Feminism in New Zealand is a series of actions and a philosophy to advance rights for women in New Zealand. This can be seen to have taken place through parliament and legislation, and also by actions and role modelling by significant women and groups of people throughout New Zealand's history. The women's suffrage movement in New Zealand succeeded in 1893 when New Zealand became the first nation where all women were granted the right to vote. New Zealand was also the first country in the world in which the five highest offices of power were held by women, which occurred between March 2005 and August 2006, with Queen Elizabeth II, Governor-General Silvia Cartwright, Prime Minister Helen Clark, Speaker of the New Zealand House of Representatives Margaret Wilson and Chief Justice Sian Elias. From October 2022 to October 2023, New Zealand achieved gender-equal representation in Parliament for the first time.
In 1840 Māori women were part of the signing of the Treaty of Waitangi that created New Zealand as part of the British Empire under Queen Victoria. Wāhine Māori were at the forefront of the women's suffragist movement, including campaigning for their right to vote and to stand as members of Te Kotahitanga.11 years after universal male suffrage was granted, universal female suffrage was achieved on 19 September 1893. Iriaka Rātana became the first wāhine Māori MP in 1949.
History Pre-colonisation Prior to European settlement of New Zealand Māori women had varied responsibilities as tribal leaders, military strategists, warriors, poets, composers and healers. Their roles were irrespective of their gender. Kinship systems in Māori tribes were often arranged matrilineally.
Diplomacy and rituals of exchange between Māori tribes were often arranged according to the concept of mana wahine, the prestige and political power held by a woman or the women of a tribe. Today, numerous Māori iwi and hapū descended from such women insist on identifying themselves as being "the people of" that particular female ancestor. For example, on the East Coast of the North Island a prominent iwi group is Ngāti Kahungunu, eponymous of the male ancestor Kahungunu. However within the Mahia area of that region, there is a local preference for the name Ngāti Rongomaiwahine; Rongomaiwahine being known as the more prestigious ancestor of the people there. Similar insistence is made by members of Ngāti Hinemoa and Ngāti Hinemanu.
Scholars have suggested that the solidification of a patriarchal structure in Māori societies was shaped by colonial contact, largely through the expectations and prejudices of European settler-traders and Christian missionaries.
Timeline
1860: Married women's Property Perfection Act, allows women to keep their earning and belongings if deserted. 1864: Heni Pore, fought for the King movement and distinguished herself at Gate Pa. Later, became the Secretary to the Māori Women's Christian Temperance Union, and later became known as an expert on Māori land title. 1867: The Municipal Corporations Act and The Divorce and Matrimonial Causes Act was created and enforced. 1873: Employment of Females Act enforced. 1884: Married Women's Property Act. 1893: Pākehā and Māori women won the right to vote in general elections due to the Electoral Act, and Elizabeth Yates became New Zealand's first female mayor in the British Empire. 1895: The first women's hockey team was established, and Minnie Dean, was the only New Zealand woman to hang. 1896: National Council of Women of New Zealand was created, Emily Siedeberg became the first female doctor to graduate, and Mary Ann Bacon became the country's first female stockbroker. 1897 Ethel Benjamin became the first woman to be admitted as a barrister and solicitor. 1898: The Divorce Act of 1898 allowed for the dissolution of marriage equally for women and men. 1933: Elizabeth McCombs becomes the first woman elected to Parliament. 1938: Catherine Stewart becomes the first woman elected to Parliament not via Widow's succession. 1946: Two women appointed to the Legislative Council; Mary Anderson and Mary Dreaver. 1947: Mabel Howard, who was elected to Parliament in 1943 becomes New Zealand's first female Cabinet Minister. 1949: Iriaka Rātana becomes the first Māori woman elected to Parliament. 1951: Māori Women's Welfare League founded with Dame Whina Cooper as president. 1966: Princess Piki Paki of Huntly, 35, was chosen to become the first Māori Queen; Te Arikinui Dame Te Atairangikaahu was the sixth Māori monarch of the Kingitanga. 1975: Marilyn Waring at age 23, becomes the youngest member of the New Zealand Parliament. 1976: Mary Ronnie of Dunedin became the first woman in the world to head a national library. 1983: Catherine Tizard becomes the first female Mayor of Auckland City. 1984: Ann Hercus appointed first Minister for Women's Affairs. 1988: Lowell Goddard and Sian Elias become the first women appointed as Queen's Counsel of New Zealand. 1989: Catherine Tizard becomes the first female Governor-General of New Zealand. 1993: Jane Campion was the first female filmmaker to receive a Palme d'Or award at the Cannes Film Festival (for The Piano). 1995: Georgina Beyer of Wairarapa was the world's first transgender woman elected Mayor, and then Member of Parliament in 1999. 1997: Jenny Shipley becomes first female Prime Minister of New Zealand. 1999: Helen Clark becomes first elected female Prime Minister of New Zealand. 1999: Sian Elias becomes the first female Chief Justice of New Zealand. 2005: Margaret Wilson becomes the first female Speaker of the New Zealand House of Representatives. As a result, all five of the most senior positions of state are simultaneously held by women, as Wilson served with Queen Elizabeth II as Queen of New Zealand, Silvia Cartwright as Governor-General of New Zealand, Sian Elias as Chief Justice of New Zealand, and Helen Clark as Prime Minister of New Zealand. 2009: Helen Clark was the first woman to serve as Administrator of the United Nations Development Programme (2009-2017). 2016: Historian Barbara Brookes published her groundbreaking History of New Zealand Women. 2017: Kristine Bartlett was appointed a Companion of the New Zealand Order of Merit, for services to equal pay advocacy. The National Council of Women of NZ | Te Kaunihera Wāhine o Aotearoa, began Gender Attitudes Surveys with Rangahau Aotearoa Research NZ every two years. Labour’s Jacinda Ardern became New Zealand’s third female Prime Minister of New Zealand. 2020: Jacinda Ardern wins landslide victory for Labour in parliamentary elections. 2022: Soraya Peke-Mason became New Zealand’s 177th female MP and gave women 61 seats in the House of Representatives.
