Kate Sheppard’s legacy lives on
Suffragist Kate Sheppard changed the lives of women in New Zealand. Her dedication to just causes is still a strong force in those who share her family tree. Vicki Anderson reports.
telling his young children that the woman on the $10 note is a part of their family’s history.
‘‘Myself, my sisters, my cousins ... a lot of us work in areas we have a passion for, we want to make a difference and make our mark, it’s part of our family’s ethos,’’ says Wellington-based Bridgman, whose day job is helping New Zealand corporates grapple with sustainability. ‘‘Obviously we are not doing it to the same degree that Kate did, but we are living those same values.’’
Matthew Ayton agrees. The Christchurch resident also cites the need to stand up when he feels something is unjust.
Knowing of Sheppard’s connection to his family has helped shape his life.
‘‘It’s always been there, right from growing up. It’s something to be proud of and it’s always been at the back of my mind,’’ Ayton says.
‘‘I think I try to carry on that fight, of what’s right and wrong in my own way. I remember going on women’s rights marches as a kid. That’s continued through to anti-nuclear marches, Springbok protests, the invasion of Iraq, SAFE animal rights, a bit of everything really. I believe we can live in a better society.’’
He notes that while women have a lot more choice, they still are not paid as much as men.
‘‘I’m sure if Kate could see New Zealand now she would still be striving for equality, whether it was for women or just in general,’’ he says.
Shannon Williams has devoted a lot of energy to working with youth at risk, and she is a tutor in an adult literacy programme.
She is particularly passionate about helping young people become their ‘‘best selves’’.
‘‘A lot of my work has been with groups of vulnerable people,’’ she says. ‘‘I have worked for a long time with youth and I think there is a lack of confidence in young people in New Zealand, all across the board, not just with low socioeconomic groups. I am passionate about finding a way to change that, not just to deal with the problems in society where people fall through the cracks.’’
She was aware from an early age that she was related to Sheppard and that it was something to be proud of.
If Sheppard could return to see life in present day New Zealand, Williams thinks she would be happy with what she saw.
‘‘I think she would be pleased at how free women are to make decisions about their own lives and to be involved in society on their own terms,’’ she says. ‘‘Women can do anything, there are some issues with equal pay, but women can choose freely, they are not dictated to by their husband or society. I think she might think that women are a bit hard on themselves but other than that I think she’d be pleased.’’
The mother of a 2-year-old boy is eight months pregnant and she knows the world her daughter will inherit would be vastly different if it were not for the actions of her brave ancestor.
‘‘I think we forget that it wasn’t always like this,’’ she says. ‘‘Had Kate not been fighting as she was in the early 19th century, women would probably have a really different role today. As well as remembering what she did, it’s about thinking about what would have happened if she hadn’t made a stand, if she hadn’t stood up and been brave.’’
Kate Sheppard was born Catherine Wilson Malcolm to Scottish parents in Liverpool in 1847. She generally preferred to spell her given name as ‘‘Katherine’’, usually shortened to Kate.
She came to New Zealand in 1868 with her mother and siblings. In 1871 she married Walter Sheppard and their son Douglas was born in 1880.
Sheppard enjoyed the egalitarian nature of New Zealand society but the depression of the 1880s emphasised a dysfunctional undercurrent in family life; many women saw alcohol as a leading factor.
In 1885 Sheppard helped found the New Zealand Women’s Christian Temperance Union, which also lobbied for New Zealand women to have the right to vote.
There was strong opposition, partly due to fears that women would support prohibition.
Sheppard campaigned on behalf of women on many issues; contraception, the rights of divorce, physical exercise and even to do away with corsets.
A petition by Sheppard and her suffragists in 1893 had almost 32,000 signatures to demonstrate the groundswell of support for women’s suffrage.
A 270-metre long petition – then the largest ever presented to Parliament – was unrolled across the chamber of the House with dramatic effect.
Despite strenuous opposition from Premier Richard Seddon, a clause on women’s suffrage was included in the Electoral Bill and passed on September 19, 1893.
Sheppard died in Christchurch on July 13, 1934, soon after the first woman MP, Labour’s Elizabeth McCombs, entered Parliament. Her resting place is in Addington Cemetery.