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How the Women got the Vote

The movement for women's suffrage in New Zealand was closely identified with the Women's Christian Temperance Movement (WCTU.)  The WCTU campaigned against the disastrous effects of uncontrolled liquor on society.  They showed how devastating liquor could be as male drunkards destroyed the lives of their wives and families.  Many men could sympathise with the Temperance Unionists and this led to many politicians from the House of Representatives being favourably disposed to the cause of women's suffrage.  Sir John Hall introduced women's franchise bills in 1890 and 1891 and these were passed by the House of Representatives but were defeated by the Legislative Council.  Then in 1891, 1892 and 1893 three massive petitions were presented to Parliament by the women of New Zealand requesting the right of universal female suffrage.  By this time women's demands for suffrage was supported by a degree of male goodwill and there was no real substantial, co-ordinated and sustained backlash throughout the country.  It was clear that the people of New Zealand now expected their politicians to implement political change.  Let's look at the issue of women's suffrage through the eyes of two politicians from opposing sides of Parliament, and then see how universal women's suffrage was introduced in New Zealand.

Sir John Hall

Sir John Hall was a conservative Canterbury politician with a reputation for political integrity.  He was a polite and courteous gentleman who was prepared to listen  seriously to women and to treat them with respect.  His style was most acceptable to the suffragists and Kate Sheppard, who led the WCTU's political department, appealed to him to support and advocate for women's suffrage in Parliament. Hall responded to her appeal with alacrity.  For six years between 1887 and 1893 he attempted time and time again to have the women's suffrage issue debated in the House of Representatives.  In  1890 he introduced a Women's Franchise Bill, and in 1891 a Female Suffrage Bill.  Both were passed by the House of Representatives but were defeated by the Legislative Council.  However Hall still persevered and maintained close consultation with Kate Sheppard to keep the suffrage movement outside Parliament informed of progress.

Hall thought that women could be an intelligent and conservative moral force in politics.  He hoped they would use their votes to moderate the more extreme activities and behaviour in Parliament.  He believed that giving women the vote would 'increase the influence of the settler or family man, as against the loafing single-men who had so great a voice at the last elections.'  He had already noted with concern the increasing influence of 'the larrikin pothouse element' in New Zealand politics since the Liberal victory in the 1890 election.  In other words, Hall hoped women's votes would moderate some of the wilder policies and programmes of radical Liberal politicians like Seddon, McKenzie and Reeves, and also the influence of their Labour and unionist allies.                                   

Richard Seddon

Richard Seddon was a member of the Liberal Party.  His party's position required him to publicly endorse women's suffrage.  However, personally Seddon did not support either temperance or women's suffrage.  As an ex-publican he was well-aware of that anti-liquor policies would not attract votes for the Liberals and would also jeopardise the party's financial support from brewing interests. Likewise as a man, Seddon regarded himself as one of the 'lords of creation.'  He no doubt saw women's role as childbearers, cooks and churchgoers - but not as voters at the ballot box.

However as a Liberal, he had to go through the motions and pay lip-service to women's suffrage.  So after Sir John Hall proposed another women's franchise amendment to the Governments' 1893 Electoral Bill, Seddon allowed it through the House, assuming the Legislative Council would reject it.  In an attempt to guarantee this, he obtained the consent of new Liberal Legislative Councillor Thomas Kelly to alter his paired vote so that he would instead vote against the bill.  However, two Opposition councillors were so incensed at Seddon's high-handed manipulation that they switched sides and voted for it and the bill passed by 20 votes to 18.  Universal women's suffrage was signed into New Zealand law on 19 September 1893.  Now all Maori and Pakeha women had the right to vote.

Further Reading

Grimshaw, Patricia, 'Women Campaign for the Vote,' New Zealand's Heritage: the making of a nation, v.10, Sydney, 1971, pp. 1295-1300.

King, Michael, The Penguin History of New Zealand, Auckland, 2003.

Oliver, W.H., ed, The Oxford History of New Zealand, Wellington, 1981.

'New Zealand women and the vote', URL: https://nzhistory.govt.nz/politics/womens-suffrage, (Ministry for Culture and Heritage), updated 13 Mar-2018.