Whanganui Regional Museum commemorating Suffrage Day

Dr Bronwyn Labrum is holding a talk at the Whanganui Regional Museum to honour the 130th anniversary of Suffrage Day.

Whanganui Regional Museum is celebrating the historic achievements of women for the 130th anniversary of Suffrage Day.

Suffrage Day commemorates New Zealand women gaining the right to vote on September 19, 1893 — the first self-governing country in the world to achieve this.

Museum director Dr Bronwyn Labrum will discuss influential women in the Whanganui region during a museum tour.

“We are trying to make the museum more inclusive, and that means telling women’s stories as much as the usually more well-known men’s stories.”

The feminist campaigns in Whanganui were not in conjunction with the temperance movement and New Zealand Women’s Christian Temperance Union, which was different to what occurred other cites in New Zealand.

Labrum said the tour will highlight current museum exhibits that celebrate women’s achievements.

“I completed research on these women when I was doing an honours in history at Massey University, so they have a place in my heart. It really got me thinking at that time about what else we didn’t know about women in history and the important women, particularly in a city like Whanganui,” she said.

“I think it’s really important to celebrate Suffrage Day and honour all those women who have been before us and have fought for our rights.”

Labrum plans to discuss Margaret Bullock — who was founder and president of the Whanganui branch of the Women’s Franchise League.

Bullock also worked at the Whanganui Chronicle for 10 years, and was one of the first female Parliamentary correspondents.

She warned Kate Sheppard of potential political obstruction to the passing of the Electoral Bill in 1893 that gave women the right to vote.

The director’s tour, Women at the Museum, will be held on Tuesday, September 19 at 12.15pm. Admission is $15 per person.

Bookings are not required.

Eva de Jong is a reporter for the Whanganui Chronicle covering health stories and general news. She began as a reporter in 2023.