ANM  Newsflash
Members of the National Women's Council, The woman's Temperance Society,
politicians, activists and interested bystanders,
gathered at the Auckland Women's Suffrage Memorial on Wednesday
to enjoy music, speeches, and the creation
of a scroll of inspirational women in celebration
of 119 years of women's suffrage.
[Bagpipe music]
Margaret Wilson:  I'm a descendent of some of the first pioneers
in this country, prior even to when the Suffrragists were operating.
The conditions that the women had to endure, and with
the men resorting to drink, starting the woman's Christian Temperance Union to start with,
and they had this wonderful network that the Suffragists
were able to pitch into and it was all there for them
to actually contact the women.  They didn't have to go back that far.
Singing: When the woman's suffrage argument first
stood upon it's legs, they answered it with cabbages
they answered it with eggs."
At the celebrations in the aptly named Khartoum Place,
which commemorates a bloody Colonial battle
which New Zealanders also stood up to the British over,
refusing to take part, I asked some of the guests
what this anniversary has to with the rights of women today.
[Applause}
Len Brown, Mayor of Auckland:  I was reading the history, and the final exhortation
from Parliament, and the mover of the Bill, was that
women shouldn't just stop in New Zealand, having
done this historic, first country to give women the right
to vote, that they needed to take it out globally.
The challenge still goes on, in fact it's even more evident
in some of the nations where women's rights are... nothing
they're chattels, worse than chattels, you know, tradable commodities,
and it's still sad to see that in significant parts of our globe.
Cathy Casey:  I think it's really important for women to celebrate our victories
and this was a victory of global proportions. We were
the first country in the world to get the vote -
That gives hope for women across the globe who are
still disenfranchised, who are still receiving violence
who are still at the bottom end, so we're saying today
New Zealand women are celebrating this day and we give
you hope, in sisterhood, across the world!
[Bagpipe music]
