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Kiwi of the Week

Rene Shadbolt

René Shadbolt led the only New Zealand contingent to the Spanish Civil War. She and fellow nurse, Isobel Dodds, cared for wounded soldiers, particularly those from the International Brigades, from July 1937 to November 1938.

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Today in History

4 April

2001 Silvia Cartwright becomes Governor General

The swearing in of Dame Silvia Cartwright as Governor General represented a remarkable clean-sweep of the country's most powerful political and legal positions by women.

Also present at her swearing in were Prime Minister Helen Clark, Opposition leader Jenny Shipley, Chief Justice Sian Elias and Attorney General Margaret Wilson.

The first woman Governor General of New Zealand was the former Mayor of Auckland, Dame Catherine Tizard, who held the post between 1990 and 1996.

The 18th Governor General of New Zealand, Dame Silvia came to prominence when she headed an inquiry into the treatment of women with cervical cancer at National Women’s Hospital. In 1993 she became New Zealand's first female High Court judge. Her term as Governor General ended in 2006 when she was succeeded by Anand Satyanand.