Jane Maria Atkinson (née Richmond; 15 September 1824 – 29 September 1914) was a New Zealand pioneer, writer, and the first
Pākehā
Pākehā (or Pakeha; ; ) is a Māori term for New Zealanders primarily of European descent. Pākehā is not a legal concept and has no definition under New Zealand law. The term can apply to fair-skinned persons, or to any non- Māori New ...
woman to climb
Mount Taranaki
Mount Taranaki (), also known as Mount Egmont, is a dormant stratovolcano in the Taranaki region on the west coast of New Zealand's North Island. It is the second highest point in the North Island, after Mount Ruapehu. The mountain has a seco ...
.
Early life
Maria grew up in a
Unitarian
Unitarian or Unitarianism may refer to:
Christian and Christian-derived theologies
A Unitarian is a follower of, or a member of an organisation that follows, any of several theologies referred to as Unitarianism:
* Unitarianism (1565–present ...
household. The early death of her father, Christopher Richmond, caused financial strife for the family. At the age of 28, Maria and her family left for New Zealand along with the Hursthouses, Richmonds, and Ronalds. There were many inter-marriages between these family which became referred to as 'the mob' that settled around New Plymouth. The Richmonds arrived in
Auckland
Auckland (pronounced ) ( mi, Tāmaki Makaurau) is a large metropolitan city in the North Island of New Zealand. The most populous urban area in the country and the fifth largest city in Oceania, Auckland has an urban population of about I ...
25 May 1853.
They then settled in the early
New Plymouth
New Plymouth ( mi, Ngāmotu) is the major city of the Taranaki region on the west coast of the North Island of New Zealand. It is named after the English city of Plymouth, Devon from where the first English settlers to New Plymouth migrated. Th ...
colony. She and
Arthur Atkinson had a shipboard romance and were married 30 December 1854.
New Zealand
Maria initially fulfilled the traditional role of pioneering housewife and mother. When she and Arthur moved to
Nelson in 1867 she became active in the community. She promoted women's suffrage, campaigned for a girl's college and ran a debate team. The Atkinsons allowed the newly opened
Nelson College for Girls faculty to use their home,
Fairfield House.
In 1855 Maria climbed Mount Taranaki as part of a party including her husband. She was invited along to act as cook and became the first
Pākehā
Pākehā (or Pakeha; ; ) is a Māori term for New Zealanders primarily of European descent. Pākehā is not a legal concept and has no definition under New Zealand law. The term can apply to fair-skinned persons, or to any non- Māori New ...
woman to climb the mountain. She wore a pair of 'canvas trousers' for the climb.
References
Further reading
*''Born to New Zealand: A Biography of Jane Maria Atkinson'' by Frances Porter (1989, Allen & Unwin/Port Nicholson Press, Wellington)
1824 births
1914 deaths
People from Taranaki
New Zealand feminists
19th-century New Zealand people
Atkinson–Hursthouse–Richmond family
Fell family
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