Ethel McMillan

Ethel Emma McMillan (née Black, 12 May 1904 – 13 August 1987) was a New Zealand politician of the Labour Party. She was a Member of Parliament for Dunedin electorates for 22 years, but despite her political seniority, was not appointed a cabinet minister. She was very active in local affairs in Otago and was the first woman to be elected to Dunedin City Council.

Biography

Early life McMillan was born at Kaiti, Gisborne, in 1904. She was dux and prefect at Gisborne Girls' High School. She graduated with honours in history from the University of Otago in 1926. She lectured in history at Otago for a year, during which time she met the medical student and her future husband, Gervan McMillan. She then taught at Nelson College for Girls for three years.

After their wedding on 4 September 1929 at Gisborne, they settled in Kurow, where he had worked as a locum and then purchased the medical practice. They moved to Dunedin in 1934, where her husband was elected to Parliament for the Labour Party in the Dunedin West electorate in .

Parliamentary career

McMillan stood in a in the North Dunedin electorate that was caused by the death of Labour's Robert Walls and was elected. She continued to represent the electorate to 1963, and then Dunedin North from to 1975, when she retired. Although she was a senior parliamentarian when Labour came to power in 1972, she was not elected to cabinet, possibly due to her strained relation with Norman Kirk. However, she did serve as Labour's Spokesperson for Health in Kirk's Shadow Cabinet. She was known as the 'Queen of Quiz' in Parliament for the numerous questions that she asked. and many felt that she should have received more official recognition. She died in Dunedin on 13 August 1987.

Three short streets close to the University of Otago campus were renamed in 1993 (New Zealand women's suffrage centenary year) to honour McMillan, Emily Siedeberg, and Ethel Benjamin.