ABSTRACT
Edward Gibbon Wakefield declared that a 'Colony that is not attractive to women, is an unattractive colony'. His emphasis on female immigration to New Zealand arose from his belief that women, in their roles of wives and mothers, were central to building the 'morals and manners' of the nation. Katie Pickles argues that women were also 'agents of empire' and that there is a growing interest not only in the 'overtly feminist achievements that challenged and improved women's status in society' but also in histories of 'imperial and conservative women who supported the status quo'. Oliver Ellis draws parallels between the position of women and the oppression of Maori and encourages her readers to work to build a moral society founded on the principles of equality and respect. The moral woman lies at the heart of both narratives, but the agent of empire in Distant Homes becomes the agent of feminist revolution in everything is Possible to Will.
