Whanganui women celebrated through Suffrage Day events

Whanganui Regional Museum archivist Sandi Black will deliver a talk in the Davis Theatre.

Whanganui Regional Museum and Women’s Network Whanganui will collaborate to deliver a week of special events commemorating Suffrage Day.

Museum director, Dr Bronwyn Labrum, will be the subject of Women Who Lead, a “couch conversation” event to share career insights and personal anecdotes in a relaxed and informal discussion format, on Tuesday, September 17.

Museum director Bronwyn Labrum will be the subject of Women Who Lead and will host a tour in the museum on Suffrage Day.

Women Who Lead is part of a regular series by Women’s Network Whanganui in partnership with Sport Whanganui, aiming to celebrate inspiring female leaders in the community and to foster open discussion and sharing of diverse perspectives.

Museum archivist Sandi Black will be in the Davis Theatre at the museum for her presentation “Playing by Her Own Rules: Divorce and post-marriage rights in Aotearoa New Zealand” on Wednesday, September 18.

The talk discusses local woman Sarah Maude Rule and her relationship, marriage and divorce in the 1920s, set against societal expectations and legal rights at the time. Sandi will explore the history of divorce and women’s post-marriage rights in New Zealand, using the case of Whanganui residents Basil and Sarah Rule who married in 1908 and divorced in 1929.

While researching her talk, Black uncovered some interesting and disturbing material, “Relationship breakups are never easy, and this research has uncovered some of the stories and attitudes towards marriage and divorce in the 19th and early 20th century that have left me feeling very grateful to be living in the 21st.”

On Suffrage Day, Thursday, September 19, Labrum will lead a tour of the museum galleries, highlighting the current exhibits that celebrate Whanganui women’s achievements.

“The tour aims to help visitors learn more behind the stories of influential women in our region,” said Labrum. “It’s an opportunity to delve deeper into the lives and contributions of remarkable women like Margaret Bullock, founder and president of the Woman’s Franchise League and leader of the suffrage campaign in Whanganui, and her peers.”

New Zealand women won the right to vote in parliamentary elections, on September 19, 1893, establishing New Zealand as the first self-governing country in the world to extend this right to all women. Suffrage Day commemorates the milestone, its legacy, and the contributions of the suffragists who fought for change.

■ Suffrage Day programme September 2024:

Women Who Lead - Guest speaker Dr Bronwyn Labrum, 5.30pm-7.30pm, Tuesday, September 17, venue: Ammo Room, Barrack’s Sports Bar. Cost: free, booking not required.

Playing By Her Own Rules: Divorce and post-marriage rights in Aotearoa New Zealand – with museum archivist Sandi Black, 12.15pm-1.15pm, Wednesday, September 18, venue: Davis Theatre. Cost: $10, booking not required.

Director’s Tour – Women in the Museum with Dr Bronwyn Labrum, 12.15pm-1.15pm, Thursday, September 19 - Suffrage Day. Venue: Whanganui Regional Museum, cost: $10. Booking is not required.