Meri Te Tai Mangakāhia (22 May 1868 – 10 October 1920) was a campaigner for

women's suffrage Women's suffrage is the women's rights, right of women to Suffrage, vote in elections. Several instances occurred in recent centuries where women were selectively given, then stripped of, the right to vote. In Sweden, conditional women's suffra ...

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 Te Rarawa is a Māori iwi of Northland, New Zealand New Zealand () is an island country in the southwestern Pacific Ocean. It consists of two main landmasses—the North Island () and the South Island ()—and List of islands of New ...

iwi Iwi () are the largest social units in New Zealand Māori society. In Māori, roughly means or , and is often translated as "tribe". The word is both singular and plural in the Māori language, and is typically pluralised as such in English. ...

, she was of Ngāti Te Rēinga,

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 Moewhar ...

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 Auckland ( ; ) is a large metropolitan city in the North Island of New Zealand. It has an urban population of about It is located in the greater Auckland Region, the area governed by Auckland Council, which includes outlying rural areas and ...

. She was an accomplished pianist. Mangakāhia was the third wife of Hāmiora Mangakāhia, an assessor in the Native Land Court, and in June 1892 he was elected Premier of the Kotahitanga Parliament in

Hawke's Bay Hawke's Bay () is a region on the east coast of New Zealand's North Island. The region is named for Hawke Bay, which was named in honour of Edward Hawke. The region's main centres are the cities of Napier and Hastings, while the more rural ...

. 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 Victoria (Alexandrina Victoria; 24 May 1819 – 22 January 1901) was Queen of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland from 20 June 1837 until Death and state funeral of Queen Victoria, her death in January 1901. Her reign of 63 year ...

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 Co ...

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 people, Māori women and children. It held its first conference in Wellington, New Zealand, Wellington in Sept ...

, 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 sympto ...

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 the Spanish flu pandemic Infectious disease deaths in New Zealand People from the Hokianga 19th-century New Zealand people Ngāti Manawa people Te Rarawa people

Biography

See also

References

External links