Two of the founders Albertje Gurley and Judy Zavos, had seen the work of WEL in Australia and saw a need for a similar organisation in New Zealand.
The following day, 26 March 130 women attended a meeting in Wellington organised by Judy Zavos and Marijke Robinson.
The Wellington meeting adopted aims and objectives of becoming a non-partisan lobby committed to achieving social, legal, economic, educational and political equality for women.
A report by the Parliamentary Select Committee on the Status of women in New Zealand helped to focus WEL's policies.
[5] At the end of 1979 membership had declined to 605 members and 15 active branches: Northland, Bay of Islands, Waikato, Tokoroa, Rotorua, Taranaki, Gisborne, Hawke's Bay, Wairarapa, Horowhenua, Kāpiti, Wellington, Motueka, Nelson, and Southland.
[3] Notable women members were Margaret Evans, Judy Pickard, Di Grant, Danna Glendining, Elaine Jakobsson, Rae Julian, Helen Paske, Ruth Richardson, Margaret Shields, Marilyn Waring and Helene Ritchie.
The questionnaire had six sections: discrimination, employment, childcare, health, education and awareness of issues facing women.
The highest score was obtained by Cathy Wilson, the Values Party co-leader and the lowest by Henry May, the Minister of Internal Affairs.
[15] For the 1978 general election, a shorter simpler questionnaire was used for candidates and included questions on issues pertinent to each branch.
In the 1981 election WEL changed tactics producing a pamphlet listing the biographical details and attitudes of women candidates to fertility control, abortion and childcare.
Three of the women elected had been influential in WEL: Ruth Richardson, Marilyn Waring and Margaret Shields.
WEL supported the change from a first-past-the-post electoral system to mixed-member proportional representation (MMP), which would give more opportunity for women and Māori to be elected to parliament as party list candidates.
The Prime Minister Robert Muldoon responded by saying that balanced women were needed on boards, not “beady-eyed ladies who scream slogans”.
In the 1980s, policies covered childcare services, education, employment, health, law, local government, finance, pornography, international and miscellaneous.
By 1993 policies covered childcare services, education, employment, health, law, local government, social welfare, pornography.