For International Women’s Day (IWD) 2026, we are proud to share a new documentary celebrating the leadership and strength of NPY Women’s Council’s youngest Director, Azaria Foster, from the Irrunytju and Wanarn communities in Western Australia.

Led by Azaria herself, the film shares her journey to becoming a Director and offers powerful messages of strength and encouragement to kungkas (girls and young women) across the region.

It’s important to speak up […] use your own voice to advocate and as a result of using your voice, great things will become possible.
– Azaria Foster

UN Women Australia’s 2026 IWD theme, “Balance the Scales,” is powerfully reflected in Azaria’s story - a reminder that inclusivity, accessibility and collaboration within community are essential to creating opportunities for systemic change and lasting transformation.

Azaria’s story is about speaking up for yourself and your community, and in doing so advocating for justice and equality for the next generation. This is echoed in the film which focuses on the importance of education whilst encouraging young women to become leaders in their communities. 

Overcome shame ngayuku ngarangi school. Ngayulu kuulangka ankupai munu ngayulu wiru tjutaku nintiringu munu ngayulu kuula wiyaringkula ngayulu warrkaringanginta tjaataringkula. Ngayunya warka tjutangku ngayunya kunpunu.

To overcome shame I kept attending school. By going to school I was able to learn lots of great things and when I finished school I started working. These different jobs have given me confidence.
– Azaria Foster

Azaria’s grandmother played an important role in the inception of NPYWC, and the film honours this legacy by highlighting the power of intergenerational knowledge sharing. It reflects the collective strength of mothers, daughters and grandmothers, and what becomes possible when multiple modes of education come together.

Intergenerational connection and teaching are deeply embedded in Anangu ways of knowing, being and doing. Sharing knowledge, nurturing pride and uplifting one another are essential to keeping culture strong and empowering young women and girls to pursue education, employment, leadership opportunities and challenge gender-based stereotypes.

I used to go in with my grandmother for her Director meetings […] So it’s like I’ve learned from my grandmother. - Azaria Foster

The process of planning and filming the documentary further revealed Azaria’s immense strength as a young leader. Her mother, grandmother and three children feature in the film, alongside other kungkas and young people from community. As the sun set on the last day of filming, a sense of pride filled the air for what had been made possible through cross-generational storytelling.

Panya mukulyangku palyara warrka wiru palyara nyuntumpa warrka easy ngaraku, mukulyawanu.

Because you know when you undertake your work with love, it becomes easy. – Azaria Foster

The film will be used as a key resource in future kungkas education advocacy workshops and kungka careers conferences, in line with Azaria’s aspirations to share her story to inspire other young women and encourage them to speak up for their communities. Azaria reminds us:

When I was a youth worker, I made sure I had love in my heart working with kids in the community… As an Anangu, you know what you need for your community and using your voice, it’s very important. - Azaria Foster

On IWD 2026, we thank Azaria and all NPYWC Directors for their unwavering commitment to leadership that is grounded in open hearts and open minds. Without strong female role models across the 26 remote tri-state communities we serve, our advocacy work would not be possible.

We honour the next generation of leaders - the kungkas with strong hearts and minds - today and every day, as they carry our vision forward and help ensure all Anangu live well in both worlds.

This short film was shot on Azaria’s grandmother’s country in Wanarn by an external videographer Gabriel Morrisson and directed by former NPYWC Research and Policy team staff member Kiri Davies. NPYWC extend our thanks to the National Indigenous Australians Agency (NIAA) for the continuation of the Kungka Education Advocacy Project from 2026-2027.

“My heart went woosh!

I had the biggest shock and the biggest scream when I was elected as a director of NPY Women’s Council last year.

My name is Azaria, my grandmother comes from the Ngaanyatjarra lands. My grandfather comes from the Pitjantjatjara lands. So, I’m a Pitjantjatjara and Ngaanyatjarra woman. I was born in Alice Springs and raised in Irrunytju and Wanarn in the Ngaanyatjarra Lands, WA.

I’M REALLY PROUD

At the last NPY Women’s Council (NPYWC) AGM (2024), people put my name up on the whiteboard with the list of the people to vote in as directors. After the voting, when they called out my name, it was really exciting, and I was just really proud.

