Elizabeth McCombs
Elizabeth Reid McCombs (née Henderson, 19 November 1873 - 7 June 1935) was a New Zealand politician of the Labour Party who in 1933 became the first woman elected to the New Zealand Parliament. New Zealand women gained the right to vote in 1893, though were not allowed to stand for the House of Representatives until the election of 1919.
Quotes
[edit]- I would like to warn honourable members, however, that women are never satisfied unless they have their own way. It happens in this case that the woman’s way is the right way.
- Excerpt from Elizabeth McCombs speech to the New Zealand House of Representatives, September 28, 1933.
- Let us prove ourselves as good as any man, and better than some.
- Maiden Speech in Parliament.
- There is no reason why a woman should not receive the same pay for the same work as a man. To argue otherwise is to argue against justice.
- Elizabeth McCombs Speech
- Poverty is not the fault of the poor. It is the fault of a system that allows idleness at the top and starvation at the bottom.
- Elizabeth McCombs Speech
- Forget I am a member of the Labour Party and remember that I am a woman
- Excerpt from Tolerton, Jane. (2018). But I Changed All That: 'first' New Zealand women. Wellington: Booklover Books. ISBN 9780473450014.
- I do hope that the women of New Zealand will realise...I will be their representative first.
- Excerpt from Tolerton, Jane. (2018). But I Changed All That: 'first' New Zealand women. Wellington: Booklover Books. ISBN 9780473450014.