Population gender shift Once European migrants started arrived in New Zealand through colonisation there were more men than women. By 1916 and 1941 the gender differences were about equal. By 1971 the gender shift began and women began to outnumber the men. By 2001 there were 104 women to every 100 men. The female population is expected to outrank the male population by 2051, because of the high mortality rate among men aged 15–24, and the female life expectancy is expected to increase much faster than males.
Situation for women
In 2001 there were 63,000 more women than men. According to census records in 2001, this trend was expected to continue with other situations in the lives of New Zealand women included: a decline in the birth and fertility rates in younger women, and childbearing in later years a change in family structure, with changes in marriage rates and blended parenting such as such as stepfamilies women's incomes below men more women (90%) in secretarial, nursing, and midwife positions while carpenters, joiners, mechanics, fitters, and heavy truck drivers were mostly men. younger women are more qualified educationally than older women. In the study in 2001 by academic Ann Magee she identified the following positive changes and initiatives that affected women: an increase in the number of women in self-employment an increase in organisations/networks such as WISE, Women into Self-Employment; National Council of Women; Society for Research on Women; the Women's Electoral Lobby; Sisters Overseas Service the development of gender analysis methodology an increase in "out of school" care offered to low income communities an increase in government cooperation to overcome gender bias in employment towards the Maori, Pacific Island, rural and urban women. more attention to child care provision and paid parent leave, thus allowing more women to participate in employment a renewed look on retirement income, especially those of Maori women. an increase in participation of women in local governmental affairs, including taking office such as mayors. improvements on the anti-domestic violence legislation (1995) a national breast screening programme free visits to medical practitioners for children under 6 years old In 2000 the Property (Relationships) Bill was introduced which allows women to have access to property and earnings following a marriage or de facto relationship break down. This law also applies to same sex couples, given they have lived together for three years.
Mana wāhine
Mana wāhine / Māori feminist discourses Arguably, Māori women have been involved with New Zealand feminism since 1840, when at least three Māori women were included in the signing of the Treaty of Waitangi which created New Zealand. This was significant at a time when women generally did not hold power within the British Empire. It is reported that these women were allowed to sign the treaty after the Māori women had expressed their anger at being excluded. The New Zealand suffrage movement included Māori women who also lobbied to be allowed to vote. In particular, there were Māori women who were landowners and they argued that they should not be barred from political representation. A minority (1.73%) of Māori men first voted in 1852 and all Māori men achieved universal suffrage in 1867; women (both Māori and Pākehā) gained universal suffrage in 1893.
A major focus of the early women's movements was the development of bicultural relations between Māori and Pākehā. Political advances were made when Iriaka Rātana was the first Māori woman MP, who was elected in 1949.
The development of the Māori Women's Welfare League or Te Rōpū Wāhine Māori Toko I te Ora in 1951 in Wellington, provided an avenue for Māori women to be represented in the New Zealand government. While the original goal of the League was to preserve Māori culture and to promote fellowship and cooperation between various women's organisations, it became heavily involved in housing, health and education issues and was instrumental in making te reo Māori part of the country's official languages.
In 1970, women's liberation groups were formed in New Zealand and included Māori women in decision-making. However, within a few years, Māori women began to separate from these groups to focus on their own issues. Many of the feminist organisations dominated by white, middle-class women were delivering health and legal services but these were not reaching many Māori women whose main concerns were economic.
Background