Calls for Kate Sheppard crossing lights

Kate Sheppard-inspired crossing lights are now permanent in Wellington. Photo: City Vision Get Kate Petition Page.

A city councillor is campaigning for downtown Auckland to adopt Kate Sheppard pedestrian lights to celebrate the achievements of the iconic suffragette.

A trial in Wellington has seen eight sets of crossing lights changed from the 'green man' symbol to a Kate Sheppard silhouette, in recognition of 122 years since Kiwi women gained the right to vote.

The lights have now been made permanent following a one-year trial, and Councillor Cathy Casey wants Auckland to follow suit.

Ms Casey has written a proposal to the New Zealand Transport Authority requesting the lights be changed on Queen Street or near the Britomart shopping precinct.

There is also a City Vision petition the public can sign for the adoption of the Kate Sheppard lights.

Inspired by a recent visit to the National Pioneer Women's Hall of Fame museum in Alice Springs, Australia, Ms Casey said New Zealand needs to do more to honour and celebrate the achievements of women in this country.

"I think it's good for raising the visibility of women who have historically been invisible," said Ms Casey.

"What's wrong is older women are invisible yet it's ok to be an old man and craggy because that's distinguished," she added.

The councillor said she has had enough of sexism in New Zealand society, particularly with a recent spate of controversial events in the media.

She referred to a breakfast show stint on The Edge radio, where The Bachelor contestants were asked to swallow as much of a cucumber as possible in a simulation of oral sex, and radio host Dom Harvey's posting of a screenshot of Dancing with the Stars contestant Chrystal Chenery's crotch on social media.

Dr Sharyn Graham Davies, associate professor of social sciences and public policy at AUT, says she loves the traffic light idea.

"The green man symbol, although they are supposed to be gender neutral, are still quite masculine, so I think the Kate Sheppard lights would be really cool."

Women were still often treated as "second class citizens" in a variety of ways, according to Dr Davies. "You [start] to see all these things that you tend not to notice, like the flashing green men...[and] actually you forget it is reinforcing this is a man's world and we are visitors in it."

Dr Davies would like to see the Kate Sheppard lights showcased across the entire country permanently, so that overseas visitors would see something more interesting than the typical pedestrian symbol.

"And if people get up in arms about that, then that would be great, because you would get people discussing, caring and thinking about it."

NZTA did not respond to requests for an interview regarding the petition.

On 19th September New Zealand celebrated its 122nd year of being the first country in the world to give women the right to vote.

- reproduced with permission from Te Waha Nui