Women’s Suffrage Petition | Te Petihana Whakamana Pōti Wahine

Workbook formats — print or online version

Download or print the workbook: Women’s Suffrage Petition | Te Petihana Whakamana Pōti Wahine — workbook (pdf, 10.4 MB).

Read the accessible, online version below. Note that you may need a printed copy of the workbook to do some of the activities, especially those that involve using the Lift Reality app.

He whakapapa kōrero, he whenua kura.

Talking about our past to create a better future.

Workbook details

National Library of New Zealand Te Puna Mātauranga o Aotearoa, 2022.

All rights reserved.

70 Molesworth Street, Wellington.

He Tohu

ISBN (Print): 978-0-473-64049-1

ISBN (Digital): 978-0-473-64050-7

Email: contact@hetohu.nz

Publishing services: Lift Education

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Nau mai, haere mai! | Welcome!

This workbook is designed to take you on a journey of discovery to learn more about the 1893 Women’s Suffrage Petition Te Petihana Whakamana Pōti Wahine.

You and your whānau might already know quite a lot about the petition. Women in Aotearoa New Zealand gaining the right to vote in general elections is often seen as a hero moment in our national story – and rightly so. But the petition is only a small part of a much larger story.

As you work your way through the activities in this workbook, you’ll discover how the story of the petition begins with the first arrivals of tangata whenua in Aotearoa and continues to this day. You’ll learn about ways that power has been contested and exerted, used and misused, and how people have worked together to create change.

The petition and the context in which it was signed opens up important conversations about people’s predicaments, points of view, values, and actions, both in the past and today. In this way, the workbook aligns with the vision of He Tohu, the exhibition that opened in 2017 at the National Library of New Zealand Te Puna Mātauranga o Aotearoa. The exhibition houses and displays 3 iconic constitutional documents that shape Aotearoa New Zealand: He Whakaputanga, Te Tiriti o Waitangi and Te Petihana Whakamana Pōti Wahine.

He whakapapa kōrero, he whenua kura.

Talking about our past to create a better future.

We invite you to join us on that journey.

App content

The [printed] workbook contains digital content you can access using the Lift Reality app. Download the app from the Apple App Store or Google Play App Store.

To access the digital content, simply open the app on your device and hover the camera over the trigger image so that it is visible on screen. The app will provide you with a prompt or start automatically depending on the type of content. Content includes videos and digital objects you can explore.

Try it now with the video, or access this video from The power to vote.

Activities

Throughout this workbook, there are a range of activities.

Each activity starts by giving you details about who may help you or where you might like to do the activity. The options are:

• You can do this activity on your own.

• You can do this activity as a pair or in a group.

• Do this activity with support from a teacher.

• You can do this activity at home or in your community.

Understanding key terms

Activity details: You can do this activity on your own.

Important terms will pop up throughout this workbook. Have a go at filling in the middle column of this table based on what you know or think each word might mean. You can fill in the third column later.

Where does the story begin?

It’s easy to think the story of women gaining the right to vote starts with the suffrage petition, or a few years before. But the right to vote is about who has power in Aotearoa New Zealand. To understand that story, we need to go back.

1200–1300: Māori ancestors discover this incredible whenua

See this video at He Whenua Rangatira. A Māori Land (YouTube video, 4:10).

The Polynesian ancestors of Māori who discovered Aotearoa brought with them stories, traditions, knowledge, and customs.

1300–1500: Māori ancestors establish themselves across the whenua

Having arrived in Aotearoa and deciding to stay, these ancestors had to adapt. They adjusted their horticultural models and ways of doing things to thrive across the many climates of Aotearoa.

Over hundreds of years, a distinct culture developed — one unique to Aotearoa. Māori ancestors made Aotearoa their home as tangata whenua. Some Māori were still voyaging around the Pacific.

Over time, Māori social structures shifted and changed. They established new ways of sharing and obtaining power, making decisions, and meeting the needs of their communities. The hapū was the most important group for a person.

