Meri Te Tai Mangakāhia (22 May 1868 – 10 October 1920) was a campaigner for women's suffrage in New Zealand, who inspired future generations of Māori women.

Biography

Mangakāhia was born Meri Te Tai in Lower Waihou near

Panguru Panguru is a community in the northern Hokianga harbour, in Northland, New Zealand. The Whakarapa Stream flows from the Panguru Range in the Warawara Forest to the west, through Panguru and into the Hokianga. Demographics The SA1 statistical a ...

in the Hokianga valley. A member of the Te Rarawa iwi, she was of

Ngāti Te Rēinga Te Rarawa is a Māori iwi of Northland, New Zealand. The iwi is one of five Muriwhenua iwi of the far north of the North Island. Rūnanga and marae Te Rarawa has 23 foundation marae: *Korou Kore Marae, '' Ahipara'', represents the hapū of Ng� ...

Ngāti Manawa Ngāti Manawa is a Māori iwi of New Zealand. Hapū and marae The tribe is made up of four ''hapū'' (sub-tribes). Each has a ''marae'' (communal grounds) and ''wharenui'' (meeting house). * Moewhare, based at Karangaranga marae and Moewhare ...

and Te Kaitutae origin, and was the daughter of Re Te Tai, an influential chief. Mangakāhia was educated at St Mary's Convent in Auckland. She was an accomplished pianist. Mangakāhia was the third wife of

Hāmiora Mangakāhia Hāmiora Mangakāhia (1838 – 4 June 1918) was a prominent Māori people, Māori chief and the first Premier of Te Kotahitanga, the movement for an independent Māori people, Māori parliament in New Zealand in the 1890s. Of Ngati Whanaunga ...

, an assessor in the Native Land Court, and in June 1892 he was elected Premier of the Kotahitanga Parliament in Hawke's Bay. The following year, she addressed the assembly (the first woman to do so), submitting a motion in favour of women being allowed to vote for, and stand as, members of the Parliament. She was asked to come to the House to speak to her motion, and in doing so, she became the first woman to speak to Te Kotahitanga. Mangakāhia's argument was that Māori women had always traditionally been landowners, but under Colonial law they were losing this land. She felt that Māori men weren't progressing to resolve land disputes with the Crown, and that Queen Victoria might respond better to requests from other women. She noted that

Māori Māori or Maori can refer to: Relating to the Māori people * Māori people of New Zealand, or members of that group * Māori language, the language of the Māori people of New Zealand * Māori culture * Cook Islanders, the Māori people of the C ...

women were landowners, and should not be barred from political representation. In 1893 she was involved in establishing Ngā Kōmiti Wāhine, committees associated with the Kotahitanga Parliament. In 1897, Mangakāhia's dreams were realised when women won the right to vote in Te Kotahitanga elections. She later joined the women's committee of the Kotahitanga movement, committees which were early forerunners of the

Māori Women's Welfare League The Māori Women’s Welfare League or Te Rōpū Wāhine Māori Toko I te Ora is a New Zealand welfare organisation focusing on Māori women and children. It held its first conference in Wellington in September 1951. The League's official aims ...

, and remaining involved in Māori politics and welfare movements. She started Te Reiri Karamu (The Ladies’ Column) with Niniwa I te Rangi of Wairarapa. This collection of articles and letters was a place where Māori women raised and debated women's issues. She died of

influenza Influenza, commonly known as "the flu", is an infectious disease caused by influenza viruses. Symptoms range from mild to severe and often include fever, runny nose, sore throat, muscle pain, headache, coughing, and fatigue. These symptoms ...

on 10 October 1920 according to family members, and was buried at Pureirei cemetery, Lower Waihou, near her father. She had four children – two sons, Mohi and Waipapa, and two daughters, Whangapoua Tangiora Edith and Mabel Te Aowhaitini.

References

External links

"So that women may receive the vote"
text of Meri Te Tai Mangakāhia's address to the Kotahitanga Parliament in 1893, website of the New Zealand Ministry of Culture and Heritage
He Māngai Wāhine – The Women's Voices
a New Zealand On Air documentary ( 5.15 – 15.05 minute mark)
Meri Te Tai Mangakāhia’s parliamentary chest
{{DEFAULTSORT:Mangakahia, Meri New Zealand Māori feminists 1868 births 1920 deaths New Zealand suffragists Māori activists Deaths from Spanish flu Infectious disease deaths in New Zealand People from the Hokianga 19th-century New Zealand people Colony of New Zealand people

Biography

See also

References

External links