”

Based on the design of Connor and Milner’s awareness-raising tea towels in 2021, they created New Zealand’s first out-of-home ads featuring the word menopause for World Menopause Day 2022; another series featuring six ads about peri/menopause in 2023, and three ads in 2024.

In time for World Menopause Day 2025, the pair has partnered with Big Street Bikers and oOh!media again to run the digital ads on the Locky Dock network nationwide – places for people to lock, dock and recharge their bike, e-bike or scooter in Whangārei, Tāmaki Makaurau/Auckland, Kirikiriroa/Hamilton, Taupō, Whakatāne, Kāpiti, Te Awa Kairangi ki Tai/Lower Hutt, Pōneke/Wellington and Ōtautahi/Christchurch.

Says Cleve Cameron, founder and director of Locky Docks: “This year’s messaging is super strong and elevates the conversation about menopause to human rights and the context of equity in the workplace. I’m delighted to see such cultural leadership on the Locky Dock network.”

oOh!media NZ is also running the ads on its retail network in shopping centres nationwide – from Auckland to Christchurch.

Says Nick Vile, GM for oOh!media NZ: “Out of Home advertising has the unique ability to meet people where they are – in their everyday lives. We’re proud to support this campaign again in 2025, helping to bring menopause out of the shadows and into the public conversation.”

Connor founded the grassroots project Menopause Over Martinis* and continues to facilitate conversations about menopause for workplaces, networks and associations across Aotearoa and the world. “Until everyone going through peri/menopause has their rights met by default, best we all keep learning about our changing minds and bodies, and keep asking for what we need from health professionals, managers, workmates, and friends and family who care about our health and wellbeing.”

World Menopause Day is 18 October and World Menopause Month runs through October. Learn more at www.sarahconnor.co.nz and www.menopauseovermartinis.org