Mary Manson Dreaver (née Bain, 31 March 1887 – 19 July 1961) was a New Zealand politician of the Labour Party.

Biography

Early life

She was born in Dunedin, the oldest of 13 children of Alexander Manson Bain and Hanna Kiely. She married Andrew James Dreaver in 1911. She was a minister and president of the National Spiritualist Church of New Zealand, a journalist as ''

Maorilander "Kiwi" ( ) is a common self-reference used by New Zealanders, though it is also used internationally. Unlike many demographic labels, its usage is not considered offensive; rather, it is generally viewed as a symbol of pride and affection for mo ...

'' in the '' New Zealand Woman's Weekly'', and a broadcaster on Radio 1ZB as ''Aunt Maisy''. In 1934 she became the first woman minister appointed by the church in New Zealand.

Political career

Dreaver sought selection by the Labour Party for the in the electorate, but was beaten by Tom Bloodworth. In 1931 she was elected to the Auckland Hospital Board as a Labour candidate. In 1933 a visit by her to the hospital kitchen and claims of long hours and "sweated labour" there aroused controversy on the board. Dreaver then sought the Labour nomination for the in the seat, but was beaten by Arthur Osborne. In the she stood for Labour in , coming second. In 1940 she stood for the Labour nomination at the Auckland West by-election following the death of Prime Minister Michael Joseph Savage, but lost to

Peter Carr Peter Carr may refer to: * Peter Carr (New Zealand politician) (1884–1946), New Zealand member of parliament * Peter Carr (footballer) (born 1951), English soccer player * Peter Carr (Virginia politician) (1770–1815), Virginia politician * Pete ...

. In 1941 she won the Waitemata electorate when a by-election was held after the death of the previous Labour Party MP, Jack Lyon. She was defeated in the next (

1943 Events Below, the events of World War II have the "WWII" prefix. January * January 1 – WWII: The Soviet Union announces that 22 German divisions have been encircled at Stalingrad, with 175,000 killed and 137,650 captured. * January 4 – ...

) general election, by the National Party candidate,

Henry Thorne Morton Henry Thorne Morton (18 December 1888 – 8 December 1966) was a New Zealand politician of the National Party. Biography Morton was born on 18 December 1888 at Auckland. He received his education at King's College, Auckland and Emmanuel Col ...

She was the third woman to be elected to Parliament after Elizabeth McCombs and Catherine Stewart and the first woman from Auckland. She also was on several Auckland local bodies. She was a member of the Auckland Hospital Board from 1933 to 1944 and again from 1950 to 1956, the Auckland Transport Board from 1939 to 1944, the Auckland Electric Power Board from 1944 to 1947, and the Auckland Metropolitan Drainage Board between 1956 and 1957. She was a member of the Auckland City Council (its second woman member) from 1938 to 1944 and again from 1953 to 1961. Her son Alex was also a city councillor from 1953 to 1974. Dreaver and Mary Anderson were the first two women appointed to the Legislative Council. They were appointed by the

First Labour Government The first MacDonald ministry of the United Kingdom lasted from January to November 1924. The Labour Party, under Ramsay MacDonald, had failed to win the general election of December 1923, with 191 seats, although the combined Opposition tall ...

in 1946 (after a law change in 1941 to make women eligible); they served to 1950 when the Legislative Council was abolished.

Later life

In the

1946 New Year Honours The 1946 New Year Honours were appointments by many of the Commonwealth Realms of King George VI to various orders and honours to reward and highlight good works by citizens of those countries, and to celebrate the passing of 1945 and the beginnin ...

, Dreaver was appointed a Member of the Order of the British Empire for services in connection with recruiting for the Women's Land Army. She died in Auckland on 19 July 1961. She was survived by her husband (by only three months), three daughters and two sons.

Notes

References

* * * {{DEFAULTSORT:Dreaver, Mary 1887 births 1961 deaths New Zealand Labour Party MPs Members of the New Zealand House of Representatives Members of the New Zealand Legislative Council New Zealand broadcasters Local politicians in New Zealand Women members of the New Zealand House of Representatives New Zealand Labour Party MLCs New Zealand MPs for Auckland electorates New Zealand Members of the Order of the British Empire Politicians from Dunedin Unsuccessful candidates in the 1943 New Zealand general election Unsuccessful candidates in the 1938 New Zealand general election 20th-century New Zealand women politicians Women members of the New Zealand Legislative Council Auckland City Councillors 20th-century New Zealand politicians Members of district health boards in New Zealand 20th-century New Zealand journalists