Christina Henderson

Christina Kirk Henderson (15 August 1861 – 27 September 1953) was a New Zealand teacher, feminist, prohibitionist, social reformer and editor.

Early life Henderson was born in Emerald Hill, Melbourne, Victoria, Australia on 15 August 1861, one of nine children of Alice and Daniel Henderson. The family moved to Kaiapoi, North Canterbury, New Zealand, and later Ashburton before settling in Christchurch. When she was young – "barely in her teens" – she became an unpaid pupil-teacher at Ashburton School. She then won a scholarship to Christchurch Normal School to continue her training. Once she had completed her certificates she was briefly headmistress of the Normal School. Henderson taught at Springston School in rural Canterbury from 1883 to 1885, and continued to study in the evenings and weekends through Canterbury College for a Bachelor of Arts degree; she graduated in 1891. She also campaigned for temperance and was involved with the Christchurch Prohibition League and the Woman's Christian Temperance Union, serving as president of the Christchurch branch of the WCTU from 1926 until 1946. A third sister, Alice, was a Presbyterian missionary in India, and her brother Alexander became editor of the Christchurch Star-Sun newspaper.