I’m one of the youngest directors ever. Being a director is really good for me to learn for my future, and I can inspire other young women coming in to be directors.

MY WORK WITH NPY WOMEN’S COUNCIL

I started working as an Aboriginal Support Worker for the NPYWC’s Youth Service in 2016. Then I became a Youth Development Officer at NPYWC – I used to run the Irrunytju (Wingellina) Youth Service.

Words by Azaria Foster.

Yanyi was born in the bush near Ernabella (SA) to Paniwa Baker and Jacky Tjupuru in 1950. From the very beginning Yanyi Bandicha stood out as a leader and dedicated mentor to young women. Her journey to become one of the first Anangu teachers and NPYWC’s Chairperson is lit by Yanyi’s generosity and commitment to support those around her.

Yanyi was educated bilingually in both Pitjantjatjara and English in Ernabella Mission School. It was here she discovered a love of learning and the power of education for all young Anangu boys and girls.

In her late teens Yanyi began to forge her own path. In the early 1970s she began her first job as a teacher’s assistant. Her commitment and passion for education led her to being one of the first Anangu Pitjantjatjara woman teachers at the age of 22.

_{Yanyi Banidcha 1973 Image Courtesy of Ara Irititja, Heather Alcorn Collection}

Yanyi taught kindergarten and junior primary, in Amata, then at Yirara College in Alice Springs before moving back to her home community of Ernabella where she taught for many years.

While Yanyi was a junior primary teacher, she really shone as a teacher for the Senior Secondary girls. Yanyi turned the lives of many young women around. When young women were tempted to leave school, Yanyi won them back and assisted them above and beyond what a normal teacher’s duty would be. Yanyi supported many young women by creating a live-in situation for these girls.

Yanyi really cared for the girls, taught them how to look after themselves and to set a great example. She was a mentor, instilled confidence and professionalism, good learning practices, leadership, and imparted a vision for a good, respectful and safe learning community. Yanyi and the girls formed the Ernabella Girls’ Choir who performed at the Adelaide Festival Theatre and toured New Zealand. Forty years later, Yanyi continues to sing with the Ernabella Choir (later the Pitjantjatjara Choir) and is always ready to sing at a moment’s notice.

Nearly every girl she mentored have today become successful community leaders, some of the most outstanding younger women on the APY Lands today. These girls are now cultural leaders, educators, artists and Directors of various bodies.

_{Yanyi Bandicha 1971 about to teach a Pitjantjatjara language course. Image: Ara Irititja, Jill Finch Collection.}

After teaching, Yanyi continued her work in education, becoming Director of the Pitjantjatjara Yankunytjatjara Education Committee (PYEC), a part of the South Australian Department of Education. She handled queries and questions and was an authoritative spokesperson for all the Anangu Education Workers (AEWs) across the whole APY Lands.

Church & Marriage

After Yanyi married her husband Raymond Bandicha from Maningrida, they moved to Aputula Community at Finke, NT, where he was a pastor. Yanyi voluntarily took care of many young children at this time, ensuring they were educated and fed. Sometimes she would ring up friends and ask for help, ‘I’m down to my last Weetbix.’ She gave everything she had.

Yanyi also became very involved in the Uniting Church. Her authority and calming influence in Ernabella as a community leader and church elder commanded attention and interest. She is now an Executive with the Northern Regional Christian Congress (NRCC) of the Uniting Church.

_{Image: Yanyi Bandicha 2019 Photo: Rhett Hammerton}

NPY Women’s Council

Yanyi has been part of the NPYWC for over 17 years, she has moved through all the stages of governance from Member, Executive Member, Director, Vice Chairperson and Chairperson. Her leadership in bringing issues of Anangu to the national stage, brings hope to many.

Yani has a knack of keeping people focused in the right direction. She still mentors younger women, and today some of her own students sit with her side by side, governing the Women’s Council. This demonstrates a lifetime’s commitment to assisting young Anangu women to excel at what they do.

