PM passes key tokens to Te Papa
Te Papa’s archives have grown by three new items: each one personally give by Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern.
Curator Dr Katie Cooper proudly displayed Neve’s baby hat, a newspaper article and one of Ardern’s dresses.
The hat will be the first item on display in the museum as part of Doing it for Themselves: Women Fight for Equality ,an exhibition celebrating 125 years since women were given the vote in New Zealand. ‘‘I think she really liked this one because it’s not gender specific. The midwife joked that it looked like a baby’s first fishing hat,’’ Cooper said.
Ardern said her midwife, Libby, brought her a collection of knitted hats before Neve was born and asked her to pick one.
‘‘In amongst all of the beautiful handknitted hats and beanies we were so kindly gifted, this simple green hat offered to us by a woman who was so generous to us and who was there when Neve arrived, seemed the perfect one to introduce our daughter to the world in.’’
Ardern also picked out a newspaper article written on her 16-year-old self and the dress she wore when she was sworn in as an MP in 2008 to give to Te Papa’s collection. In the article, written in the late 1990s, she is quoted as saying her goal was to be the first female prime minister.
Cooper said Ardern had a ‘‘curator’s eye’’ in picking out pieces for exhibitions.
‘‘What’s lovely about the three items is they represent key moments in her life.’’
Neve’s hat would be placed next to a $10 note featuring Kate Sheppard, as a way to frame the exhibition: where New Zealanders came from, to where we’ve ended up.
The hat will be on display, but the dress and the newspaper article will be stored for use in future exhibitions.
Doing it for Themselves: Women Fight for Equality includes a suffragette medal awarded to Frances Parker, a New Zealandborn suffragette took part in the more militant activities in Britain in the early 20th century.