For many of us in Britain, an Anglo-centric education has positioned Britain and the USA at the forefront of the women’s suffrage movement. However, the pioneering success story instead lies across the globe in New Zealand, a quarter of a century before Britain granted women the vote.
In 1893, the Governor of New Zealand signed the decree that would make the nation the first self-governing country to grant women the vote. The demand for the vote had been brewing since the turn of the 19th century. With the rising prominence of university, medicine and new professions, young middle and upper class women began to challenge the more traditional roles thrust upon them and develop a political awareness. When in 1852, the New Zealand Constitution Act provided parliamentary franchise to European, Māori and mixed-race men who met the property ownership criteria, a focus of this political awareness started to take shape. With more opportunities coming their way the women began to yearn for political equality, and with this, a determination to use it for the benefit of moral reformation.
Moral reformation was a common thread throughout many of the global suffrage movements in the 19th and 20th centuries, with temperance being a central focus. One of the major groups involved in the right to vote in New Zealand was the Women’s Christian Temperance Union (WCTU). Whilst still around today, it has now evolved from encouraging abstinence to mobilising the organisation of women across New Zealand. Involvement in the WCTU introduced many women to the idea of suffrage, and a belief that social and political mobilisation was possible if this was granted. The WCTU spearheaded the suffrage movement in New Zealand, but also collaborated with other non-abstinence organisations to attempt to widen the appeal of the vote from 1892.
There were many iconic figures involved in the New Zealand suffrage movement but perhaps the most prominent of these is Kate Sheppard. Sheppard was a member of the WCTU, English-born and Scottish raised, who moved to New Zealand in the 1860s. She was crucial in early feminist movements such as dress reform for women and promotion of physical activity at a time when ‘lady-like’ behaviour was expected. In her time as leader of the suffrage campaign, she wrote pamphlets, organised meetings, and collected petitions. Her actions offered an opportunity to project a voice for change in wider society.
The WCTU’s seven-year-long campaign culminated in 13 different petitions presented to parliament in 1893; combined they listed 31,872 signatures, making this the largest petition ever collected in Australasia. Opinion on women’s suffrage was divided over the course of this prominent year. Much of the political opposition had connections to the alcohol trade and worried about the impact voters would have on profits, should their concerns about the effect of alcohol on women and families be made commonplace. Personal agendas within the Government further slowed down the journey to the vote; Prime Minister John Ballance allowed his own theoretical support of the movement to be overshadowed by the risks that came with it. If he gave women the vote, it gave them the option to turn on him, and vote for his opponents. Between the indecisiveness of major political figures, and the strength of the liquor trade’s connections within government, legislation that would have otherwise granted electoral rights to women was sabotaged in 1891 and 1892. When Ballance died in 1893, suffragists fought even harder against the threat of the opposition with his successor, Richard Seddon. Despite attempted interference from Seddon and his counsellors, the bill was passed through the legislative council on September 8th 1893. More discourse followed but against all odds, Governor Lord Glasgow signed the bill on September 19th, passing it into law. From this point forward, all women who were 'British subjects' and aged 21 and over, including Māori, were now eligible to vote.
Congratulations from across the globe demonstrated the effect of New Zealand’s success on the rest of the world. Providing a new hope in the fight for women’s political equality, Sheppard and her army of suffragists were at the forefront of the first self-governing country to grant women the right to vote. While their journey to political equality was over, the significance of this was, and still is, huge. New Zealand’s suffragists provided a boost to global morale not only to Britain and the USA, but also offered a vast range of new opportunities for the women of their own country. Unfortunately, despite New Zealand being ahead of the game for electoral equality, other political milestones took a slower turn, such the first female MP not being elected until 1933. This compared to Britain’s first female MP, elected in 1918.
2023 marked 130 years since the signing of the bill and it is just as celebrated now as it was back then. This year, the white camellia represents the movement, and has been used across the celebration. The artist Vanessa Smith designed a flower, adorned with 130 petals to mark the 130 years since the milestone. The camellia remains a tribute to all women who have contributed to the progress of women’s rights, both past and present in the country. The life and success of the women’s suffrage movement in New Zealand still shines bright over a century later.
Bibliography
Raewyn Dalziel, 'New Zealand Women's Christian Temperance Union', New Zealand History, (1993), < https://nzhistory.govt.nz/women-together/new-zealand-womens-christian-temperance-union >
'Women and the Vote', New Zealand History, <https://nzhistory.govt.nz/politics/womens-suffrage >
'Women’s Suffrage in Aotearoa New Zealand', Ministry for Women, <https://women.govt.nz/about-us/history-womens-suffrage-aotearoa-new-zealand#:~:text=On%2019%20September%201893%2C%20Governor,to%20vote%20in%20parliamentary%20elections>
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