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Story: Building trades

Sue Davidson, plumber

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Sue Davidson, plumber

Wellington plumber Sue Davidson poses for the camera in March 1975. Female plumbers were rare at the time – she could well have been the only one in the country. In 1971 all of New Zealand’s 5,434 plumbers and gasfitters were men. In 2009 women plumbers were still uncommon.

Using this item

Alexander Turnbull Library, Dominion Post Collection (PA-Group-00685)

Reference: EP/1975/1066-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

Carl Walrond, Building trades – Trades culture, Te Ara – the Encyclopedia of New Zealand, https://teara.govt.nz/en/photograph/24705/sue-davidson-plumber (accessed 4 June 2026).

Story by Carl Walrond, published 26 February 2010.