Season 2 Ep 12: Women's Suffrage

From The Aotearoa History Show, 10:33 am on 1 November 2022

Women’s Suffrage | The Aotearoa History Show | RNZ

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On 19 September 1893 Aotearoa became the first self-governing country in the world where women could vote. 

So… How did it happen? Well that’s a wild ride from the French Revolution, through the colonisation of Aotearoa, to battles over booze, to ultimate victory. 

In this episode we discuss:
How New Zealand's first parliamentary election had far more liberal voting rights than in the UK.
The role of Māori women in decision making before colonisation. 
The global suffrage movement.
The rise of the Women’s Christian Temperance Union and the role debates over alcohol played in the battle for suffrage. 
The story of Kate Sheppard and her allies in the campaign for suffrage.
The story of anti-suffragists and the tactics they used to block women from winning voting rights.
The story of Māori suffragists including Meri Te Tai Mangakāhia.

For more on this subject:


A History of New Zealand Women by Barbara Brookes. 

Women's Suffrage in New Zealand by Patricia Grimshaw.

Women and the Vote - NZHistory.govt.nz: https://nzhistory.govt.nz/politics/womens-suffrage 

Voting Rights - Te Ara Encyclopaedia: https://teara.govt.nz/en/voting-rights 

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