Story: New Zealand identity

Kate Sheppard on the $10 note

Kate Sheppard on the $10 note

Kate Sheppard appears on the New Zealand $10 note. The prominence given to her suggests New Zealanders' pride in being the first country in the world to grant women the vote, in 1893. Sheppard was a founding member of the Women's Christian Temperance Union in New Zealand. Through distributing pamphlets, organising meetings, writing letters to newspapers and extensive public speaking, she effectively led the fight for women's suffrage.  In the left background of the note is a white camellia. These flowers were given to members of Parliament who supported the suffrage bill, and have subsequently become a symbol of the fight for women's suffrage. In the Christchurch Botanical Gardens there is a memorial walk to Sheppard which is lined with white camellias.

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Reserve Bank of New Zealand

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How to cite this page:

Fiona Barker, 'New Zealand identity - Politics', Te Ara - the Encyclopedia of New Zealand, http://www.TeAra.govt.nz/en/object/34611/kate-sheppard-on-the-10-note (accessed 7 May 2024)

Story by Fiona Barker, published 20 Jun 2012