Story: Local and regional government

Women voting, 1893

Women voting, 1893

In this illustration from an 1894 publication, a group of well-dressed women in Devonport, Auckland, gather outside their borough council chambers, preparing to vote in the 1893 general election. The Municipal Corporations Act 1876 gave the vote to all property owners, male and female, although women could not vote in general elections until 1893. In this election voters in Onehunga, Auckland, elected the first woman mayor in the British Empire, Elizabeth Yates.

Using this item

Alexander Turnbull Library, Making New Zealand Centennial Collection (PAColl-3060)
Reference: MNZ-2834-1/4-F

Permission of the Alexander Turnbull Library, National Library of New Zealand, Te Puna Mātauranga o Aotearoa, must be obtained before any re-use of this image.

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How to cite this page:

Mark Derby, 'Local and regional government - Local authorities multiply', Te Ara - the Encyclopedia of New Zealand, http://www.TeAra.govt.nz/en/artwork/35373/women-voting-1893 (accessed 20 April 2024)

Story by Mark Derby, published 20 Jun 2012, updated 1 Feb 2015