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1933: 'A red-letter day for women'
Hey neighbours,
Did you know...
“Although New Zealand is believed to have been the first country in the world to give women the right to sit in Parliament, it is one of the few which have consistently refused to elect a woman to its national assembly,” The Press wrote on September 14, 1933.
“Legislation permitting women to stand for Parliament was introduced in 1919 by the then Prime Minister, the Rt. Hon. W. F. Massey, and subsequently passed.”
Lyttelton MP Elizabeth McCombs had just shattered that glass ceiling after a by-election, becoming New Zealand’s first woman MP.
She had previously run as the Labour candidate in Kaiapoi and Christchurch North and became the Lyttelton candidate in a by-election after the death of her husband, James, who had held the seat since 1913.
The Press noted that “Mrs McCombs’s majority is larger than any Mr McCombs secured during his whole 20 years in Parliament”.
The Press reported from a packed Returned Soldiers’ Association Hall in Lyttelton.
“‘This is the proudest moment of my life,’ said Mrs McCombs, ‘but yet one of the saddest. You all know that my husband wished more than anything else on earth that I should sit in Parliament, and we had both hoped we should sit there together. I cannot help feeling a tinge of bitterness that it was not to be.’
McCombs died before the 1935 election, and was succeeded by her son, Sir Terence McCombs, who held the Lyttelton seat until 1951.
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Poll: Do you have a pet at home?
Neighbourly members LOVE their pets, whether it's a smoochy cat, a trusty pup or even a feathered friend.
We'd like to know how many of you who see this post actually have a pet at home. Let us know in the poll below!
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73.7% Yes - I have a pet / multiple pets
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7.7% Not currently, but one day!
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18.6% Nope, I live in a pet-free home
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Show us your creative backyard build
We hope you've been enjoying the Neighbourly Backyard Awards so far, we know we have!
It is time for our last award. And the category is....Most creative backyard build
It could be a planter box, an outdoor table or even a backyard bar. We just want to see the sanctuary you've created in your backyard.
So share a photo, or two, in a comment below of your creation or backyard set up a to be in to win a $100 Mitre10 voucher. Winner will be announced next Monday 🛝🪴🛖
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🧩 Crack the Code: Today’s Riddle Challenge! 🤔
I’m a three-digit number; my tens digit is five more than my ones, and my hundreds digit is eight less than my tens—what am I?
Do you think you know the answer to our riddle? Don't spoil it for your neighbours! Simply 'Like' this post if you know the answer and the big reveal will be posted in the comments at 2pm.
Want to stop seeing riddles in your newsfeed?
Head here and hover on the Following button on the top right of the page (and it will show Unfollow) and then click it. If it is giving you the option to Follow, then you've successfully unfollowed the Riddles page.
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