Hidden under many bushels' : Lady Victoria Plunket and the New Zealand Society for the Health of Women and Children

Lady Victoria Plunket, whose husband was Governor-General of New Zealand from 1904–1910, played a key role in the early successes of the New Zealand Society for the Health of Women and Children through her idea to establish the nursing guild which became known as the Plunket nurses. Victoria Plunket used the practical and political experiences of her older sisters, mother and friends to guide her in her imperial mission. This article is a case study of a vice-regal woman who, through philanthropy, active citizenship, and a network of imperial women, was a conduit in the transference of ideas and institutions across the British empire at a time of great change.