Pioneers

Ada Wells

Christchurch Normal School – Training Department (Primary) 1881

As a tireless campaigner for women’s equality and economic independence, Ada Wells is well-known for her contribution to the suffrage movement of the 1880s and 90s where she worked closely with Kate Sheppard as a fervent and efficient organiser. She attended Canterbury College in 1881 and went on to teach at Christchurch Girl’s High School. She was an advocate of free kindergartens, universal access to secondary education, the reform of local government, the charitable aid system and prisons. Ada was also active in the campaign to amend the electoral law to enable women to be elected to Parliament. In 1917, Ada was the first woman elected to the Christchurch City Council.

Ernest Rutherford OM FRS HonFRSE

MA (Hons) 1894

Often referred to as the “father of nuclear physics” for his discovery of the atomic structure, Ernest Rutherford is one of UC’s pioneering legends. Leaving Canterbury College with three degrees in 1895, he quickly made his mark on the scientific field. Most famed for being the first person to split the atom in 1917, Rutherford is also credited with discovering two different radioactive atom rays (alpha and beta) and producing the nuclear model of the atom. In 1908 he was awarded the Nobel Prize in chemistry for his investigations into the disintegration of elements and the chemistry of radioactive substances.

Jane Soons

UC Geography Department

Born in England, Emeritus Professor Jane Soons travelled to the other side of the world to take up a lecturer position at UC. Described as achieving “in a male dominated world, without modelling herself on men”, Jane was a trailblazer and role model for female academics and students of geomorphology. Appointed UC’s first female professor in 1971 and an Emeritus Professor upon her retirement in 1992, the University posthumously renamed the geography building after her in 2021, acknowledging her lasting contribution to her field.

Dame Jean Herbison DBE CMG

BA 1951

After graduating from UC, Dame Jean Herbison continued her studies in Auckland and the US. An esteemed alum of the Fulbright programme, her teaching career in New Zealand began at Avonside Girls’ High School, with positions later held at Christchurch Teachers’ College and Christchurch Polytechnic. Jean was elected to the UC Council in 1970, and in 1979 became the first woman to hold the post of Chancellor at a New Zealand university. She has been awarded Commander of the Order of the British Empire (CBE), a recipient of the Queen’s Silver Medal Jubilee and appointed Dame Commander for her services to education.

Dr Dame Julie Maxton DBE

LLM 1981

After moving from Scotland to complete her Master of Laws at UC, Dr Julie Maxton began her academic career teaching within UC’s School of Law as a Lecturer. Upon marrying, Dr Julie moved to the University of Auckland, acting in roles of Professor of Law, Deputy Vice-Chancellor and Dean of the Faculty of Law. Also a practicing barrister, Dr Julie was made a Master of the Bench of Middle Temple in 2012. She is the Executive Director of the Royal Society; the first woman in 350 years to hold the post, and before this was Registrar at the University of Oxford, the first woman in 550 years in the role. In the 2023 UK New Year’s Honour List, Dr Julie was made a Dame.

Helen Connon

MA 1881

Helen Connon played a pioneering role in the education of New Zealand women. When a founding professor at Canterbury College, and later her husband, John Macmillan Brown agreed to enrol her – the decision settled the issue of inviting women into New Zealand’s universities. A tireless worker, she impressed by becoming one of the five teachers at Christchurch Girls’ High School during her studies. Becoming the school’s second principal in 1882, she dedicated herself to making educational opportunities accessible to girls. After her death in 1903, the Helen Macmillan Brown Bursary was established, with students still benefitting from her legacy today. Alongside this, the first UC Hall of Residence was built in her name.