Did you know?

Māori have a system of land rights that is different from the British system. It’s based on whakapapa and many people can have different rights to the same piece of land.

1600–1830: First interactions between Māori and Pākehā

See this video at He Whenua Rangatira. A Māori Land (YouTube video, 4:10).

Iwi and hapū began interacting with Europeans, starting with Abel Tasman and his ships in 1642, and later James Cook and his crew on the Endeavour in 1769. Next came sealers, whalers, traders, and missionaries from various countries.

These newcomers, many of whom were only here for a short time, were expected to interact with hapū on hapū terms. Not everybody did.

Task

Rangahautia: Research the following terms. What do you know about:

• whānau

• hapū

• iwi.

1835: He Whakaputanga — Declaration of Independence

52 rangatira signed He Whakaputanga, the Declaration of Independence, stating that only rangatira could make laws here. Britain officially acknowledged this declaration.

1840: Te Tiriti o Waitangi

At the time of signing, there was only a small number of Pākehā in Aotearoa.

By 1840, there were around 2000 non-Māori living in Aotearoa, compared with 70,000–90,000 Māori. Some non-Māori had been living here for years — others were recent arrivals.

Te Tiriti o Waitangi was intended to guide a growing partnership between rangatira Māori and the British Crown. Some rangatira were concerned about what would happen once Te Tiriti was signed, but no one could be sure what the future would hold.

1840–1878

Soon, boatloads of people began to arrive from Britain. A few years after Te Tiriti was signed, the non-Māori population had overtaken the Māori population and was still growing fast. Māori and Pākehā had different expectations and understandings about who was in charge. Pākehā increasingly made decisions that affected Māori communities. They were also hungry for more land.

1845–1872: New Zealand Wars fought over much of the country

There’s no specific moment when the balance of power tipped, but the establishment of a New Zealand Parliament in 1854 was key. Pākehā New Zealanders began to make laws that everyone was expected to follow — even though the laws were being made by a small exclusive group of Pākehā men.

Task

Rangahautia: Look up locations where battles were fought during this time.

• Who was involved?

• When did it occur?

• What were hapū trying to protect?

1854: New Zealand’s first Parliament formed

1858: Coronation of the first Māori king

1863: Invasion of Waikato

1863: New Zealand Settlements Act

This is an example of a law that affected hapū in a long-lasting way. This law allowed the government to take huge sections of whenua Māori (Māori land) as a punishment for defending their whenua against invasion. The impacts of this are still felt today.

1864: 1.5 million hectares of Māori land are taken by the Crown

See this video at Land Ownership (YouTube video, 2:09).

As well as destroying the economic base of Māori communities, the taking of land impacted Māori voting rights. Voting rights at the time were attached to property ownership — if you didn’t own land as an individual (rather than a collective) you couldn’t vote!

The right to vote in Aotearoa New Zealand was tied to property ownership — the same system used in Britain at the time.

This rule excluded those Māori who owned land as a community member rather than as an individual. For example, in 1853, 5849 men enrolled to vote, and only 100 of these men were Māori — mainly rangatira.

Some Māori women did own land according to the British system and could vote in local elections from 1876.

1865: The Native Land Court is established

1868: The first Māori members of Parliament

1881: Invasion of Parihaka

1893: Women obtain the right to vote in parliamentary elections

The changing status of women in Aotearoa New Zealand

Women’s rights have changed over time, and we might think that means they’re always improving. But 100 years before they gained the vote in 1893, women in Aotearoa New Zealand actually had more power. In the early 1800s, Aotearoa was governed by Māori models of leadership, organised by hapū and iwi. Women often played influential roles within these models.

A world of difference

In Aotearoa

In the early 1800s, Māori women had a very different status compared with that of British women at the time. They had a say in decisions that affected their communities, including having a voice in rūnanga Māori (gatherings of leaders at which decisions are made).

