Sisters Overseas Service
A New Zealand support and referral service that helped women travel to Australia for abortions during the late 1970s and early 1980s.
Last updated August 26, 2026
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Overview
Sisters Overseas Service (SOS) was a New Zealand feminist support organisation created in response to the restrictive abortion environment produced by the Contraception, Sterilisation, and Abortion Act 1977. The organisation helped women from across New Zealand obtain safe, legal abortions in Australia at a time when access within New Zealand was extremely limited. Its activities combined counselling, practical coordination, referrals to Australian clinics, travel arrangements, accommodation, transport, fundraising and, where possible, financial assistance. The legislation was enacted on 15 December 1977. In its immediate aftermath, women in Auckland, Wellington and Christchurch formed SOS groups within days. The Auckland branch began operating the day after the legislation was passed. It was initially volunteer-led and later had full-time staff including Joss Shawyer, Megan Grant and Sharyn Cederman. The Auckland office reportedly received as many as 60 telephone calls and 20 visits per day. Shawyer also accompanied some women travelling to Australia. The Christchurch organisation was founded by Elizabeth Sewell, who supervised two staff members and approximately 20 volunteers, handled publicity and provided counselling. A Wellington branch was established on 20 December 1977, with Leigh Minnitt as local organiser. Minnitt, Dr Carol Shand, Wendy Norman and a lawyer administered a donation-supported trust, while volunteers arranged flights, accommodation, transport, clinic contact and financial help. SOS did not operate as a conventional commercial brand. It functioned as a decentralised community service whose value lay in trusted information, confidential support and the ability to overcome logistical and financial barriers. Women generally had to meet the cost of air travel themselves, while SOS attempted to help cover abortion fees and other expenses. The organisation advised some women to raise approximately NZ$510 for travel and related costs when its own funds were insufficient. Referrals went primarily to the Sydney feminist Control Abortion Referral Service, with others sent to clinics in Melbourne and elsewhere. The service responded rapidly to demand. The Auckland branch sent its first woman to Sydney on 21 December 1977, six days after the legislation was enacted. It reportedly arranged travel for 177 women in January 1978, with a further 111 bookings for February. By September 1978, approximately 1,000 women had used SOS. The network expanded beyond the three initial centres; a June 1980 listing identified contacts in locations including Auckland, Christchurch, Dunedin, Gisborne, Hamilton, Invercargill, Blenheim, Napier and Hastings, Nelson, New Plymouth, Palmerston North, Rotorua, Taupo, Tauranga, Whakatane and Wellington. SOS also faced hostility. On Easter Monday, 27 March 1978, its Auckland office in New Street was destroyed in an arson attack. The available reference material does not identify the perpetrator or establish a broader organisational scandal. The organisation's role diminished after the 1977 law became more workable through amendments and more liberal interpretation from 1979 onward. Abortion facilities became available in New Zealand, and by 1981 flights to Australia had virtually ceased. SOS is therefore best understood as a historically significant, largely volunteer-based reproductive-health access service whose importance arose from a temporary gap between restrictive law and women's need for care.
History
Sisters Overseas Service developed in New Zealand immediately after the Contraception, Sterilisation, and Abortion Act 1977 was passed on 15 December 1977. The legislation made legal abortion difficult to obtain, prompting feminist and community groups to create an alternative support structure. Auckland, Wellington and Christchurch branches were established within days. The Auckland group began work on 16 December and sent its first client to Sydney on 21 December. SOS provided counselling, confidential telephone support and practical assistance. Its volunteers contacted Australian clinics, arranged flights, helped secure accommodation and transport, and raised or distributed funds. Women generally paid their own airfares, while the service attempted to meet abortion fees and help those unable to finance the journey. The Auckland branch received up to 60 calls and 20 visits a day. The Christchurch branch, founded by Elizabeth Sewell, combined paid staff with volunteers and handled counselling and publicity. Wellington organisers, including Leigh Minnitt, Dr Carol Shand, Wendy Norman and Margaret Sparrow, administered a donation-supported trust and coordinated travel logistics. Demand was substantial. SOS arranged travel for 177 women in January 1978 and recorded 111 February bookings. By September 1978, approximately 1,000 women had used the service. Referrals primarily went to the Sydney feminist Control Abortion Referral Service, with additional referrals to clinics in Melbourne and other Australian locations. Women came from across New Zealand and ranged in age from 14 to 45 according to the reference account. The organisation operated in a hostile political and social environment. Its Auckland office was destroyed by arson on 27 March 1978. The available source identifies the attack but does not establish responsibility. SOS nevertheless continued to provide support, and its network expanded to many New Zealand locations by 1980. The service became less necessary after the 1977 law was amended and interpreted more liberally from 1979. New Zealand facilities began offering abortions, reducing the need for overseas travel. By 1981, flights to Australia for this purpose had virtually stopped, marking the end of SOS's central operational role. Its history has subsequently been discussed in oral-history and literary contexts, including an RNZ feature and the inspiration drawn from a former user's experience for Sue Orr's 2021 novel Loop Tracks.
- 1981
Overseas travel largely ends
[1]Improved domestic access meant flights to Australia for abortions had virtually ceased.
- 1980
Nationwide contact network documented
[1]A June listing recorded SOS contacts in numerous New Zealand centres.
- 1978
Auckland office attacked
[1]An arson attack destroyed the SOS office on New Street, Auckland, on 27 March.
- 1978
Approximately 1,000 women assisted
[1]By September, around 1,000 women had used the service for counselling, referrals or assistance with travel to Australia.
- 1977
Restrictive abortion legislation enacted
[1]The Contraception, Sterilisation, and Abortion Act 1977 was passed on 15 December, creating the conditions that led to SOS's formation.
- 1977
Initial SOS branches established
[1]Groups in Auckland, Wellington and Christchurch formed within days of the legislation, with Wellington formally organising on 20 December.
- 1977
First Auckland referral to Sydney
[1]The Auckland branch sent its first woman to Sydney for an abortion on 21 December.
Products and positioning
A feminist, community-based reproductive-health access and support service operating across New Zealand during a period when legal abortion care was difficult to obtain domestically.
Reproductive-health support · 1977
Abortion counselling and referral
SOS offered confidential counselling and connected women with Australian abortion providers when domestic care was difficult or inaccessible. Its referral work included contacting clinics, explaining practical arrangements and supporting women through the process.
Cross-border care coordination · 1977
Travel and financial assistance
The organisation coordinated flights, accommodation, transport and clinic appointments for women travelling from New Zealand to Australia. Donations and local trusts helped SOS subsidise abortion fees and support women who lacked sufficient funds.
Brand decisions
1979
Reduce reliance on Australian referralsStrategyBackground
Changes and more liberal interpretation of the 1977 law made abortion access in New Zealand more workable.
Action taken
As domestic facilities opened, the need for SOS-arranged overseas travel declined.
Aftermath
Flights to Australia for abortions had virtually ceased by 1981, and SOS's central operational role ended.
1977
Create an overseas abortion referral networkStrategyBackground
The 1977 legislation made legal abortion in New Zealand difficult to access.
Action taken
Women in several cities established a volunteer and staff-supported service to counsel clients and arrange travel to Australian clinics.
Aftermath
SOS became a nationwide support network and assisted approximately 1,000 women by September 1978.
Sources3 sources
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