Yanyi’s strong advocacy for renal dialysis in community has done much to enable this in the NPY region. Importantly, a dialysis room opened in 2019 in her home community of Ernabella because of Yanyi’s relentless advocacy to ensure her people can stay on county.

To support women’s law and culture in the NPY Lands, she advocated and promoted the Larapinta Extreme Trail Fundraising event. In 4 years this volunteer event raised close to $500,000 for NPY Women’s Council women’s law and culture meeting.

In addition to this work, Yanyi is an interpreter and translator, translating Work Health & Safety Workbook for Regional Anangu Services Aboriginal Council, assisting the employment and training of young Aboriginal people. She has also been a long standing translator with the Pitjantjatjara Bible Translation Project Inc.

Now at 70 yo Yanyi still continues to give tirelessly of her time in her home community, Pukatja.She provides a safe house day and night to young women.

Yanyi, so humble, polite and capable. Yanyi has truly made a difference in so many people’s lives.

Find out more about our Directors here

As COVID-19 restrictions began to take effect, NPYWC staff faced upheaval to their roles and regular service provision. Some staff were overrun navigating new systems and urgencies while some found they were not able to continue with usual tasks.

The Job Rotation Program was developed to address this dramatic shift of circumstance and as an opportunity to strengthen NPY Women’s Council. The organisation had an extraordinary

opportunity at this time to work more collaboratively than ever and share knowledge, skills and experience.

The program enables staff to request to work with other programs or in different roles and offered both staff and the organisation a number of benefits:

• Opportunities to be exposed to different program areas
• Fresh perspectives and different ways of thinking
• Acceleration of professional development
• Strengthening of succession planning
• New challenges for staff and exposure to leadership roles

The Job Rotation Program is voluntary and based on a way of working called ‘Lattice Learning’.

For NPYWC it means that employees have an opportunity to see how other, sometimes similar or overlapping programs operate to bring back new knowledge to their positions to enhance their work.

Rotating staff have the opportunity to bring in fresh working styles and perspectives potentially increasing innovation, problem-solving and greater efficiency.

For staff the Job Rotation Program can provide a meaningful and “hands-on” learning opportunity. New skills, knowledge and challenges and the opportunity to step up into leadership roles. Managers can identify future leaders and provide them with training to step into roles of greater responsibility when the time comes.

The Rotation Program allows for migration of staff to areas that needed extra support during times of rapid change and challenge.

NPY Women’s Council is pleased to announce the appointment of Dr Leisa McCarthy as their new Deputy Chief Executive Officer. Dr McCarthy is a Warumungu woman from the Barkly region and grew up in Alice Springs. Leisa has held extensive roles in Aboriginal health, research, policy and management across her career.

It’s an honour to be a part of the NPY Women’s Council. I look forward to working with colleagues and Anangu across the NPY lands”. Dr Leisa McCarthy

Leisa started her career training to be an Aboriginal Health Worker before undertaking a Bachelor of Applied Science (Nutrition) and Masters in Community Nutrition to work as a Public Health Nutritionist. Leisa has held positions in policy, management, coordination and service delivery at the national, state/territory and local levels in Government agencies and the Aboriginal community controlled health sector.

For the past 15 years, Leisa has been involved in research and has held various roles across Aboriginal health services and research sectors. Leisa has been employed with the Menzies School of Health Research (Menzies) for the past 12 years and obtained a PhD in 2017.

More recently Leisa has worked across two organisations including dual roles as Research Development Coordinator and Nutrition Program lead at Menzies as well as Coordinator of research activities and capacity building of Aboriginal researchers with Central Australian Aboriginal Congress.

We are very happy to welcome Dr Leisa McCarthy to NPY Women’s Council. Leisa’s breadth of experience in Aboriginal health and research will be a great asset to the organisation and act to support the substantial work we do in this area across the NPY lands”

We are looking forward to Leisa’s expertise contributing to the strategic and operational development of NPY Women’s Council in our ongoing commitment to Anangu women and families in remote Central Australia”. NPY Women’s Council CEO Liza Balmer

NPY Women’s Council supports the call to protect remote and regional Aboriginal communities from Coronavirus (COVID-19) by restricting travel into the NT by making the NT and the tristate central desert region a special control area.

