Tūātapere & District History - 100 Years Women's Suffrage Anniversary Banners
Shared by Central & Western Murihiku Southland Archive
Tūātapere & District History - 100 Years Women's Suffrage Anniversary Banners These banners were a collaborative community project to commenorate 100 years of Women's Suffrage in Aotearoa NZ, both by and for the local Tūātapere & District community, done with local district historical motifs. Renowned and part-time local Tūātapere artist, Janet de Wagt, had been running banner workshops across the rohe or region, as a Suffrage Centennial Project. Linette Sinclair who was at the time our Community Development Worker, invited her to Tūātapere to help the women there to make some too. As a large space was needed, the prior marae on Ferry Road which was a Mata Waka, offered the ladies a space in which to hold the local workshop to work on their banners. Therefore, these banners were both designed and constructed, right here in Tūātapere, so are significant taonga or treasure to us here. These Banner's were made to represent the Tūātapere and District's community and the local environment. Although made for the 100 year Centennial of Women's Suffrage in Aotearoa NZ, they were made by a diverse group of local women from the Tūātapere community, back in 1993. The motifs in these banners cover such rich history as below: No 1, covers arrival of Māori, the Takitimu's - said to be the original overturned waka, the Waiau River flowing down to Te Waewae Bay with rich fish and sea-food in the waves, also encompassing swathes of local native bush. No 2, is a truly collaborative piece bringing together the major cultures; Māori motifs adore the edges, Scottish, Welsh, English and Irish motifs are central to the story and the piece, representing the bond of Te Tiriti O Waitangi or the Treaty partnership made by Queen Victoria, also acknowledging strong colonial roots of our early settlers Pākehā race. No 3, is a story of the more recent history of the township and district, representing once again the role that bush played in the district, a large yellow ball which we presume to be either the sun or gold, plus we have Highway 99 resplendent with logging trucks, the Jack and Mattie Bennett Memorial Park, and a field of fluffy lamb heads, to represent the early sheep farmers of the district. The details and range of materials used in these panels are amazing. The women who completed most of the mahi or work on these Banners, were as follows: Georgina Chandler Lorna Maere & Lorna's daughter Betty West Kelly Lake Babette Keneally We would love to hear from any of these wāhine or women about their personal experiences in taking part in this Women's Suffrage Project, but we know some of them have now passed on. BACKGROUND: It was Janet de Wagt's first trip down her to Tūātapere she recalls. And she wondered where she was coming to, as it seemed like the end of the earth! Janet also still remembers that the kindness and generosity of the group soon changed all that. And that it was such a "happy, cool project to be involved with." Linette remembers also, how very special this time was for all those that participated in the banner designing and making. As no group could really claim ownership of these banners, it was thought that the best place for them to be was to be archived here in the community record, so we are now kaitiaki or guardians of these beautiful banners, so that they are not lost or damaged, but saved and preserved for our future generations to view and learn more history from. We at the Community Archives, all feel very privileged to have these banners in our care. Hopefully this entry will be added to as more information comes to hand. If you or anyone you know has any more information or photos to share or accounts of Women's Suffrage events in Tūātapere & District during the years, please do share this with us in the comments section. You can do this by making a comment in the space provided under the image page. Or you can make contact with us as per the archive front page.
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Title
Tūātapere & District History - 100 Years Women's Suffrage Anniversary Banners
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Maker
Tūātapere wāhine or women, Best, Suzie
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Date made
1993
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Subject
Women's Suffrage, Tūātapere, Jack and Mattie Bennett Memorial Park, Tūātapere Domain, Waiau District, Waiau River, Te Waewae Bay, Takitimu Mountains, Highway 99, Native Bush, Logging & Forestry, Sheep Farming
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Additional information
Digital images in archive Physical items on display at archive
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Rights
Attribution (cc)
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Location
Main Rd, Tūātapere, next to the old Railway Station. We also belong to the internationally recognised 'Safe Space Alliance'.
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Central & Western Murihiku Southland Archive
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Text adapted with permission from Te Papa and Digital NZ
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