3. What inspired you to start Necesse?
We started Necesse when we realised there were women and young girls in NZ who were going without period products each month, and as a result were missing school/work or resulting to unsafe means in order to manage their periods. We wanted to create a channel that other women could use to directly help out!
4. What’s your goals and plans for the growth of Necesse? What do you want the main outcome to be?
We are planning to expand our range to cover different period products such as menstrual cups and sustainable pads, because we know each woman is different! We’re also hoping to bring on board a new charity partner in the North Island, so we can expand our reach in terms of donations.
5. Do you think there should be a shift in conversations around periods?
Most definitely! If roughly 50% of our population has had a period in their lives, why should it be this taboo topic? I think we should start looking for ways we can support women more, and initiatives such as working from home during your period or giving out tampons in staff bathrooms is what employers should look to get behind.
6. What are the benefits of using organic tampons over regular tampons?
Organic tampons are tampons made from organic cotton, so this means when they’re grown there are no harsh herbicides and pesticides. Not only does this lead to a tampon less likely to irritate your skin, but it also means less chemical leaching for the environment during cotton growing. Organic tampons are also biodegradable as opposed to synthetic tampons, so they breakdown in landfills or even in your compost bin.
7. What does a feminist mean to you?Being a feminist to me means supporting the equality of all genders! It’s also raising up the women around you and supporting them to reach their goals, rather than competing against them.
8. What’s your hope for women as a collective gender for our generation and the generations to come?