Nellie Euphemia Coad

Nellie Euphemia Coad (15 October 1883 – 6 September 1974) was a New Zealand teacher, community leader, women's advocate and writer. She was an early advocate for educational and career opportunities for women, and for many years led and participated in the New Zealand Women Teachers' Association (NZWTA), where she fought for better salaries for female teachers and equal accommodation for female student athletes.

Early life and education Coad was born in New Plymouth, New Zealand, in 1883. She was the daughter of Annie McLauchlan, an Australian teacher, and James Coad, a brewer. The family moved back to Australia for a short time and she attended primary school in Victoria, Australia. By 1893 the family had returned to New Zealand, living in the Aro Valley suburb of Wellington (then called Mitchelltown), and Coad's mother was one of the signatories of the 1893 Women's Suffrage Petition. Coad attended Wellington Girls' College (then Wellington Girls' High School). She received an MA with honours in mental philosophy from Victoria College in 1914. She was known as a disciplinarian and one of her pupils later said she "gave good strong signposts through the confused paths of history".

Coad sat on the executive committee of the New Zealand Educational Institute, was a member of the University Entrance Board and was vice-president of the New Zealand Secondary Schools' Association. She served as vice-president of the National Council of Women of New Zealand in 1921–22 and as president of the Council's Wellington branch in 1922–23. She was the founding president of the New Zealand Women Writers' and Artists' Society from 1932 to 1934. and at the third conference of the NZWTA in 1916, opposed the Council's recommendation that all secondary school girls be taught home science. She argued that girls should receive a good general education, rather than being required to specialise early which would limit their choices of career. On a return visit to New Zealand in 1947 she said she hoped women would become a stronger force in political life post-war.

Coad died at Runwell, Essex, in September 1974.