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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I am lighter than air, but a hundred people cannot lift me. What am I?
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Poll: Should drivers retake the theory test every 10 years?
Drivers get where they need to go, but sometimes it seems that we are all abiding by different road rules (for example, the varying ways drivers indicate around a roundabout).
Do you think drivers should be required to take a quick driving theory test every 10 years?
Vote in the poll and share any road rules that you've seen bent! 😱
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48% Yes
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50.1% No
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1.9% Other - I'll share below
Hero
“I was born and raised in war. To be honest, those are not good memories.
I really like Iran, and I really miss it, but I couldn’t be myself there. Even though my family didn’t like my decision, I left Iran. I promised myself that I would do whatever I can for all communities, especially for the kids, so they do not have the same experience I had.
I studied software engineering in Iran and left in 2006. I went to Malaysia and stayed in Kuala Lumpur for seven years. I was admitted to Lincoln University to do my PhD here, but unfortunately, I couldn’t afford the expenses. I requested a scholarship, but they told me I had to be there for six months first. So, I stayed in Malaysia and did my PhD in network security. In December 2013, I came to New Zealand with a work visa.
It took me a while to connect with the Iranian community here. I volunteered with the Multicultural Council, SPCA, and community patrol, and I established the Christchurch Iranian Society in 2017. Before that, I started working on Radio Toranj, the only Farsi-language radio show in New Zealand.
One of the reasons I started organizing cultural events was to showcase Iranian culture. I wanted to show people that we have delicious food, colorful dresses, traditional customs, and our own instruments. My hope was to show people that we are not what you see in the media.
I am working to involve all the communities that celebrate Nowruz, the Persian New Year, in the Nowruz festival in March 2025. We want to share this celebration not only with our community but with the public as well. It’s better when it’s shared.
I remember the first time someone from Dunedin called me and asked, Hero, can you help? Something happened, and they keep declining Iranian visa applications. When I heard that, I felt insulted. We are still human, so how can they do that?
Through this journey, I’ve learned a lot. Every single day, people with different cases call me, and I try to share my knowledge and guide them as much as I can.
I have received several awards, including the Christchurch Civic Award and an Award of Recognition for my contributions to the community during the pandemic. In 2021, I established Canterbury Kia Ora Academy, a charitable trust. Through this charity, I can help other communities as well, not just the Iranian community.”
- Hero
View more stories, or nominate someone: @humansofchch
www.humansofchch.org......
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