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Kiwi of the Week

Bernard Freyberg

A First World War hero and commander of the 2nd New Zealand Expeditionary Force, Bernard Freyberg was British-born but New Zealand-raised. He proved to be a charismatic and popular military leader who would later serve a term as Governor-General

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Today in History

14 August

1891 Women's vote petitions presented to Parliament

Organised by the Women's Christian Temperance Union (WCTU), these petitions were signed by a total of 9000 women. They contributed to the introduction of a Female Suffrage Bill, which received majority support in the House of Representatives but was defeated in the Legislative Council (the upper house).

Over the following two years the WCTU and its allies would organise two more, much bigger petitions to Parliament. In 1892 their hopes would again be dashed in the Legislative Council, but in 1893 women's suffrage legislation was passed by both house of Parliament. On 19 September that year the Electoral Act was signed into law by the governor, Lord Glasgow, making New Zealand the first self-governing country in the world to grant the right to vote to all adult women.

Image: Suffrage petition (Elections NZ)