In Britain

In Britain in the 1800s, women had very few rights. In fact, in the eyes of the law, they were considered the possession of their father or, if they were married, their husband. Any property a woman owned became her husband’s when they got married, and he could do whatever he wanted with it. Even children ‘belonged’ just to their fathers.

When people from Britain and Europe settled in Aotearoa New Zealand in large numbers, many brought these views about the status of women with them. But because we had a mix of people moving here, it was also an opportunity for more freedom of expression, finding new perspectives, and shaking up the rigid class structure of their countries of origin. Because of these things, people were perhaps more open to new ideas about women’s positions in their communities.

Women and Te Tiriti o Waitangi

When Te Tiriti o Waitangi was signed in 1840, several of the rangatira who signed were women. These women were respected leaders of their communities. More women signed the te reo Māori text of Te Tiriti than the English text.

The treaty was taken around the country by Pākehā men to gather more signatures. Some understood that Māori women could be leaders who represented their communities. In other parts of the country, women were banned from signing Te Tiriti because of their gender. The seeds of a different way of operating were already being sown. By 1893, under the growing power of the British system, Māori women were working hard to keep the power and rights they possessed.

Task

Rangahautia: Investigate the story of a wahine toa, for example:

• Niniwa-i-te-rangi

• Ākenehi Tōmoana

• Hine Amaru

• Mahinaarangi

• Hēni Te Kiri Karamū, also known as Hēni Pore (Jane Foley) and as Jane Russell

• Rongomaiwahine

• A member of your own whānau, hapū, or community

Show the difference

Activity details: You can do this activity on your own.

Use the information under The changing status of women in Aotearoa New Zealand to create a visual representation of the similarities and differences in the rights and roles of women in Aotearoa before and after Pākehā arrived, and in Britain in the 1800s. Consider the roles women had in their families and communities.

Use the space on page 10 of the workbook or a digital format to create your visual representation.

The power of the vote

On 19 September 1893, Aotearoa New Zealand became the first country in the world where all women gained the right to vote in general elections. This event reflected years of hard work, planning, and courage. It also took place at a time of complex interactions between Māori and Pākehā and followed several decades of colonisation where land and power were systematically taken from iwi and hapū.

The process of women gaining the right to vote took a massive team effort, with women and men, young and old, working together to create change. Not everyone was onside with allowing women to vote — including some women — and the idea led to fierce debates within homes, communities, and in Parliament.

What’s in a name?

The name of this document tells us a lot about it.

Women’s Suffrage Petition | Te Petihana Whakamana Pōti Wahine

Suffrage means the right to vote. The goal of the petition was to give all women in Aotearoa New Zealand the right to vote.

In Aotearoa New Zealand a suffragist was someone who agreed that women should have the vote. A suffragist can be a person of any gender.

A petition or petihana is a request for something to happen, usually written down.

One of the meanings of whakamana is to empower or give authority to.

• He pātai: What is another meaning of whakamana? How might this meaning also relate to this petition?

In a general election in Aotearoa New Zealand today, everyone who is enrolled to vote gets 2 votes — an electorate vote and a party vote. Your electorate vote is for the candidate you want to represent the area you live in (your electorate). Your party vote is for the party you want to represent you in Parliament.

Whānau conversations

Activity details: You can do this activity at home or in your community.

Lots of factors shape who people vote for, or whether they vote at all, and we don’t always talk openly about what those factors are.

Here are some questions you could ask your whānau to find out what they think about voting. Record their answers by doing any of the following:

• Use the space provided on pages 12 and 13.

• Use your own paper or digital method.

• Audio record the conversation (check with the person first).

You may like to share your interview with others. Remember that whether we vote and who we vote for are personal decisions, so check with your whānau before you share their story with others.

Questions you could ask your whānau

• Do you vote? What made you decide to vote? Do you remember voting being a part of our whānau history?

• What do you think about the idea of 16- and 17-year-olds being allowed to vote in the general election?

