Lyndal Ludlow. Photo: Matthew Rosenberg/LDR
The only female elected member at a southern council admits you sometimes have to put on "armour" for the job.
Lyndal Ludlow has been the sole woman councillor at Environment Southland since 2016, bar one term in 2019 when she was joined by Bonnie Mager.
Only four other women have put their hand up for election across the four terms she has now clocked up.
Ludlow wasn't sure why there was such low representation, but had a few theories including remuneration and the schedule not fitting around being a mum.
She also acknowledged the strong male presence could put some people off because of a fear they would not be heard.
Working with her male colleagues was great most of the time, she said.
"Funnily enough I've ended up in an all-male household, so I've got that at home as well. The guys, I really enjoy their company because they're decent human beings, most of them.
"And we all have our moments, I'm not perfect myself.
"But it is challenging at times because our perspective is very different on some things. There's one really good advantage and that is that I don't have to wait for the bathroom."
Ludlow said she noticed she approached conversations and debate differently to her male constituents and was less likely to have an outburst.
However, she had faced sexism in the role, including an incident at a regional meeting where a man introduced himself and asked if she was the minutes secretary.
"So I rose to my full... 5ft2, took a deep breath and said 'no, no, I'm actually one of the councillors'."
On another more recent occasion, Ludlow was again assumed to be a secretary.
She was used to giving a "bit back" when faced with inappropriate comments but acknowledged it was upsetting at times.
Ludlow encouraged women who were interested in influencing the future to get involved, whether that be through submissions or partaking in community discussions.
This election, she finished with the second-most votes of any candidate in the Invercargill-Rakiura constituency.
Local Democracy Reporting is local body journalism co-funded by RNZ and NZ On Air.
