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- Celebrating 131 years of women’s suffrage
Celebrating 131 years of women’s suffrage
Friday 20 September 2024, 12:30pm to 1:15pm
Free
Mark your calendars for 19 September, the anniversary of the 1893 Electoral Act that granted New Zealand women the right to vote in parliamentary elections. Join our kaimahi for a special lunchtime tour and kōrero, highlighting the 1893 Women’s Suffrage Petition | Te Petihana Whakamana Pōti Wahine, which paved the way for women’s suffrage in Aotearoa.
The ongoing struggle for equal rights
Come along to the National Library to learn about the journey New Zealand women took to gain the right to vote and about the ongoing struggle for equal rights.
View the 1893 petition that led to the creation of the Electoral Act 1893, which was signed into law on 19 September 1893.
Hear stories about wāhine toa like Meri Te Tai Mangakāhia (Te Rarawa) and suffragists Kate Sheppard, Ada Wells and maybe an ancestor of your own.
Tour and kōrero
Join a 45-minute tour and kōrero of the the Women’s Suffrage Petition 1893 Te Petihana Whakamana Pōti Wahine to celebrate Suffrage Day.
Tours are open to visitors of all ages (age 6+).
Meet outside He Tohu on the ground floor, Te Ahumairangi of the National Library.
Booking is not required.
More about the 1893 Women's Suffrage Petition and He Tohu
The 1893 Women’s Suffrage Petition – Te Petihana Whakamana Pōti Wahine. Photo by Mark Beatty.