Eliza and the White Camellia: A Story of Suffrage in New Zealand

Sarah Hart was pregnant with her second child when her husband, bricklayer Edward Hart, stole food to feed his hungry family. On the run for 17 months, when captured he served six years on board prison hulks. After his release, the family searched for a better life and found it offered by the New Zealand Company. They arrived the year after the signing of the Treaty of Waitangi after a four month voyage.Eliza was their first New Zealander, born in 1846. A mother of 12, she became a suffragist and actively sought the vote for women, which was granted after a ‘monster petition’ was presented to Parliament in 1893. This bilingual book spans Eliza’s life, from poverty, emigration, elections, illegitimate children, women and the vote, the trial of Minnie Dean and the formation of the National Council of Women, concluding the month following the start of World War I.The contents include New Zealand’s first General Election • The New Zealand Company • A bricklayer in Kent • The arrival of the ship Tyne • Prison hulks • Emigration to New Zealand • Eliza Hart marries John Wallis • Dirty politics • Women’s organisations • Electioneering women • Minnie Dean • Fallen women • The status of Māori women • Rational dress • New Zealand Suffrage Medal • Conserving the Suffrage Petition • The White Ribbon • 1893 General Election • 1893 Electoral Bill • Eliza and Kate Sheppard • Battle of the Buttonholes • Women’s Suffrage Petitions • Canterbury Women’s Institute Convention • National Council of Women • Suratura Tea • Eliza’s children • New Zealand timeline •World suffrage timeline • Suffrage activities • Glossary • Index • Acknowledgements and picture credits.Written by Debbie McCauley, translated by Tamati Waaka and illustrated by Helen Casey