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 The New Zealand Parliament () is the unicameral legislature of New Zealand, consisting of the Monarchy of New Zealand, Sovereign and the New Zealand House of Representatives. The King is usually represented by his Governor-General of New Zeal ...

. New Zealand women gained the right to vote in 1893, though were not allowed to stand for the

House of Representatives House of Representatives is the name of legislative bodies in many countries and sub-national entities. In many countries, the House of Representatives is the lower house of a bicameral legislature, with the corresponding upper house often ...

until the election of 1919. McCombs had previously contested elections in 1928 and 1931.

Early years

McCombs was born in

Kaiapoi Kaiapoi is a town in the Waimakariri District of the Canterbury, New Zealand, Canterbury region, in the South Island of New Zealand. The town is located approximately 17 kilometres north of central Christchurch, close to the mouth of the Waimak ...

North Canterbury Canterbury () is a region of New Zealand, located in the central-eastern South Island. The region covers an area of , making it the largest region in the country by area. It is home to a population of The region in its current form was estab ...

, New Zealand. She was one of the nine children of Alice and Daniel Henderson. The family spent some years living in Ashburton, but in about 1882 the family moved to Christchurch. A passion for activism was embedded in her family, as some of her siblings were notable activists themselves. Two of McCombs' sisters, Stella Henderson and Christina Kirk Henderson, were both in the public eye; Stella writing for a prominent New Zealand newspaper, and Christina advocating for the

suffrage movement Women's suffrage is the women's rights, right of women to Suffrage, vote in elections. Several instances occurred in recent centuries where women were selectively given, then stripped of, the right to vote. In Sweden, conditional women's suffra ...

. In 1886, her alcoholic father died, leaving her family in financial difficulty for a time.

Politics

McCombs became interested in socialism through the influence of her elder sisters, who were involved in the Progressive Liberal Association, a small socialist-orientated group. One of the Progressive Liberal Association's goals was to increase the political rights of women. McCombs herself became involved in the Association, and as an extension of this, with the New Zealand

Women's Christian Temperance Union The Woman's Christian Temperance Union (WCTU) is an international temperance organization. It was among the first organizations of women devoted to social reform with a program that "linked the religious and the secular through concerted and far ...

, run by prominent New Zealand

suffragist Suffrage, political franchise, or simply franchise is the right to vote in public, political elections and referendums (although the term is sometimes used for any right to vote). In some languages, and occasionally in English, the right to vo ...

Kate Sheppard Katherine Wilson Sheppard ( Catherine Wilson Malcolm; 10 March 1848 – 13 July 1934) was the most prominent member of the women's suffrage movement in New Zealand and the country's most famous suffragist. Born in Liverpool, England, she emig ...

. McCombs held a number of positions within the Temperance Union throughout her life, including that of national treasurer. In 1903, McCombs married James McCombs, a strong socialist who had also been involved with the Progressive Liberal Association. They were to have two children, and adopted two more. James McCombs was active in left-wing political circles, and was later to become an MP for the

Social Democratic Party The name Social Democratic Party or Social Democrats has been used by many political parties in various countries around the world. Such parties are most commonly aligned to social democracy as their political ideology. Active parties Form ...

. When the Labour Party was founded in 1916, he became its first president. At the same time, Elizabeth McCombs was elected to the party's executive, alongside another woman, Sarah Snow. In 1921, McCombs gained election to the Christchurch City Council, being the second woman to do so. She remained a member of the council until 1935, when she chose to step down. During this time, she was also active in a large number of other organisations, including hospital boards and charities. Her work was recognised in 1926, when she was made a Justice of the peace. In the 1928 elections, McCombs stood (unsuccessfully) for the

electorate, as the Labour Party's first female nominee. In the 1931 elections, she contested the seat of

Christchurch North Christchurch North is a former New Zealand parliamentary New Zealand electorates, electorate. The electorate comprised the northern half of what is now considered the Christchurch Central City. Population centres The previous electoral redistrib ...

, also unsuccessfully.

