The Petition: A key signatory
A key signatory to the Women’s Suffrage Petition — Te Petihana Whakamana Pōti Wahine. All rights reserved.
Create a profile of a key signatory to the Women's Suffrage Petition. Discover who they were, where they were from, and why they signed the petition. Also consider what this signatory would think about New Zealand society today.
Concepts
- Identity, declaration, acknowledgement, collaboration, sovereignty, organisation, continuity.
- He Tohu themes: the documents, people, place, living together.
What to do
Choose a signatory to the Women's Suffrage Petition
Students (individually or in small groups) choose a significant signatory to the Women's Suffrage Petition. The signatory could be from the students' iwi, someone from their rohe/place, or someone else of significance.
Students create a profile for their chosen signatory, using the following as prompts:
- Record their full ingoa/name, and the name they used to sign.
- Identify their iwi/hapū/family.
- Identify where they were living at the time.
- Map their whakapapa/family tree — if possible.
- Describe their character.
- Find out what they were known for.
- Find out why they chose to sign the Women's Suffrage Petition.
Consider the Women's Suffrage Petition today
Students consider what their chosen signatory would think about New Zealand today if their person was still alive:
- What do you think they would think about New Zealand society in relation to the Women's Suffrage Petition?
- Would they think the intentions of the Women's Suffrage Petition are being lived up to? Why?
Some useful resources
Topic Explorer:
Archives New Zealand:
NZHistory:
New Zealand Curriculum — social sciences
- Identity, Culture, and Organisation
- Continuity and Change
Achievement objectives:
