New Zealand Herald Canvas Magazine Postcard Project: Joanna Lumley

This postcard is one of 67 acquired by Canvas magazine for their special Suffrage 125 edition, published on 15 September 2018. The staff at Canvas asked high-profile women around the world to write a personal message on a bespoke postcard, reflecting on the 125th anniversary of the granting of female suffrage in New Zealand. The postcards were published in the magazine and were also displayed at Auckland War Memorial Museum from Saturday 15 to Saturday 22 September 2018.

The postcards come from women who have excelled in a range of fields, including politics, sport, arts, activism, business, and academia. Most of the messages convey a sense of pride in the fact that New Zealand was the first country in the world to give women the right to vote, but many also note that there are still considerable barriers to gender equality in New Zealand. This was a prominent theme of the Suffrage 125 commemorations, which were undoubtedly influenced by the worldwide #MeToo movement highlighting and calling for action against sexual harassment.