Isabel Noeline Baker (25 December 1878 – 25 August 1958), known as Noeline Baker, was a New Zealand suffragist, wartime women's labour administrator, gardener and peace educator.

Biography

She was born in the

Christchurch Christchurch ( ; mi, Ōtautahi) is the largest city in the South Island of New Zealand and the seat of the Canterbury Region. Christchurch lies on the South Island's east coast, just north of Banks Peninsula on Pegasus Bay. The Avon River / ...

suburb of

Opawa Opawa is an inner suburb of Christchurch, New Zealand, located 2.5 kilometres south-east of the city centre. The name is a contraction of "Ōpāwaho", which, in Māori, means a place of ('ō') an outer '' pā'' or outpost ('pāwaho'). "Ōpāwa ...

, New Zealand on 25 December 1878 to Isabel Baker (née Strachey) and

John Holland Baker John Holland Baker (4 December 1841 – 5 February 1930) was a New Zealand surveyor and public servant. He was born in Chilcomb, Hampshire, England on 4 December 1841. A son of the Rev. Thomas Feilding Baker, Rector of Cressingham Parish, Norfol ...

, chief surveyor of

Canterbury Canterbury (, ) is a City status in the United Kingdom, cathedral city and UNESCO World Heritage Site, situated in the heart of the City of Canterbury local government district of Kent, England. It lies on the River Stour, Kent, River Stour. ...

. Isabel (1845–1920) was a daughter of Richard Strachey of Ashwick Grove, Somerset, the third son of

Sir Henry Strachey, 1st Baronet Sir Henry Strachey, 1st Baronet (23 May 1736 – 3 January 1810) was a British civil servant and politician who sat in the House of Commons for 39 years from 1768 to 1807. Life Strachey was the eldest son of Henry Strachey, of Sutton Court, So ...

. Isabel's mother, Anne Marie (or Anna Maria), was a daughter of

Alexander Powell Alexander Powell (9 June 1782 – 25 December 1847) was a British Tories (British political party), Tory politician, who sat as Member of Parliament for Downton (UK Parliament constituency), Downton from 1826 to 1830. Powell was the son of Franc ...

MP, a

Tory A Tory () is a person who holds a political philosophy known as Toryism, based on a British version of traditionalism and conservatism, which upholds the supremacy of social order as it has evolved in the English culture throughout history. Th ...

member of parliament for Downton, Wiltshire. She attended

Samuel Marsden Collegiate School Samuel Marsden Collegiate School is a private composite girls school located in the Wellington suburb of Karori in New Zealand. It has a socio-economic decile of 10 - on a scale from 1 to 10, 1 reflecting the lowest socioeconomic communities - ...

Wellington Wellington ( mi, Te Whanganui-a-Tara or ) is the capital city of New Zealand. It is located at the south-western tip of the North Island, between Cook Strait and the Remutaka Range. Wellington is the second-largest city in New Zealand by me ...

, then known as Fitzherbert Terrace School. Her parents returned to England living in

Guildford Guildford () is a town in west Surrey, around southwest of central London. As of the 2011 census, the town has a population of about 77,000 and is the seat of the wider Borough of Guildford, which had around inhabitants in . The name "Guildf ...

Surrey Surrey () is a ceremonial and non-metropolitan county in South East England, bordering Greater London to the south west. Surrey has a large rural area, and several significant urban areas which form part of the Greater London Built-up Area. ...

, where Baker was active in the

National Union of Women's Suffrage Societies The National Union of Women Suffrage Societies (NUWSS), also known as the ''suffragists'' (not to be confused with the suffragettes) was an organisation founded in 1897 of women's suffrage societies around the United Kingdom. In 1919 it was ren ...

and a founding member of the local branch. She was also a member of the

London Society for Women's Suffrage The Fawcett Society is a membership charity in the United Kingdom which campaigns for women's rights. The organisation dates back to 1866, when Millicent Garrett Fawcett dedicated her life to the peaceful campaign for women's suffrage. Originall ...

. For her organising of women's labour during World War I, she was appointed Member of the Most Excellent

Order of the British Empire The Most Excellent Order of the British Empire is a British order of chivalry, rewarding contributions to the arts and sciences, work with charitable and welfare organisations, and public service outside the civil service. It was established ...

(MBE) in 1920. She returned to New Zealand and built a house at

Halfmoon Bay Half Moon Bay is a city in San Mateo County, California Half Moon Bay may also refer to: Australia * Halfmoon Bay (Tasmania), a bay in Tasmania, near * Half Moon Bay (Victoria), a bay in Black Rock, Victoria In Canada * Half Moon Bay (Nunavut) ...

Stewart Island Stewart Island ( mi, Rakiura, ' glowing skies', officially Stewart Island / Rakiura) is New Zealand's third-largest island, located south of the South Island, across the Foveaux Strait. It is a roughly triangular island with a total land ar ...

called

Moturau Moana Moturau Moana on Stewart Island is New Zealand's southernmost public garden. It was gifted to the government of New Zealand by Noeline Baker in 1940 and is today administered by the Department of Conservation. History Noeline Baker (1878–1 ...

, and used a checklist by botanist

Leonard Cockayne Leonard Cockayne (7 April 1855 – 8 July 1934) is regarded as New Zealand's greatest botanist and a founder of modern science in New Zealand. Biography He was born in Sheffield, England where he attended Wesley College. He travelled to Austra ...

to populate it with all the local indigenous plants. Today Moturau Moana is New Zealand's southernmost public garden after she donated it to the government. For her botanical work at Moturau Moana, Baker was awarded the

Loder Cup The Loder Cup is a New Zealand conservation award. It was donated by Gerald Loder, 1st Baron Wakehurst in 1926 to "encourage and honour New Zealanders who work to investigate, promote, retain and cherish our indigenous flora". The Minister of Co ...

in 1949. Other items of hers are held by

Te Papa The Museum of New Zealand Te Papa Tongarewa is New Zealand's national museum and is located in Wellington. ''Te Papa Tongarewa'' translates literally to "container of treasures" or in full "container of treasured things and people that spring fr ...

, the national museum in Wellington. She edited her father's account of his time in New Zealand and performed music throughout her life. Baker died on 25 August 1958 on Stewart Island. For her work in England during World War I, she was posthumously inducted into the Hall of Fame of Samuel Marsden Collegiate School in 2015.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Baker, Noeline 1878 births 1958 deaths New Zealand suffragists New Zealand gardeners People from Christchurch New Zealand musicians People from Stewart Island Strachey family Members of the Order of the British Empire People educated at Samuel Marsden Collegiate School