“We are extremely worried about our senior members of the community and their susceptibility to the virus. They are our anchors and caretakers of this ancient culture.” NPY Women’s Council CEO, Liza Balmer

NPY Women’s Council as a member of the Combined Aboriginal Organisations of Central Australia attended a special meeting yesterday to discuss the threat of COVID- 19 to Aboriginal communities across Central Australia.

“All organisations were really clear that we need to make the entire NT and the tristate region a Special Control Area for COVID – 19. This means that we want to apply the same travel restrictions that apply to international visitors nationally to visitors to the Northern Territory from any Australian jurisdiction.” Combined Aboriginal Organisations of Central Australia

Restricting travel into the NT by introducing a 14 day quarantine for all people arriving from interstate would act to reduce the spread of COVID–19 in what is currently a COVID–19 free region.

While it is critical we have food and supplies moving across borders into the NT, restricting the movement of people across the Territories borders is beneficial to the prevention and spread of COVID – 19 into remote Aboriginal communities.

Currently NPY Women’s Council has stopped travel for all non-essential services staff to remote communities. NPYWC has also implemented restrictions on staff traveling from overseas, NSW or Victoria who will now need to self-quarantine / work from home for 14 days after arrival to minimise risk of transmission. All Staff travelling from other states and territories will be required to self-isolate / work from home for 5 days.

This picture of Purki Edwards AO helps tell the story of strong Anangu women and how they organised themselves in the face of exclusion from important political, cultural and land rights conversations in the late 70’s and early 80’s.

At this time important land right conversations were beginning in the NPY Lands as Anangu were understanding that they were being governed from afar and their land was under the control of government bodies. The Pitjantjatjara Council was established to support these conversations.

A sign of the times, the meetings were led by male politicians and anthropologists, and attended by Anangu men. Women were present at the meetings, watching from nearby, but were not allowed to speak.

Uneasy to be talking about land in close proximity to women, the Anangu men told women to leave the meeting.

The women knew they had their own important cultural connection to land, and had equal say as custodians of country. They wanted to protect and represent women’s law and country in these discussions.

The cassette

In May 1980, in a caravan in Kalka, Mantatjara Wilson supported by other key Anangu women recorded an invitation on a cassette tape.

It said “I have been thinking about all you women from every community….I have been thinking that we women should hold our own women’s meeting. We should think about having our own female chairperson and our own women’s council.”

Mantatjara talked about her concerns for the whole 2 sides of the cassette. Concerns about being left out of important meetings unable to speak, concerns that resources for communities were only being directed by men, concerns about issues facing families in communities. The cassette was then copied and sent to women all across the NPY lands. The first Women’s Council meeting was held at Kanpi on the 6 & 7 of December 1980 and were attended by 40 women from across the NPY Lands .

NPYWC is celebrating 40 years in 2020.

“I want to light a fire in you…….light a fire with spirit and knowledge.”

Behind the National Photographic Portrait Prize 2020 finalists Rene Kulitja & Rhett Hammerton’s work!

Rene Kulitja is a passionate Pitjantjatjara woman driven by a desire to enrich and care for the lives of Anangu people.

Rene was born at Ernabella/Pukatja (SA), then a remote Presbyterian mission. The mission was founded in 1938 by Charles Duguid, who insisted that all his missionaries learn Pitjantjatjara and that children be taught in their own language.

Growing up in the APY Lands in a world rich with culture, law and spirit, Rene now sees things changing:

“Today I see something happening. I see something coming towards us, something has come into our world……”

“This blanket represents English that is coming and pressing me down, I can only see through a tiny hole. I feel smothered by the blanket of English.”

“This blanket has come and covered over our language”

“I think a lot about the two worlds that we live in now – the non-Anangu world, whitefella world, the mainstream world, and the Anangu cultural world. I think about how to work within both worlds, how to bring them together so we’re supporting each other with strong knowledge about both worlds. And I think about how to pass on my experience and knowledge to my children so that they stand strong in their culture, stand strong in the two worlds.”

Rene Kulitja

Rene is a NPY Women’s Council Director, an artist for Tjanpi Desert Weavers, founding director of Walkatjara Arts and chairperson of Maruku Arts Governing Committee. She is an environmentalist, chorister with the Central Australian Aboriginal Women’s Choir, member of the Uti Kulintjaku mental health team at NPYWC, dancer, women’s rights advocate, law woman and grandmother.

Rhett Hammerton

Rhett is a long time photographer for NPY Women’s Council with many years working in and around remote communities. Rhett has built friendships and the confidence of many of his Anangu subjects. He works with a respectful and considered approach focusing on collaboration, inclusivity and adherence to cultural protocols.

Rhett has a background in Photojournalism and a growing visual arts practice.

Vote for Rene & Rhett in the National Photographic Portrait Prize Peoples Choice Award

Rhett Hammerton

Twelve Anangu women from across remote NT, WA and SA have been voted in as NPYWC’s new Board of Directors by members in a secret ballot at the October 2019 AGM near Wingellina WA.

Proudly Anangu directed by women’s law, authority & culture, NPYWC takes guidance from Directors during regular meetings to direct NPYWC’s programs and operation. Governance training is undertaken by all board members and many governance terms are translated into Pitjantjatjara to give the Directors full understanding of their responsibilities.

We are excited to announce Yanyu Bandicha from Pukatja as Chairperson and Kunmanara Smith from Imanpa as Deputy Chair.

We welcome Dorothy Richards, Yangi Yangi Fox and Maureen Baker as new Directors.

The Directors are elected for a two year term.

Read the Director Biographies

Ngaanyatjarra Pitjantjatjara Yankunytjatjara (NPY) Women’s Council directors and staff congratulate our Chief Executive Officer Andrea Mason on being awarded the 2016 National Telstra Business Woman of the Year for Special Purpose and Social Enterprise, and the 2016 Australian Telstra Business Woman of the Year award!

The Telstra Business Women’s Awards are the longest running women’s awards program in Australia, championing women in diverse industries and creating opportunities for national connections and conversations.

Andrea, along with the other State and Territory finalists, gathered in Melbourne last night for a gala dinner and the announcement of the national award recipients.

NPY Women’s Council also congratulates the other winners of the evening: Jenny Paradiso from Suntrix in South Australia (Entrepreneur Award), Inspector Virginia Nelson from the Queensland Police Service (Public Sector and Academia Award), Jackie McArthur from Martin Brower in NSW (Corporate and Private Award), Rituparna Chakraborty from TeamLease in India (Business Woman in Asia Award) and Anna Ross from Kester Black in Victoria (Young Business Woman of the Year).

“I am excited at the opportunity these awards present for NPY Women’s Council” Said Ms Mason.

NPY Women’s Council is proud of the achievements of our CEO Andrea, and once again congratulates her and the other winners of the 2016 Telstra Business Woman of the Year Awards.

Read our media release.

Directors, members and staff congratulate our Chief Executive Officer Andrea Mason on her nomination as a finalist in the 2017 NT Australian of the Year awards.

See the article form the Centralian Advocate published today (21 October 2016).

Ms Andrea Mason, Chief Executive NPY Women’s Council, named NT Telstra Business Woman of the Year.

Directors, members and staff of the NPY Women’s Council congratulate their CEO, Andrea Mason, for last night’s award of NT Telstra Business Woman of the Year.

NPY Women’s Council provides services for women and their families to increase their capacity to lead safe and healthy lives with improved life choices in the tri-state region of NT, SA and WA, otherwise known as the Ngaanyatjarra Pitjantjatjara Yankunytjatjara lands.

Last night at the Darwin Convention Centre we celebrated the achievements of brilliant business women from the Northern Territory, where Andrea was named as winner of the ‘For Purpose and Social Enterprise’ Award. Up against the accomplishments of some incredibly inspiring and successful women, Ms Mason was then awarded the overall NT Telstra Business Woman of the Year 2016.

Andrea has worked for the NPY Women’s Council since 2008, filling the role of Chief Executive Officer since 2009.

“One of the biggest challenges is constantly working to secure funding for projects and to keep the organisation afloat. Every dollar that we spend in the organisation and through the organisation is all about improving the lives of our members and their families and the communities where they live,” she said.

