Women's suffrage in New Zealand

Women's suffrage in New Zealand was an important political issue at the turn of the 19th century. Among self-governing polities still extant today, New Zealand was early in modern times to give women the vote in sub-national elections. [ Before the 18th century the franchise in European countries was restricted by property but not by gender. Antonia Fraser "The Weaker Vessel: Woman's Lot in Seventeenth-century England.",London, UK: 1984. The Corsican Republic of 1755 gave women universal suffrage, but was annexed by France in 1769. (Carrington, Dorothy, "The Corsican Constitution of Pasquale Paoli (1755-1769)," "The English Historical Review", Vol 88, No 348 (July 1973), pp 481-503). Pitcairn Island gave women universal suffrage in 1838, but was not a self-governing country; nor was the Isle of Man which enfranchised female ratepayers in 1881, or the Cook Islands, which passed a women's suffrage bill days after New Zealand but held their election over a month earlier. Various American states and territories also enfranchised women before 1893. (Atkinson, Neill (2003), "Adventures in Democracy: A History of the Vote in New Zealand", pp 280-1). Tavolara gave women suffrage when it became a republic in 1886, but it reverted to hereditary monarchy by 1900. ("Smallest State in the World," "New York Times", 19 June 1896, p 6; "Tiny Nation to Vote: Smallest Republic in the World to Hold a Presidential Election," "Lowell Daily Sun", Sep 17, 1896). Franceville gave both native and European women the vote when it declared independence in 1889, but it came under French and British colonial rule soon after. ("Wee, Small Republics: A Few Examples of Popular Government," "Hawaiian Gazette", Nov 1, 1895, p1).]

The Electoral Bill granting women the franchise was given Royal Assent by Governor Lord Glasgow on 19 September 1893, and women voted for the first time in the election held on 28 November 1893 (elections for the Māori seats were held on 20 December). In 1893, Elizabeth Yates also became Mayor of Onehunga, the first time such a post had been held by a female anywhere in the British Empire. [http://www.dnzb.govt.nz/dnzb/ Elizabeth Yates] (from the Dictionary of New Zealand Biography. Accessed 2008-03-10.)]

History

Women's suffrage was granted after about two decades of campaigning by women such as Kate Sheppard and Mary Ann Müller and organizations such as the New Zealand branch of the Women's Christian Temperance Union. They felt that female voting would increase the morality of politics; their opponents argued that politics was outside women's 'natural sphere' of the home and family. Suffrage advocates countered that allowing women to vote would encourage policies which protected and nurtured families.

From 1887, various attempts were made to pass bills enabling female suffrage; each bill came close to passing but none succeeded until a government strategy to foil the 1893 bill backfired. By 1893 there was considerable popular support for women's suffrage, and the Electoral Bill passed through the Lower House with a large majority. The Legislative Council (upper house) was divided on the issue, but when Premier Richard Seddon ordered a Liberal Party councilor to change his vote, two other councilors were so annoyed by Seddon's interference that they changed sides and voted for the bill, allowing it to pass by 20 votes to 18. Both the Liberal government and the opposition subsequently claimed credit for the enfranchisement of women, and sought women's newly acquired votes on these grounds. [Atkinson, pp 84-94, 96.]

Women were not eligible to be elected to the House of Representatives until 1919 though, when three women, including Ellen Melville stood. The first woman to win an election (to the seat held by her late husband) was Elizabeth McCombs in 1933, followed by Catherine Stewart (1938), Mary Dreaver (1941), Mary Grigg (1942) and Mabel Howard (1943). Melville stood for the Reform Party and Grigg for the National Party, while Stewart, Dreaver and Howard were all Labour Party. The first Maori woman MP was Iriaka Ratana in 1949; she succeeded to the seat held by her late husband.

Women were not eligible to be elected to the New Zealand Legislative Council (the Upper House of Parliament) until 1941. The first two women (Mary Dreaver and Mary Patricia Anderson of Greymouth) were appointed in 1946 by the Labour Government. In 1950 the "suicide squad" appointed by the National Government to abolish the Legislative Council included three women: Mrs Cora Burrell of Christchurch, Mrs Ethel Gould of Auckland and Agnes Louisa Weston of Wellington.

In 1989 Helen Clark became the first female Deputy Prime Minister. In 1997 Jenny Shipley became the first female Prime Minister and, in 1999, Clark became the second female Prime Minister.

ee also

*Women's suffrage
*History of voting in New Zealand

References