NEXT UP! 2 150 New Zealand’s parliament to allow women the right to vote. Their efforts paid off. New Zealand was the first country in the world in which women (Māori women included) could vote in parliamentary elections. All over the world, suffragettes celebrated the victory in New Zealand. Back in the mother country, England, the first petition had been sent to Parliament in 1832. However, there was to be no joy for British women for quite some time. In fact, it wasn’t until 1897 that the National Union of Women’s Suffrage was formed. They believed in peaceful protest, petitioning and logical argument to convince the government of their right to vote. But not everyone wanted to protest quite so peacefully. By 1903, Emmeline Pankhurst and her daughters started the Women’s Social and Political Union. These women were prepared to use violence. The Church of England did not support suffrage – so the WSPU burned churches. The royals were thought to be anti-suffrage – so the WSPU chained themselves to the fence of Buckingham Palace. They broke the Prime Minister’s windows. And they went on hunger strikes when they were imprisoned for their actions. Things got nasty – both their actions and the way they were treated. Then something happened that stopped their campaign in its tracks – World War I. In 1914, the suffragettes put aside to allow – leyfa an effort – hér: átak nasty – hér: ljótt to put aside – leggja til hliðar Australia’s parliament saw the light in 1902 and gave women not only the right to vote, but also the right to stand for parliament themselves. However, it was not until 1962 that all Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people could vote in federal elections and enrolling to vote was still not compulsory until 1983. You can still find Sheppard celebrated on the New Zealand ten-dollar note.
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