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The home of suffragette Kate Sheppard will open to the public this year, says Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern.
In September 2019, Heritage New Zealand purchased the Christchurch home where Sheppard lived and led the fight that resulted in New Zealand women becoming the world’s first to vote in 1893.
It is currently undergoing restoration and maintenance works.
Carys Monteath / Stuff
Kate Sheppard lived here for 15 years, but since then there have been major alterations to both the exterior and the interior. This photo was taken in 2010, before the renovations.
Ardern filmed a “stealth tour” of the village on Tuesday morning, before heading to Lyttelton on the campaign trail.
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“I’m here in Christchurch, I’m doing some media crossovers and if you tuned in to one of them, you may have seen where I am,” he said.
“I am close to the university … And what is behind this beautiful garden here is this house. It may look like an old heritage home to anyone, but this is Kate Sheppard’s home. “
The Ilam property was put on the market in 2018, for the first time in 33 years. The previous owner, Julia Burbury, and her ex-husband said they “had no idea” of its meaning when they bought it.
A promotional video of Kate Sheppard’s home in Christchurch. First published March 2019.
Built in 1888, it was Sheppard’s home for 15 years and the dining room was the basis of his suffrage campaign. The original villa is still visible from the front of the property, but has been expanded and modernized inside. A pool, tennis court, creek and artesian well were added.
Burbury was unwilling to discuss a sale price of less than $ 3.5 million. An independent valuation last year put its market value at $ 4.1 million, before being sold for $ 4.5 million to the Crown.
“I just thought I’d give you a taste of this beautiful place, which I hope many of you, next time you’re in Christchurch, can come and take a look,” said Ardern.
“The surprising thing about this is that Kate Sheppard’s house had been privately owned until very recently. It was a family home.
“This house is now in the hands of Heritage New Zealand and that means you will be able to come visit this house very soon. They are just doing a little work to get it back to good shape. “
Heritage New Zealand, which is a taxpayer-funded government entity formerly called the Historic Places Trust, will maintain the 4,321-square-meter property.
The house, in a garden on Clyde Rd, next to the University of Canterbury, will be used as a heritage site, public space and educational center.
Carys Monteath / Stuff
Julia Burbury with her daughter Caroline, photographed at 83 Clyde Road. Burbury said it was “quite amazing” to learn about the history of the property: “Before it was just our house, but after that it felt like a real privilege to be here.
“It will also be a place that the university can use,” Ardern said, “so the rear of the building is being transformed into seminar and meeting rooms.
“That will help us keep a little income running to help keep this building in the state it deserves to be in.”
School groups will be encouraged to visit as part of their history studies and the property will also be available for private functions and events to help fund its maintenance.
HARCOURTS
The Burbury family raised their two children at home and were unaware of their historical significance until 1993.
Ardern points to the “little image of Kate” on the mantel.
“Where I am standing now is the dining room where Kate Sheppard worked on the famous petition that led to women being able to vote in New Zealand,” he said.
31,000 petition signatures were placed on rolls of wallpaper in the dining room and pasted. Later, they became famous throughout the chamber of the House for convincing politicians to change the law.
“… you can really get an idea of what it would have been like. It had a beautiful garden. This will be a place where people can come and learn the history, ”Ardern said.
HARCOURTS
The dining room where Sheppard and other suffragettes pasted the petition for 31,000 names that finally won the women’s vote on September 19, 1893.
Before the sale, the elegant four-bedroom, three-bath home had been rented out for weddings and other functions, as well as serving as the Burbury family home.
The government’s decision to buy Kate Sheppard’s house resulted in new land purchase orders in Ihumātao.
Kate Sheppard’s home joins 43 other Heritage New Zealand properties across the country.
They include the former government buildings in Wellington, the Kerikeri mission station complex in Northland, and the birthplace of New Zealand’s frozen meat industry, Totara Estate near Oamaru.
HARCOURTS
At the time of the purchase, Prime Minister and Minister for Art, Culture and Heritage Jacinda Ardern said the purchase recognized all the women who had made a difference and would highlight social change in the country’s history. “The legacy of the suffrage movement and the achievements of Kate Sheppard and other New Zealand women will be told in this special place,” she said.