• If you vote in general elections, how do you decide who to vote for? What advice do you have for me when I cast my first vote?

• Whānau Māori: Do you know about the Māori electoral roll? Have you signed up for the Māori roll? Why? Why not?

• Have you ever signed a petition? Do you think petitions are effective? Why? Why not?

• Do you have a story you can share about voting, for example, the first time you voted in an election?

• Apart from voting, what are some important ways that people can make decisions that affect our community (for example, our marae, place of worship, kura)? What advantages or disadvantages do these have over voting?

• Do you feel like you have a voice in the current political system? Do you feel part of it? If you don’t feel this way, what would help you to feel part of this process?

• Do you know anyone on the school board, marae committee, your local council, an Iwi Trust Board, or in Parliament? What steps were involved in their achieving this role?

• If I was interested to learn more about leadership, what pathways would you recommend? What is your experience?

A monster petition

The 1893 Women’s Suffrage Petition Te Petihana Whakamana Pōti Wahine is an extraordinary taonga. It is over 270 metres long, made up of 546 sheets, and has over 25,000 signatures.

At the time it was presented in the House of Representatives, it was the largest petition ever seen in Aotearoa New Zealand. Today’s equivalent would be signed by 500,000 people!

Use the Lift Reality app on the image to explore some of the petition.

Alternatively, You can find more info here:

• Te Petihana Whakamana Pōti Wāhine — The Women's Suffrage Petition

• Women's Suffrage.

Not the first

In 1891, 8 petitions containing more than 9000 signatures were gathered, and in 1892, 6 petitions collected more than 20,000 signatures. Both petitions resulted in bills related to women’s suffrage being debated in Parliament and support for the idea to grow.

Not the only

Thirteen petitions were delivered to Parliament in 1893, with a total of 31,872 signatures.

The Women’s Suffrage Petition document holds over 25,000 of these.

An uneven spread

The number of people who signed the petition varied for different regions of Aotearoa New Zealand.

Task

Mātakitaki mai

Use the Lift Reality app to view the Women’s Suffrage Petition video, or you can find it here at Women's Suffrage Petition (YouTube video, 2:04).

What do you notice?

In some areas of Aotearoa New Zealand, thousands of signatures were collected — in others, just a few hundred. In Nelson, there was only one!

What factors might have played a role in this?

Who signed?

The 1893 Women’s Suffrage Petition Te Petihana Whakamana Pōti Wahine in the He Tohu Exhibition at the National Library has 25,519 signatures. Most who signed were women, but there were also a few men. The people who signed came from all walks of life, and some we still don’t know much about. Who were these people? And what motivated them to sign?

We can’t always answer these questions, but we can still learn a lot by researching people who signed. This tells us more about the sorts of people who signed, what their daily lives might have been like, and what their motivations might have been to sign.

Did you know?

No one knows how many Māori women signed the petition, although the numbers are likely small. Most of the Māori women who have been discovered on the petition to date used an anglicised (English) name when they signed.

He pātai:

• Why do you think Māori women may not have signed this petition?

• What other ways were Māori women working to improve people’s rights at the time?

• Why do you think some Māori women may have used an English name to sign?

Rora Orbell (sheet 302)

Rora Orbell (Ngāi Tahu) was born in 1838 at Otago Head. Her parents were Peter Wilkie and Mata (Martha) Whio of Ngāi Tahu. Mata was the child of Te Hori and Te Ruahaunui.

Rora, who was also called Rhoda Flora, married an English migrant called Arthur Orbell in 1857. She was 19 years old. The couple settled at Moeraki and had 12 children.

Rora signed the petition with her daughter Frances Ada Amelia in Otago. Throughout her life, Rora fought for the rights of Māori to keep their land. She died in 1917, aged 80.

