Humanities Unit 1 Women’s Suffrage

In what year did New Zealand become the first self-governing country to grant women the vote?

1893

On what exact date was the Electoral Act 1893 signed?

19 September 1893

Who was the Governor who signed the Electoral Act 1893 into law?

Lord Glasgow

Who is considered the most prominent leader of the women's suffrage movement in New Zealand?

Kate Sheppard

On which New Zealand banknote does Kate Sheppard appear?

The $10 note

Which organization led the campaign for women's suffrage and organized the petitions?

The Women's Christian Temperance Union (WCTU)

Approximately how many signatures were on the main suffrage petition presented in 1893?

25,519

What was the total number of signatures collected from all 13 petitions over seven years?

31,872

Where is the main 1893 suffrage petition now displayed?

The National Library (He Tohu exhibition)

In what year could women first stand as candidates for election to Parliament?

1919

Who became the first woman elected to the New Zealand Parliament?

Elizabeth McCombs

In what year was Elizabeth McCombs elected to Parliament?

1933

Who became the first wāhine Māori MP in 1949?

Iriaka Rātana

Who became New Zealand's first woman Prime Minister in 1997?

Jenny Shipley

Who became the first woman to lead her party to victory in a general election in 1999?

Helen Clark

In what year did the number of women MPs briefly exceed the number of men in Parliament?

2022

How many women enrolled to vote in the first election after the 1893 Act?

109,461

How many women actually voted in the 1893 election?

90,290

Which Māori woman petitioned the Kotahitanga (Māori Parliament) in 1893?

Meri Te Tai Mangakāhia

What argument did Meri Te Tai Mangakāhia use to support Māori women's right to vote?

Many Māori women owned and administered their own lands

What did Meri Te Tai Mangakāhia request beyond just the right to vote?

That Māori women be eligible to sit in the Māori parliament

In what year was the Māori electoral system established for men?

1867

Approximately how many Māori women voted in the 1893 election in the Māori electorates?

4,000

In what year did voting in general and Māori seats take place on different days until?

1951

What was the title of the pamphlet written by Mary Mueller?

An Appeal to the Men of New Zealand

In what year was the first Suffrage Bill introduced?

1887

How many signatures were on the first major suffrage petition in 1891?

9,000

How many signatures were on the second major suffrage petition in 1892?

20,000

What colour flowers did women wear to show support for suffrage?

White camellia flowers

What colour flowers did opponents of suffrage wear?

Red camellia flowers

Which politician spoke out strongly against women's suffrage?

Richard John Seddon

Which male politician was a key supporter who presented the 1893 petition?

Sir John Hall

In what year did women in Australia gain the right to vote?

1901

In what year did women in Britain gain full equal voting rights?

1928

In what year did women in France gain the right to vote?

1945

In what year did women in Switzerland gain the right to vote?

1971

Which Act allowed women who paid rates to vote in local elections in 1876?

The Municipal Corporations Act

What was the name of the Tailoresses' Union leader and suffragist?

Harriet Morison

Who were the sisters who were writers and suffragists?

Christina and Stella Henderson

In the 1999 election, who became the first openly transgender MP?

Georgina Beyer

In the 1999 election, who became the first woman MP of Pacific Island descent?

Luamanuvao Dame Winifred Laban

Following the 2020 election, how many of the 120 MPs were women?

58

What tradition did Māori women have to give up to join the suffrage campaign?

Tā moko (facial tattooing)

Who was the great-grandchild of the woman of mana, Ngākahuwhero?

Meri Te Tai Mangakāhia

What did the 1867 Māori Representation Act create?

Four Māori seats in Parliament

Who was the wife of Hāmiora Mangakāhia, premier of the Kotahitanga parliament?

Meri Te Tai Mangakāhia

What did the 'He Tohu' exhibition display alongside the 1893 petition?

The Treaty of Waitangi and He Whakaputanga

Who was the minister who said it's important to recognise the role of wahine Māori in suffrage?

Julie Ann Genter

What did activist Ripeka Evans suggest as a way to celebrate suffrage?

To begin again the tradition of tā moko