Northern Advocate
  • Northern Advocate home
  • Latest news
  • Business
  • Opinion
  • Lifestyle
  • Sport
  • Property
  • Video
  • Death notices
  • Classifieds

Subscriptions

  • Herald Premium
  • Viva Premium
  • The Listener
  • BusinessDesk

Sections

  • Latest news
  • On The Up
  • Business
  • Opinion
  • Lifestyle
  • Rural
    • All Rural
    • Dairy farming
    • Sheep & beef farming
    • Horticulture
    • Animal health
    • Rural business
    • Rural life
    • Rural technology
  • Sport
  • Property
    • All Property
    • Residential property listings

Locations

  • Far North
  • Kaitaia
  • Kaikohe
  • Bay of Islands
  • Whangārei
  • Kaipara
  • Mangawhai
  • Dargaville

Media

  • Video
  • Photo galleries
  • Today's Paper - E-Editions
  • Photo sales
  • Classifieds

Weather

  • Kaitaia
  • Whangārei
  • Dargaville

NZME Network

  • Advertise with NZME
  • OneRoof
  • Driven Car Guide
  • BusinessDesk
  • Newstalk ZB
  • Sunlive
  • ZM
  • The Hits
  • Coast
  • Radio Hauraki
  • The Alternative Commentary Collective
  • Gold
  • Flava
  • iHeart Radio
  • Hokonui
  • Radio Wanaka
  • iHeartCountry New Zealand
  • Restaurant Hub
  • NZME Events

SubscribeSign In
Advertisement
Advertise with NZME.
Home / Northern Advocate

Rawene workshop celebrates 125 years of Suffrage

Northern Advocate
11 Nov, 2018 08:30 PM3 mins to read

Subscribe to listen

Access to Herald Premium articles require a Premium subscription. Subscribe now to listen.
Already a subscriber?  Sign in here

Listening to articles is free for open-access content—explore other articles or learn more about text-to-speech.
‌
Save

    Share this article

Artist Janet de Wagt (right foreground) at the first community suffrage art workshop in Auckland. Picture / supplied

Artist Janet de Wagt (right foreground) at the first community suffrage art workshop in Auckland. Picture / supplied

Rawene's Clendon House will be the venue for a community art workshop commemorating 125 years of women's suffrage later this month.

The workshop, led by Dunedin artist Janet de Wagt and funded by Creative New Zealand with support from Heritage New Zealand Pouhere Taonga, will see participants create a commemorative banner that will be joined with others made at other workshops at heritage locations around the country over the next few months. It will be held on November 24 from 9.30am-4pm.

The banners will be amalgamated into one final artwork, which will be launched at Old Government Buildings in Wellington in April.

"The banners are a reference to the three Parliamentary petitions that were circulated around the country, and which ultimately resulted in women finally being granted the right to vote on September 19, 1893," said Lindsay Charman, senior visitor host for Clendon House.

"The third petition was described by suffragist Kate Sheppard as a 'monster,' made up of sheets circulated throughout New Zealand and returned to Christchurch, where Sheppard pasted each end on end and rolled it around a section of broom handle."

Advertisement
Advertise with NZME.
Advertisement
Advertise with NZME.

The 'Monster Petition,' with 25,519 signatures, some of them from men, was presented to Parliament with great drama.

Sir John Hall, Member of Parliament and suffrage supporter, took it into the House and unrolled it down the central aisle of the debating chamber until it hit the end wall with a thud.

"The banners will be an artistic representation of that extraordinary social movement that ultimately saw New Zealand becoming the first country in the world to grant women the right to vote," Charman said, adding that Clendon House was a fitting venue for a workshop.

Advertisement
Advertise with NZME.

"Jane Clendon was the daughter of Dennis Cochrane and his wife Takotowi, from the Hokianga, a woman of considerable strength.

"She also had significant blood lines and mana, although she found herself almost bankrupt with a large family to provide for after the death of her husband in 1872.

"Many people facing such pressure would have gone under, but Jane, who was only 34 years old with eight children under 17, rode to Auckland on horseback and managed to skilfully negotiate terms of repayment with her creditors.

"The story of how Jane managed to clear her debts, educate her children in both the Pakeha and Māori worlds while keeping the family home, is inspiring. She was a young mother who took charge of her life in a crisis."

Discover more

Suffragist endured miserable boat ride to vote

15 Sep 02:00 AM

A win - but still some way to go

14 Sep 11:00 PM

Women's vote: November 28, 1893

15 Sep 06:32 AM

Two women of note share more than whānau

15 Sep 06:41 AM

Artistic ability will not be necessary for the workshop, Janet de Wagt saying she was looking forward to working people with a range of different ideas and skills. All art materials will be provided.

"Participants in the banner-making will be able to use painting, printing, stamping, drawing and weaving – whatever they prefer – to create the banners," Charman said.
"Participation is the important thing, and celebrating a movement that changed New Zealand and the world forever."

Save

    Share this article

Latest from Northern Advocate

live
Northern Advocate

Flooding threat: Emergency alert for Tākaka, Vector on standby as storm hits Auckland

11 Jul 05:50 AM
Northern AdvocateUpdated

Slip closes Mangamuka Gorge as severe weather lashes Northland

11 Jul 05:46 AM
Northern Advocate

Bay of Islands Vintage Railway earns top tourism award

11 Jul 04:00 AM

From early mornings to easy living

sponsored
Advertisement
Advertise with NZME.

Latest from Northern Advocate

Flooding threat: Emergency alert for Tākaka, Vector on standby as storm hits Auckland
live

Flooding threat: Emergency alert for Tākaka, Vector on standby as storm hits Auckland

11 Jul 05:50 AM

Electrical storms are set to hit at evening rush as Auckland braces for 16 hours of rain.

Slip closes Mangamuka Gorge as severe weather lashes Northland

Slip closes Mangamuka Gorge as severe weather lashes Northland

11 Jul 05:46 AM
Bay of Islands Vintage Railway earns top tourism award

Bay of Islands Vintage Railway earns top tourism award

11 Jul 04:00 AM
Northland needs unity for $977m regional deal, minister advises

Northland needs unity for $977m regional deal, minister advises

11 Jul 12:00 AM
Solar bat monitors uncover secrets of Auckland’s night sky
sponsored

Solar bat monitors uncover secrets of Auckland’s night sky

NZ Herald
  • About NZ Herald
  • Meet the journalists
  • Newsletters
  • Classifieds
  • Help & support
  • Contact us
  • House rules
  • Privacy Policy
  • Terms of use
  • Competition terms & conditions
  • Our use of AI
Subscriber Services
  • The Northern Advocate e-edition
  • Manage your print subscription
  • Manage your digital subscription
  • Subscribe to Herald Premium
  • Subscribe to the Northern Advocate
  • Gift a subscription
  • Subscriber FAQs
  • Subscription terms & conditions
  • Promotions and subscriber benefits
NZME Network
  • The Northern Advocate
  • The New Zealand Herald
  • The Northland Age
  • Waikato Herald
  • Bay of Plenty Times
  • Rotorua Daily Post
  • Hawke's Bay Today
  • Whanganui Chronicle
  • Viva
  • NZ Listener
  • Newstalk ZB
  • BusinessDesk
  • OneRoof
  • Driven Car Guide
  • iHeart Radio
  • Restaurant Hub
NZME
  • About NZME
  • NZME careers
  • Advertise with NZME
  • Digital self-service advertising
  • Book your classified ad
  • Photo sales
  • © Copyright 2025 NZME Publishing Limited
TOP