Lydia Aitcheson (sheet 91)

Lydia Harper was born around 1836 in Scotland and married John Aitcheson on 25 May 1860. A week later, the pair boarded the Robert Henderson in Glasgow, bound for Otago. The ship arrived on 2 September but was quarantined for 7 days due to an outbreak of scarlet fever on the way. Lydia and John’s daughter Lydia was born on 6 September while the ship was still in quarantine.

After settling in Waikouaiti, the couple had 5 more children, all boys: John, Thomas, Archibald, William, and Alexander. Lydia signed the petition in Waikouaiti. She died on 12 February 1913, aged 78.

Research a signatory

Activity details:

• You can do this activity on your own.

• Do this activity with support from a teacher.

Do your own research to create a profile of someone who signed the petition. Here are some starting sources:

• Your whānau — do they know whether anyone in your family signed, or refused to sign?

• NZ History petition database — use this database to browse the names and details of the people who signed the petition.

• National Library family history guide — use this guide to help you research your chosen person using lots of different approaches, tools, and databases.

• Papers Past — use this database to search through newspapers that mention your chosen person or events they might have been involved in.

• Births, Deaths and Marriages Online — use this database to search for details of when your person was born, married (if they were), and when and where they died.

You can use the profiles in the Lift Reality app as a model, or create one in your own way.

Either present your profile on page 17 of the workbook, or explain how to access a digital version of it.

Creating the document

Activity details:

• You can do this activity on your own.

• Do this activity with support from a teacher.

Putting the petition together was an incredible undertaking. It took months of organisation, time, and courage. The suffragists involved often faced ridicule, debate, and even abuse from people opposed to women’s suffrage.

Reorder some events

The events below are out of order. Put them in the correct order.

You can do this by:

• photocopying the page and cutting out the statements to reorder them, or

• numbering the events in the correct order (some may have happened at the same time).

Events

• The petition was taken to Wellington to be presented to Parliament.

• Groups such as the Women’s Franchise League and the Women’s Christian Temperance Union (WCTU) organised for petition sheets to be sent out to their members.

• Volunteers throughout the country went door-to-door, talking to women about suffrage and inviting them to sign, and holding public meetings to educate people about women’s rights.

• John Hall, a pro-suffrage politician, encouraged women’s groups to organise a petition to prove that women wanted the vote.

• Volunteers visited workplaces and public places such as churches and halls.

• Women took the sheets to out-of-the-way places they went to on holiday.

• The forms were sent back to Kate Sheppard’s home in Christchurch and Kate glued the sheets together end-to-end and rolled them around a broom handle.

When you have the correct order, create a visual representation of the process in the box on page 10 of the workbook.

E rua ngā pāremata | The two parliaments

In the 1890s, Aotearoa New Zealand had 2 parliaments — both entirely run by men.

New Zealand Parliament

In the 1890s, the New Zealand Parliament was based on the British system of government.

Almost all of the representatives in this Parliament were Pākehā. There were 70 general seats and 4 Māori seats. In 1893 James Carroll (Ngāti Kahungunu) became the first Māori to win a general electorate seat. The law was changed in 1896 so that Māori were not allowed to be candidates for general seats. It stayed that way until 1967.

Kotahitanga Parliament

The Kotahitanga Parliament was set up as a forum for rangatira Māori to discuss and address pressing issues that were affecting their communities due to colonisation.

The Kotahitanga Parliament was made up of 2 parts — Te Whare o Raro had 96 members, and Te Whare Ariki had 44 members. One of the biggest issues they discussed was the taking of Māori land.

Women and the Kotahitanga Parliament

In 1893, the same year that women’s suffrage was achieved, debates were taking place in the Kotahitanga Parliament about the role women should play. Meri Te Tai Mangakāhia (Ngāti Te Rēinga, Ngāti Manawa, Te Kaitūtae) was the first woman in Aotearoa New Zealand to give a speech in Parliament. She requested that Māori women be able to both vote for and be members of the Kotahitanga Parliament.

Find out more using the Lift Reality app or go here: Mangakāhia, Meri Te Tai — Te Ara — the Encyclopedia of New Zealand.

