A History of New Zealand Women

by Barbara Brookes

What would a history of New Zealand look like that rejected Thomas Carlyle’s definition of history as ‘the biography of great men’, and focused instead on the experiences of women? One that shifted the angle of vision and examined the stages of this country’s development from the points of view of wives, daughters, mothers, grandmothers, sisters, and aunts? That considered their lives as distinct from (though often unwillingly influenced by) those of history’s ‘great men’?

In her ground-breaking History of New Zealand Women, Barbara Brookes provides just such a history. This is more than an account of women in New Zealand, from those who arrived on the first waka to the Grammy and Man Booker Prize-winning young women of the current decade. It is a comprehensive history of New Zealand seen through a female lens.

Brookes argues that while European men erected the political scaffolding to create a small nation, women created the infrastructure necessary for colonial society to succeed. Concepts of home, marriage and family brought by settler women, and integral to the developing state, transformed the lives of Māori women. The small scale of New Zealand society facilitated rapid change so that, by the twenty-first century, women are no longer defined by family contexts.

Genres: Nonfiction, History, Womens

554 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 2016

About the author

Barbara Brookes is a New Zealand historian and academic. She specialises in women's history and medical history. In 2017, Brookes' book A History of New Zealand Women won the 2017 Ockham New Zealand Book Award in the Illustrated Non-Fiction category.

Reviews

[Carol, She's so Novel ꧁꧂ · Rating 5 out of 5]

I have so many thoughts about this wonderful book that I don't know where to start. & some things have faded in my mind a little, as this book is both physically and emotionally heavy to read. I often had to sit at the dining room table or have the book on a tray. So as this was a drawn out read, some of the earlier pages aren't completely fresh in my mind.

Brookes's writing style is a very readable version of New Zealand academic - which I am used to. The book is beautifully illustrated.

What I found interesting is how recent true equality has been in NZ & I wonder if younger women who say they aren't feminists would be happy working for a fraction of what men earned & being denied a job/made redundant if a man needed it.

There is so much right with this book that I hesitate to mention the things that could be improved but...

...no mention of War Brides. As my mother was a war bride I feel like an important part of my family history has been ignored. These women were so brave, travelling halfway around the world to be with husbands they barely knew.

I thought leading feminist Sue Kedgley wasn't in the book at all (like golfer Lydia Ko, she is missing from the index) & I was surprised how cursory the mention of her was.

Kedgley was a student teacher at my high school ( I know she has said she was only at teacher's Training College for a month but it must have been longer than that!)and I found her inspirational. The implication that women only became feminist if they couldn't get a man was clearly untrue in this glamorous & assertive woman's case! She has gone on to have varied careers in broadcasting, writing & politics.

Other omissions. Legendary food writer Tui Flower - in her nineties now & still going strong!

Only a brief mention & photo of our greatest writer Katherine Mansfield, nothing about one of the creators of the Golden Age of Detective Fiction, Ngaio Marsh or internationally successful children's writers Linley Dodd & the late Margaret Mahy. & Nalini Singh, Essie Summers & Daphne Clair are very successful romance writers- but not mentioned here. I know a lot of feminists have issues with romance writing, but it would be nice to celebrate all Kiwi women's successes, not just the politically correct ones!

Maybe the second edition needs to be two volumes - & isn't it exciting to think our women have enough of a history to warrant this!

Excellent work, Ms Brookes!

[Erica · Rating 5 out of 5]

I didn't learn much NZ history at school so this book filled sooo many gaps in my knowledge of NZ history in general, but I loved that it was through the lens of women's place and achievements. I feel like I have a much more in depth knowledge of the legal and political advances for women over the last 100 years. This was also incredibly readable. I even stayed up late tonight to finish the last few chapters, I was really engrossed.

Thanks to all the women who had to face unimaginable (for me) discrimination, harassment and judgement in their fight for equality. I so appreciate all that you did for me to enable me to have the career and life that I have today. Still more work to be done though...

Thanks to Barbara Brookes for shining a light on all those women :)

I hope someone writes another follow-on history in say 50 years - would be so fascinating to see what else has changed.

[Nicky · Rating 5 out of 5]

Informative, beautifully written book. Made me appreciate all the women before me who fought for the rights I have now and invigorates me to continue their legacy.

[Sarah · Rating 5 out of 5]

Excellent, important book. Depressing in parts.

[Anne · Rating 5 out of 5]

A staggering, detailed work concerning the women of Aotearoa/New Zealand throughout history. This is invaluable for research into gendered and postcolonial history, or even for those with a general interest regarding the past and the lives of women who lived in New Zealand.

[Cameron Coombe · Rating 5 out of 5]

Essential introduction to women's history in NZ, with full-colour images. From a theological perspective, it is notable too that Brookes does not overlook the central role that religion played in this history, whether for good or for bad.

[Cazz · Rating 4 out of 5]

A book for all New Zealand Women. Stuck for a gift? Give this book.. Informative, beautifully written.

[Jen Gibbs · Rating 5 out of 5]

What a triumph. A much needed book.

[Lisa Emmerson · Rating 4 out of 5]

I was surprised at how much I enjoyed this book, at times hard to read - it is heavy (both in weight and topic) I would put it down and then come back to it. I new some of our history but not a lot of Maori history so it was interesting to read the early years, and even more interesting to see how far we've come an yet stayed int the same place as women in NZ.
I would recommend this book to anyone, male or female who wants a deeper understanding of women's rights in Aotearoa

[Kiwi Scribe · Rating 4 out of 5]

A good read although I felt it left out some real women of their time as conveyed in Sandra Coney's book and in recent times quite notable in Sherayl McNab's book on military nursing.
From having read this book there seems to be a desperate case presented for the sake of posterity the input of women in NZ but like most Aotearoans "Mother's Day" is every day despite the lifetime of nagging.

[Soph]

I learnt so much from this book. At some points I felt there was not enough time spent looking at Māori women’s lives but in the later chapters there was a much stronger presence. Overall a compelling and comprehensive read which I would recommend to anyone who’s interested in women’s history.

[Mandy Everett · Rating 4 out of 5]

Loved it