17 Oct 2019

NZ Biography: Mabel Howard

From Afternoons, 2:27 pm on 17 October 2019

More than 50 years after women won the right to vote in New Zealand, we appointed our first woman Cabinet minister. 

Her name was Mabel Howard. 

The Labour MP was known for speaking her mind, being an advocate for women, and for the time she waved two pairs of bloomers in the House. 

Victoria University's Jim McAloon is an author and Professor of History and wrote a biography of Mabel Howard. He's here to talk about her life and career. 

Mabel Bowden Howard, 1940s

Mabel Bowden Howard, 1940s Photo: Alexander Turnbull Library