Task

Wānangatia: Most voting systems work by ‘majority rules’. This means that if a decision is supported by more than half of a group, this is the decision that will be made.

When might this be a problem when it comes to voting? Here are some examples you can discuss:

• In the 1890s, when Māori politicians raised an issue related to Māori rights (such as stolen land), they were always outvoted.

• Until 1919, only men could be part of Parliament, so women had no direct way to have a voice in political decision making. They needed a male Member of Parliament to present their views.

Who’s in, who’s out, and who decides?

Activity details:

• You can do this activity on your own.

• Do this activity with support from a teacher.

There have been many changes over time in Aotearoa New Zealand to decide who is eligible to vote and who is excluded.

In terms of voting, the word eligible means that you have the right to vote or that you meet the requirements to vote if you want to.

If a group is excluded from voting, it means that people in the group are not allowed to vote.

Match each of the following events to the correct date. You can do this by:

• photocopying this page and cutting out the pieces to match them or

• drawing lines between the events and dates.

Events

• The first parliamentary elections in Aotearoa. Only people who owned property were eligible to vote.

• Some gold miners were given the right to vote, even if they didn’t own property. Chinese gold miners were not included in this group of eligible voters.

• 4 Māori seats in Parliament created. (Pākehā had 72 seats in Parliament.) In the same year, all Māori men over the age of 21 obtain the right to vote.

• This right was not given to all Pākehā men over the age of 21 until later.

• First Māori MPs take their places in the House of Representatives — Frederick Nene Russell, Mete Kīngi Te Rangi Paetahi, Tāreha Te Moananui, and John Patterson.

• The Municipal Corporations Act gives both men and women landowners the right to vote and stand for local government office.

• Māori lose the right to stand in general electorate seats.

• Women in Aotearoa New Zealand obtain the right to vote in general elections. In the same year, Māori lost the right to vote for Pākehā seats.

• Women obtain the right to stand as candidates.

• Māori get back the right to stand as candidates in general electorate seats.

• Voting age lowered to 18.

Dates

• 1967

• 1876

• 1868

• 1853

• 1893

• 1974

• 1867

• 1896

• 1919

• 1860

The people of the suffrage movement

Activity details:

• You can do this activity as a pair or in a group

• Do this activity with support from a teacher.

In the 1890s, Aotearoa New Zealand had 2 parliaments — both entirely run by men.

This is a class activity.

1. Make a group of 4.

2. Each person in that group of 4 will take a piece of the puzzle on page 23.

3. Working with others in the class with the same piece of the puzzle, answer the guiding questions on your piece. Record other interesting information you discover.

4. Come back together with your original group to present the information you found out about your puzzle piece. You can use any presentation format you like — for example, a visual illustration, a skit, or an interview.

5. Ask questions when your group members are presenting to you, to make sure you understand.

6. Write a summary with your group about all the things you found out.

Puzzle pieces

Dunedin Tailoresses’ Union (DTU)

• What is the purpose of a union?

• When and where was the Dunedin Tailoresses’ Union established?

• What issues did the Dunedin Tailoresses’ Union want to address?

• What role did they play in achieving women’s suffrage?

• Investigate the role of a leader in this group, for example, Harriet Morison.

Women’s Christian Temperance Union (WCTU)

• What does ‘temperance’ mean?

• When and where was the WCTU established?

• Why did the WCTU join the struggle for suffrage?

• Investigate the background and role of a leader in this group, for example, Lily Atkinson, Elizabeth Caradus, Hēni Te Kiri Karamu, Catherine Fulton, Kate Sheppard, or Annie Schnackenberg.

Ngā Komiti Wahine

• What was Te Kotahitanga Māori Parliament, and when was it established?

• When, where, and by whom were Ngā Komiti Wahine established?

• What issues was Te Kotahitanga Māori Parliament seeking to address in the 1890s?

• What rights for women did Meri Te Tai Mangakāhia want to achieve?

