Mary Dreaver

She was born in Dunedin, the oldest of 13 children of Alexander Manson Bain and Hanna Kiely. She married Andrew James Dreaver in 1911. She was a minister and president of the National Spiritualist Church of New Zealand, a journalist as Maorilander in the New Zealand Woman's Weekly, and a broadcaster on Radio 1ZB as Aunt Maisy.[1] In 1934 she became the first woman minister appointed by the church in New Zealand.[2]

Dreaver sought selection by the Labour Party for the 1930 by-election in the Parnell electorate, but was beaten by Tom Bloodworth.[3][4]

In 1931 she was elected to the Auckland Hospital Board as a Labour candidate.[5][6][7] In 1933 a visit by her to the hospital kitchen and claims of long hours and "sweated labour" there aroused controversy on the board.[8] Dreaver then sought the Labour nomination for the 1936 by-election in the Manukau seat, but was beaten by Arthur Osborne.[9]

In the 1938 election she stood for Labour in Remuera, coming second. In 1940 she stood for the Labour nomination at the Auckland West by-election following the death of Prime Minister Michael Joseph Savage, but lost to Peter Carr.[10]

In 1941 she won the Waitemata electorate when a by-election was held after the death of the previous Labour Party MP, Jack Lyon.[11] She was defeated in the next (1943) general election, by the National Party candidate, Henry Thorne Morton.[12]

Dreaver in 1934.

She was the third woman to be elected to Parliament after Elizabeth McCombs and Catherine Stewart. She also was on several Auckland local bodies. She was a member of the Auckland Hospital Board from 1933 to 1944 and again from 1950 to 1956); the Auckland Transport Board from 1939 to 1944; the Auckland Electric Power Board from 1944 to 1947 and the Auckland Metropolitan Drainage Board between 1956 and 1957.[1] She was a member of the Auckland City Council (its second woman member) from 1938 to 1944 and again from 1953 to 1961. Her son Alex was also a city councillor from 1953 to 1974.[13]

Dreaver and Mary Anderson were the first two women appointed to the Legislative Council. They were appointed by the First Labour Government in 1946 (after a law change in 1941 to make women eligible); and they served to 1950 when the Legislative Council was abolished.[14]

In the 1946 New Year Honours, Dreaver was appointed a Member of the Order of the British Empire for services in connection with recruiting for the Women's Land Army.[15]

She died in Auckland on 19 July 1961. She was survived by her husband (by only three months), three daughters and two sons.[1]