Ms Mason said women brought something different to the table when it came to executive management.

“We are very strongly driven by success for our organisation and central to this is developing and maintaining strong relationships — with our staff and the people we work with.”

Congratulations to Andrea and all the other finalists at this year’s NT Telstra Business Women’s Awards. Andrea will now go on to represent the Northern Territory at the National finals in Melbourne in November.

For more information about the awards go to:

https://www.facebook.com/TelstraBusinessWomensAwards

https://www.telstrabusinesswomensawards.com/

NPY Women’s Council directors and staff congratulate our CEO Andrea Mason on becoming a finalist in the For Purpose and Social Enterprise of the 2016 Telstra Northern Territory Business Women’s Award event series. The winners will be announced at a gala event in Darwin on the 4th October 2016.

In October 2013, NPYWC was officially awarded Certificate Level accreditation under the Australian Service Excellence Standards (ASES) by the SA Department of Communities and Social Inclusion.

The Australian Service Excellence Standards (ASES) is built on the internationally recognised Service Excellence Standards.

“Australian Service Excellence Standards recognises the unique characteristics of the Community Services Sector. They are a proven guide to quality that helps you to effectively manage your resources, gain better understanding of your customer needs and improve accountability and reporting.

When an organisation creates a quality consciousness this forms the foundation for a strong and sustainable organisation. Organisations that create a culture of quality also provide quality services to their consumers.”

The underlying principles to each standard are:

• Customer focused
• Clear direction with accountability
• Continuous learning and innovation
• Valuing people and diversity
• Collaborative work practices
• Evidenced-based decision making
• Social, environmental and ethical responsibility

Certificate level

Organisations operating confidently and efficiently actively apply sound management principles and meet legislative, industry and government guidelines.

Organisations are confident that they have developed effective risk management systems; enabled effective communication; their people are working in a safe and healthy environment; fostered strong partnerships and consumer confidence in service provision.

Consumers will play an integral role in the development and planning of services and in the decision-making process. Independence is fostered by providing opportunities for feedback, linked to continual improvement of services and operating systems.

NPY Women’s Council has received the 2012 Indigenous Governance Award in the category of Outstanding example of Indigenous governance in an Indigenous incorporated organisation. The Council won it ahead of four other finalists from across Australia, pleasingly two of the other finalists were from Central Australia.

“A record number of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander organisations applied this year, I heard there were over 100 applications so to have made the short list as a finalist was a great achievement in itself”, says Andrea Mason, Co-ordinator of NPY Women’s Council.

The Council’s Chairperson, Mrs Yanyi Bandicha met with the judging panel in August in Alice Springs, when they visited to hear further examples of the governance strengths of the Council.

“The judges came prepared, the questions they asked were well thought through, they certainly knew a lot about what we do and we have achieved. I spent a lot of time with them, explaining how the members provide direction to the organisation and how they keep the organisation strong. They asked for examples of how we have made a difference in the lives of people from our region and we told them about how we spoke up about petrol sniffing and how we advocated for Opal fuel to be available in our region to reduce petrol sniffing especially in young people”.

“NPY Women’s Council is pleased to receive this Award because it gives public acknowledgment to the efforts the women have been doing for many years in our communities. This Award belongs to all members and staff, past and present”.

NPY Women’s Council was established in 1980 by the women of the Naanyatjarra Pitjantjatjara Yankunytjatjara Lands to give them a platform to speak out on issues of concern to them. In the early years the women advocated to protect sacred women’s site, for funding for art centres and they facilitated a trip to attend a national women’s consultative group where they raised the need for action to deal with domestic violence, alcohol abuse and petrol sniffing in their home communities.

Today NPY Women’s Council delivers a range of services including a domestic and family violence service, programs for youth, child and family wellbeing services, aged and disability services and advocacy, a cross border respite service and the award winning Ngangkari (traditional healers) project and Tjanpi Desert Weavers which is NPY Women’s Council social enterprise.

The range of services and projects at the Council demonstrates how the Council reflects the strength, creativity and resilience of its members in central desert communities” said the judges of the 2012 Award.