Studying the suffrage campaign in the Napier context allows for examination of an influential component which has not been addressed by previous scholarship: the interaction between Māori and Pākehā suffrage activists.
0 Comments
In February 1923, the death of a woman in parliament buildings was reported across the country. Waiting to enter the ladies' gallery, the unfortunate woman had collapsed and suffered what was reported as a cardiac arrest.
For the most part, this research has sought to examine the influence of institutional and social networks on the success of the suffrage campaign in Napier. Largely, emphasis along these lines views the result as one of community connection, personal relationships, and societal support. There is, however, another element which deserves some attention: community solidarity.
In July 1884, an unassuming announcement in the Hawke's Bay Herald detailed the opening of a photographic studio in Port Ahuriri. The new business owners, Harriet and Joseph Cobb, had arrived in Napier on 5 January, having landed in Wellington with their children aboard the Lady Jocelyn on New Year's Day. Shortly after their arrival in Hawke's Bay, Harriet set about establishing herself within the local business network.
|