Ardern’s link to 1893 petition
Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern’s own great great grandmother helped in the fight to gain women the right to vote.
The relative was one of more than 24,000 women who signed the 1893 petition.
Ardern made a speech to hundreds of people at Aotea Square yesterday morning during a celebration of women gaining the vote 125 years ago.
She has been a female leader for change – Ardern is the third female prime minister in New Zealand as well as being the first to give birth while in office.
Her own great great grandmother, Catherine, was a professional walker who arrived in New Zealand at the age of 19, and four years later was setting records, Ardern told the crowd.
‘‘She attempted to walk 100 miles in 24 hours and she was one of the women who had their name on that petition.
‘‘I wonder how many courageous stories do we tell? Sometimes stories of courage are simple but beautiful, like Catherine’s and women today are living their own extraordinary stories.’’
Ardern described the anniversary as a ‘‘joyous moment of reflection’’ for everyone in New Zealand.
‘‘I believe within the ordinary stands the extraordinary and it’s thanks to these women that I am here today.
‘‘I choose to honour them by putting all the things left to achieve gender equality at the top of my list.’’
After years of protesting and fighting, New Zealand women over the age of 21 were granted the right to vote on September 19, 1893.
This made New Zealand the first country where women were allowed to vote.
Auckland mayor Phil Goff told the crowd when women won the right to vote 125 years ago it was ‘‘not the destination but the start of the journey’’.
‘‘The fact that the three top constitutional positions in New Zealand are held by women is a sign our country is coming of age, but we haven’t got there yet.’’
Despite progress in politics, Goff said the glass ceiling of the business world was still not broken.
‘‘Today we are honouring the past but we also look forward to finishing the journey to gender equality.’’