A detail from Margriet Windhausen鈥檚 Kate Sheppard National Memorial, unveiled in Christchurch in 1993 by New Zealand鈥檚 first female governor-general, Dame Catherine Tizard. CC BY-SA
In 1992 four New Zealand icons (and the queen) appeared on new banknotes. Part of creating national identity, these notable citizens were chosen to represent the pinnacles of achievement.
膧pirana Ngata, Edmund Hillary, Ernest Rutherford and Kate Sheppard 鈥 all in circulation so their acts and values can be admired, celebrated and emulated.
Collectively, the banknote icons signalled a bicultural nation that celebrates M膩ori knowledge and success, a place where women are equal and where it is possible to lead the world, including in science and exploration.
But while positioned on individual pedestals, these people were also part of citizenship-building that relied on team efforts.
Ngata was one of many talented members of the Young M膩ori Party. Hillary didn鈥檛 climb Everest alone. And Rutherford鈥檚 scientific breakthroughs resulted from collaborative work that stood 鈥渙n the shoulders of giants鈥.
Cast in bronze
So what of Kate Sheppard鈥檚 position? A year after she graced the $10 note, she was put on another pedestal, literally. Unveiled in 1993, the national memorial provides a useful interpretation of the suffrage leader鈥檚 place in the collaborative women鈥檚 movement of the late 19th century.
The memorial鈥檚 Christchurch location, Sheppard鈥檚 name in its title and her central position cast in bronze all recognise her leadership. But the monument also recognises how, after the victory, she brought together the networks that had formed during the suffrage campaign.
Sheppard became the first president of the National Council of Women (NCW) in 1896, but flanking her in bronze are others central to the women鈥檚 movement.
Meri Te Tai Mangak膩hia of Taitokerau requested the vote for women from the Kotahitanga parliament. Amey Daldy was a leader of Auckland鈥檚 Women鈥檚 Christian Temperance Union (WCTU) and Franchise League. Ada Wells of Christchurch worked for equal educational opportunities for girls and women. Harriet Morison of Dunedin was an advocate for working-class women and active in the Tailoresses鈥 Union. And Helen Nicol led the important women鈥檚 franchise campaign in Dunedin.
The monument also recognises the complex layers and themes of women鈥檚 suffrage, including the place of men such as MP Sir John Hall who played a vital part in the suffrage victory. Seven other prominent suffragists are also named. Smaller panels depict generic women going about their daily lives, all part of the wider movement.
An archetypal heroine?
So what makes Sheppard so iconic? As well as her role in a world-first episode in New Zealand history, I would argue Sheppard embodies many of the characteristics common to modern heroines globally.
She is emblematic of a mother figure, specifically as a maternal feminist concerned with home, purity and well-being. Metaphorically, her work involves giving birth to the nation.
Accompanied by an image of the symbolic white camellia flower presented to pro-suffrage MPs, Sheppard鈥檚 image on the banknote is part of her invention as a feminine, stylishly dressed, commanding figure.
But there are other dynamics at work, too. Sheppard is sometimes framed as a reformer, called to work for a more peaceful and egalitarian society. But the 2015 punk-rock musical That Bloody Woman portrays her as a rebel warrior queen, fighting with bravery and determination.
Intrigue in her private life also adds to Sheppard鈥檚 appeal. Was her marriage to Walter Sheppard unhappy? They lived apart from 1905 until he died in 1915. Author Rachel McAlpine wrote a fictional account involving an extramarital affair and a love child.
And what of the rumours surrounding Sheppard鈥檚 friendship with William Lovell-Smith, who she married towards the end of her life after the death of his wife Jenny? Her private life hints at mystery and suggests a woman advancing new ways of co-habiting.
There is also tragedy. Sheppard lost her only child, Douglas, in 1910, and outlived her nearest and dearest friends and relations, including her only grandchild.
Sheppard鈥檚 shape-shifting presence leaves room for us to create our own versions to augment all the writing she left revealing her beliefs and ideas. The Kate Sheppard Women鈥檚 Bookshop aptly memorialises her, and her leadership is honoured through scholarships and awards.
All this has helped keep her memory alive, especially with the feminists who have always claimed her as a heroine.
Who else but Sheppard?
Sheppard is on the money, then, but who else might represent the heroic archetype? Waikato woman of mana and K墨ngitanga leader Te Puea H膿rangi is surely one, described by historian J.G.A. Pocock as possibly the most influential woman in New Zealand鈥檚 political history.
Te Puea was also a mother figure. A literal healer, she nursed her people back to health 鈥 especially after the smallpox epidemic of 1913 and the devastating 1918 influenza epidemic that killed a quarter of the population at Mangat膩whiri, leaving many orphans to be cared for.
Her motto is said to have been 鈥渨ork, eat, pray, work again鈥. Te Puea was called to help her people and was dedicated to leading their resurgence. In particular, her efforts secured the K墨ngitanga movement. Part of her legacy as the most active leader of her generation was the building of T奴rangawaewae marae at Ng膩ruaw膩hia.
Like Sheppard, Te Puea鈥檚 health and welfare work included campaigns against alcohol and smoking. In the face of P膩keh膩 resistance she built an impressive health facility at T奴rangawaewae. In 1951 she became the first patron of the M膩ori Women鈥檚 Welfare League.
Her activism included seeking compensation for land confiscation. An early peace warrior, she led a non-violent campaign against conscription during the first world war. Like Sheppard, she was part of an international network and well-connected around the Pacific.
Also like Sheppard, Te Puea was strategic and collaborated with many men. She launched M膩ui P艒mare鈥檚 political career and later collaborated with 膧pirana Ngata. Well known in the P膩keh膩 world as Princess Te Puea, in 1937 she was made a Commander of the Order of the British Empire.
In many ways, of course, Christchurch and Ng膩ruaw膩hia were worlds apart. While both women challenged the state, Sheppard represented a mainstream P膩keh膩 establishment, whereas Te Puea pursued mana motuhake for her people. Yet, placed side by side and viewed through an early 21st-century lens, both are important heroines in history.
Both stand for citizens working together for the common good. Kate Sheppard might be on the money to represent women鈥檚 rights as a fundamental part of Aotearoa New Zealand. But, as her memorial suggests, it鈥檚 important we don鈥檛 see her as the only woman worthy of being on a pedestal.
This was originally published on听.
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