MEDIA RELEASE

Monday 9 September 2013

Electoral Commission Celebrates 120 Years of Votes for Women

Today the Electoral Commission launches three new education initiatives to celebrate 120 Years of Votes for Women: a poster competition, classroom resources and a new academic scholarship.

On September 19, 2013 it will be 120 years since New Zealand women won the right to vote.

“The Commission’s new education activities recognise the significance of the suffragists’ achievement 120 years ago by encouraging engagement and participation today,” says Chief Electoral Officer Robert Peden.

“Our new teaching resource Your Voice, Your Choice: Votes for Women provides a range of activities designed to develop students’ understanding of New Zealand women’s campaign to win the right to vote, and to encourage voter participation today,” Mr Peden says.

The Take Part Through Art poster competition encourages school students to reflect on what it means to them to live in a democracy, and to express their ideas by creating posters on this theme.
“By getting students thinking creatively about the democracy they live in, we hope to encourage them to become active citizens in New Zealand’s future,” Mr Peden says.
The competition is open to all students in New Zealand schools, with book voucher prizes for the winning students and their schools.

The Commission is also launching the Electoral Commission Suffrage Scholarships today. The scholarships will cover university fees for post-graduate students completing research into voter participation.

“The Electoral Commission is committed to encouraging wide-reaching research on voter participation, and these scholarships aim to contribute to this,” says Mr Peden.

“All of our 120 Years of Votes for Women celebrations focus on our right to participate and engage in the democratic process.”

To find out more about any of these initiatives, visit www.elections.org.nz.

ENDS

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