Bench honours suffrage petition efforts

The efforts of 13 Glenorchy women who added their names to a petition that earned New Zealand women the right to vote were recognised at a ceremony yesterday.

About 25 people gathered in Glenorchy to mark 125 years since the occasion by unveiling a commemorative bench on the Village Green.

The ceremony was originally planned for September 19, but heavy snow forced organisers to postpone.

Rural Women NZ Glenorchy branch president Kate Scott said 13 Glenorchy women signed the initial suffrage petition in 1893 which, given the township's isolation and size, ''was a pretty good effort''.

''We wanted to honour those ladies who were fighting the good fight back in the day.''

The bench was picked as it was a ''useful, low-impact permanent memorial''.