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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

13 September

1933 NZ's first woman MP elected

The Labour Party's Elizabeth McCombs became the first woman Member of Parliament, winning a by-election in the Lyttelton seat caused by the death of her MP husband James McCombs (one of the first Labour members, who had held the seat since 1913). Read more about Elizabeth here.

Although New Zealand women had famously won the right to vote in 1893, they were not allowed to stand for Parliament until the 1919 election. A handful of women had contested elections since that time, including the well-known Ellen Melville in Auckland, and McCombs herself in 1928 and 1931. The 1933 by-election presented her with an unexpected opportunity to become the first successful female candidate. Although James had only won the Lyttelton seat by 32 votes in 1931, Elizabeth won a resounding victory with a majority of 2600. Sadly, she died just two years after entering Parliament.

The McCombs family tradition continued after Elizabeth's death: she was succeeded by her and James' son Terence, who was MP for Lyttelton until 1951, completing a remarkable 38-year family hold over the seat. The second woman MP was Labour's Catherine Stewart, who was elected for Wellington West in 1938.

Image: Elizabeth McCombs