• Investigate the leadership and concerns of a prominent wahine Māori, for example, Meri Te Tai Mangakāhia (Te Rarawa), Niniwa-i-te-Rangi (Ngāti Kahungungu).

Women’s Franchise League

• What does ‘franchise’ mean?

• When and where was the Women’s Franchise League established?

• What is ‘temperance’, and what stance, if any, did the Women’s Franchise League take on it?

• What did the Women’s Franchise League become after women’s suffrage was achieved?

• Investigate the role of a leader in this group — for example, Anna Stout, Margaret Bullock, Amey Daldy, Marion Hatton, Helen Nicol, or Rachel Reynolds.

Having a voice

The late 1800s were a time of great change. Women began to assert their rights. For example, women sought paid work, a university education, physical freedoms such as riding a bicycle, and political rights. They didn’t want the purpose of their lives to be cooking and cleaning. Even though it might look like they were living in a totally different world from ours, these women were just as passionate about these issues and looked for ways to achieve their goals in their own unique context.

The women fighting for the right to vote didn’t just want to make voting more fair. The suffragists knew that being able to vote was just one way to have influence and create change.

At the time, many whānau were affected by social issues such as the devastating effects of alcoholism and, for Māori communities, the taking of land. Without a voice in Parliament, women had very little opportunity to challenge an issue.

Religion played a big part in society at the time, so many women would participate in social activism through their church.

Today, young people are finding their own ways to talk about the issues that matter to them. Even if you can’t vote yet, there are ways to make your voice heard.

Moko kauae and the suffrage movement

The Women’s Christian Temperance Union (WCTU) was one of a number of key organisations in the suffrage movement. They believed that if women had the vote, it would be a powerful stepping stone to regulating alcohol and drugs.

Women who joined the WCTU had to sign a pledge, promising not to drink alcohol or smoke tobacco. They also had to promise not to have their face adorned with a moko kauae (sacred tattoo for Māori women).

A moko kauae reflects a woman’s whānau and the leadership and service she has given her community. It is a symbol of mana, status, and ability. Asking Māori women to pledge not to display one showed that, at the time, the WCTU did not understand or appreciate moko kauae. This must have been a painful choice for some Māori women.

Today, many Māori women are reclaiming moko kauae. In 2016, Nanaia Mahuta became the first Member of Parliament to wear a moko kauae.

When Nanaia Mahuta was appointed to the role of Minister of Foreign Affairs, Rukuwai Tipene-Allen said that the appointment ‘shows that our culture has a place at an international level. The first face that people see at an international level is someone who speaks, looks and sounds like a Māori … Wearing the markings of her ancestors shows people that there are no boundaries to Māori and where they can go.’

The power of petitions

Activity details:

• You can do this activity on your own.

• Do this activity with support from a teacher.

The Women’s Suffrage Petition Te Petihana Whakamana Pōti Wahine is one of Aotearoa New Zealand’s most famous petitions, but hundreds of other petitions exist, and people still use petitions to have a say today.

Rangahautia: Research a petition from Aotearoa New Zealand that tried to make things better.

Some examples are:

• Save Manapōuri (1969–1972)

• Te Reo Māori petition (1972)

• Protect Ihumatao (2017–2020)

• Making Matariki a recognised holiday (2020)

• Make it 16 (2021)

• Ban Conversion Therapy Now petition (2021).

Answer the following questions about the petition you are researching. Write your answers in the space provided, or present your information in a format of your choice.

• What did/does the petition want to change?

• Who put the petition forward? Why do you think they did it?

• What values does the petition reflect (for example, kaitiakitanga, manaakitanga)?

• What were the pros and cons of making the change?

• Would you sign the petition? Why? Why not?

Did you know?

A petition only needs one signature. However, petitions need the support of at least one Member of Parliament in order to be heard by Parliament. You can find a list of petitions that have been presented to Parliament since 2002 here: Petitions — New Zealand Parliament.