Parliamentary career

On the death in August 1933 of McCombs' husband James, who had held his parliamentary seat of Lyttelton since 1913, it was suggested that Elizabeth McCombs herself should be the Labour Party's new candidate for the Lyttelton seat. Some members of the party were initially hesitant, but she was eventually selected as the Labour candidate. When the 1933 by-election was held on 13 September, McCombs won resoundingly: James had been returned by only 32 votes in the 1931 elections, but Elizabeth received a majority of 2600 votes, electing her the first woman Member of Parliament. She made her maiden speech on 28 September.

Issues

In parliament, McCombs spoke out on a number of issues, many of which involved women's rights and welfare. Among the causes she promoted were: * Equal pay for women. * Changes to unemployment policy, which was more generous towards unemployed men than unemployed women. * Recruitment of women into the police force. * Raising the age of marriage (then 12 for girls and 14 for boys). In a 1926 article in Christchurch newspaper ''

The Press ''The Press'' () is a daily newspaper published in Christchurch, New Zealand, owned by media business Stuff (company), Stuff Ltd. First published in 1861, the newspaper is the largest circulating daily in the South Island and publishes Monday t ...

'', McCombs was described as being "impatient with working people, tending to represent their best interests and not necessarily their opinions. She called a deputation representing the unemployed "an illogical crowd" when they said they wanted work but criticised having to work for charitable aid."

Illness and death

Increasingly poor health made it difficult for McCombs to participate fully in politics. She died in Christchurch on 7 June 1935 aged 61, less than two years after entering parliament. In 1935, she was awarded the

King George V Silver Jubilee Medal The King George V Silver Jubilee Medal is a commemorative medal, instituted to celebrate the 25th anniversary of the accession of King George V. Issue This medal was awarded as a personal souvenir by King George V to commemorate his Silver Ju ...

. Despite her short career in parliament, she demonstrated that women could successfully seek election, and it was not long before a second woman ( Catherine Stewart in 1938, elected for Wellington West) entered parliament. In her Lyttelton electorate, she was succeeded by her son Terry McCombs, who was the

Minister of Education An education minister (sometimes minister of education) is a position in the governments of some countries responsible for dealing with educational matters. Where known, the government department, ministry, or agency that develops policy and deli ...

in the First Labour Government from 1947 to 1949. Terry McCombs held the Lyttelton seat until 1951, concluding a 38-year family hold on the seat.

References

Bibliography

* *Elizabeth McCombs is the main character in the play
Women Like Us
'' (1993), commissioned by the Suffrage Centenary Trust and written by

Helen Varley Jamieson Helen Varley Jamieson is a digital media artist, playwright, performer, director and producer from New Zealand. She "is engaged in an ongoing exploration of the collision between theatre and the internet." Since 1997 she has been working on the ...

. *
Biography in 1966 ''Encyclopaedia of New Zealand''
*Obituary in ''

'', 8 June 1935 by James Oakley Wilson, Chief Librarian, General Assembly Library, Wellington *''Women in Parliamentary Life 1970–1990: Hocken Lecture 1993'' by Marilyn Waring, pp. 32–33 (Hocken Library, University of Otago, 1994)

External links

Christchurch City Library: Elizabeth McCombsCartoon of Elizabeth McCombs entering Parliament, with male MPs in drag"Elizabeth Reid McCombs: Devoted Champion of Women's Interests" NZ Truth , Issue 1156, 26 January 1928, Page 6
{{DEFAULTSORT:McCombs, Elizabeth 1873 births 1935 deaths Burials at Waimairi Cemetery New Zealand Labour Party MPs Women members of the New Zealand House of Representatives New Zealand temperance activists New Zealand MPs for Christchurch electorates Members of the New Zealand House of Representatives Politicians from Christchurch People from Ashburton, New Zealand Unsuccessful candidates in the 1931 New Zealand general election Unsuccessful candidates in the 1928 New Zealand general election 20th-century New Zealand women politicians 20th-century New Zealand politicians