Electoral Rolls

Image: Cartoon

This cartoon was published in 1894 when Dr Alfred K. Newman, Member for Wellington Suburbs, introduced a bill to enable women to stand for Parliament. Hone Heke, Member for Northern Māori, canvassed Māori women on the issue. Some said they would like to see the Bill passed and to have the right to take up seats in the House. Others were against the measure. [New Zealand Observer]

In October 1893, Ngāi Tahu women in Dunedin held a meeting to express their thanks to those members of parliament and others who were responsible for their newly won franchise rights, and also to register on the rolls. They organised a further meeting with local WCTU women and celebrated the passing of the franchise legislation.

One Māori newspaper carried a report that a hundred Māori women had registered on the general roll in order to vote for James Carroll, who was standing for the general seat of Waiapū. There are some forty recognisably Māori names on this roll and others may be listed under English versions of their names. There is evidence that this also could have been the case in other electorates.

The general election for European representation was held on 28 November 1893 and the general election for Māori representation was held on 20 December 1893. This meant that the majority of Māori women voted three weeks after Pākehā women.

Every Māori over 21 years was entitled to vote and every male elector was qualified to stand for election as a member of parliament. All Māori were entitled to vote on the Māori roll. A Māori person with freehold property worth at least 25 pounds could register on the European roll if they chose. But nobody could vote on both rolls. A Māori was defined as ‘an aboriginal inhabitant and includes half-castes and their descendants by Natives’.

Māori Women in their First Election — 1893

Newspapers reported that Māori women were enthusiastic voters in the election of 1893. The total number of Māori who voted on the Māori roll was 11 269, of whom an estimated 4 000 were women. An unknown number registered on the general roll.

In Napier, a month before the election, Māori women took a prominent part in proceedings to select the candidate for Eastern Māori and were reported canvassing on the pavements. In Auckland on election day, Māori women came into town en masse to vote and it was estimated that they formed close to half the Māori votes in the area.

Meetings were held in Te Arawa where the wives of the candidates addressed very large audiences on behalf of their husbands.

In Gisborne Māori women were reported to have shown considerable interest in the elections. Polling results were not known for several days afterwards as many polling booths were located long distances from telegraph communication, for example in the Urewera country, the Returning Officer had a week’s ride.

In the Hutt Valley a committee of 13 women came together to rally support for their preferred candidate.

The Hawera Star reported that the Southern Māori candidate, Ngārangi Broughton, lost several hundred votes due to a tangi at Wairau on election day. The local Māori were too busy to vote, however of those who did, the majority were women.

In their first election the women in the Northern Māori electorate are said to have block voted for Eparaima Kapa in appreciation of his support. Despite this he lost the seat. 

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