Changemakers

Activity details: You can do this activity at home or in your community.

In every community, there are people who work hard to improve the well-being of others. This work can be local — for example, at a whānau, hapū, or iwi level — or national. Sometimes these people are public figures and highly recognisable. Others work quietly behind the scenes.

Take a moment to think about who you know who is making a difference in your community. Get in touch with them to ask about the work they do. Record their answers by any of the following:

• Use the space provided

• Use your own paper or digital method

• Audio record the conversation (check with the person first).

Questions

• What are some ways that you are making a difference in your community?

• How do you keep going in the face of obstacles?

• What motivates you?

• How do you work with others to achieve a goal?

• What skills do you need?

• What advice do you have for young people who want to make a difference?

Ka mau te wehi | You’re awesome!

You’ve reached the end of this workbook.

Now that you’ve learnt more about Te Petihana Whakamana Pōti Wahine, here are some more things you can do.

Explore another topic you’re interested in: Women's Suffrage — Topic Explorer.

Get some books out: Suffrage Day 2021 — Kids' Blog.

Start your own official petition: Petitions — New Zealand Parliament.

Submit an official bio about someone who signed the suffrage petition: Women’s Suffrage Petition biography guide — He Tohu.

Explore curiosity cards for your research: Set 1: He Tohu and Tuia — Encounters 250.

Listen to people discuss the suffrage petition: Kōrero — He Tohu.

References, acknowledgements, copyright

Suffrage history

A leap into the light by Sandra Coney, New Zealand Geographic, issue 020, Oct–Dec 1993.

Dunedin Tailoresses’ Union

He Tohu Rangatira — Māori Women & the 1893 Suffrage Petition

How the term suffragette evolved from its sexist roots by Erica Gonzales.

Māori Women and the Vote by Tania Rei, 1993. Huia Publishers, Wellington, NZ. New Zealand 1993 Suffrage Centennial Trust Whakatu Wāhine.

‘The myth of one’ by Jane Tolerton, New Zealand Listener, 29 August 2021, p. 24.

New Zealand Women’s Christian Temperance Union

Ngā rōpū wāhine Māori — Māori women's organisations

We the undersigned: An analysis of signatories to the 1893 Women’s Suffrage Petition from southern Dunedin, 2001 Master’s Thesis by Kirsten Thomlinson.

White Ribbon Magazine, 1895–1960

Women caught between two worlds, RNZ

Petition signatories

Database of signatories

Tāngata Ngāi Tahu: People of Ngāi Tahu (Volume 2) edited by Helen Brown and Michael J. Stevens, 2022.

New Zealand Parliament

Biography of Heni Te Kiri Karamū

Biography of Meri Te Tai Mangakāhia

Our elections through history

Parliament timeline

Some reflections on women’s suffrage by Leonie Pihama.

Extra reading

College students petition for a national holiday to recognise Land Wars by Libby Wilson and Rachel Thomas.

New Zealand Wars

Report on the Statistics of New Zealand, 1890

Acknowledgements and copyright

Thank you to the descendants of Rora and Arthur Orbell and the beneficiaries, owners, and trustees of the Rowallan Block XIII Section 1 and Section 5 (Ahu Whenua) Trust for granting us permission to use Rora and Arthur’s photograph (Pg. 16). Copyright Rowallan Block XIII Section 1 and Section 5 (Ahu Whenua) Trust.

Thank you to the descendants of Meri Te Tai Mangakāhia for allowing her photograph to be used in He Tohu and in this resource (Pg. 20). Mason, Frederick W., photographer. Auckland War Memorial Museum Tamaki Paenga Hira. PH-NEG-C5101.

Copyright

All text is copyright Crown 2022.

YouTube clips and images on pages 2, 3, 7, and 15 from the He Tohu Exhibition are copyright Crown 2022.

Illustrations by Hope McConnell, copyright Crown 2022.

Designer: Bolster Design.