Herald suffrage edition gifted to Te Papa
Special paper guest-edited by PM has ‘historical value’
Aspecial edition of the New Zealand Herald produced to commemorate the 125th anniversary of women’s suffrage will be protected in perpetuity at Te Papa. The Herald’s owner, New Zealand Media and Entertainment, has agreed to gift the 19 September, 2018, Suffrage 125 edition to the national museum, along with a copy of the historic first photograph of New Zealand’s three female prime ministers.
The donation also includes a copy of the special “Postcard Project” Suffrage Canvas magazine, which featured messages from prominent women from around New Zealand and the world, and the original postcards they sent to the Herald.
Katie Cooper, curator, New Zealand Histories and Cultures at Te Papa, said the body of work created to commemorate the anniversary was an important addition to the museum’s Suffrage 125 Collection.
“The fact that this edition was guest edited by Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern and includes the historic first photograph of prime ministers Ardern, Jenny Shipley and Helen Clark adds to its historical value. It also carries significant editorial content that both celebrates Suffrage 125 and challenges our perspectives on the progress we’ve made,” says Cooper.
At the time of guest editing Suffrage 125, Ardern said: “I felt an enormous sense of responsibility to not only capture something of what a newspaper would look like if the stories and voices of women were heard on a more regular basis, but to highlight how, within the ordinary, sits the extraordinary.”
Miriyana Alexander, the
Herald’s Premium Content Editor, who worked with Ardern on the historic edition, said:
“The Herald team is incredibly proud to have marked the Suffrage anniversary so comprehensively — and even prouder that our work will be held by Te Papa so that, decades from now, Kiwis will have an understanding of how we lived and the issues facing Kiwi women.”
Herald editor Murray Kirkness said the edition had pride of place as one of the
Herald’s most significant.
The 125 Suffrage Edition will be handed over to Te Papa in Auckland on Monday.