By Ian Dougherty. Published by Saddle Hill Press, 2018. Reviewed by Michael Hill

Rutherford Waddell was born in Northern Ireland around 1850. He first studied English literature in Belfast, his passion being for 19th-century British writers including George Elliot and Robbie Burns. After theological studies at Queen’s University and ordination to the Presbyterian ministry in 1876, he set out with his young bride Kathleen to minister in New Zealand, initially in Christchurch before being called to Dunedin in December 1878.

The parish of St Andrew’s was the scene of his labours for the next 40 years. It included areas of dire poverty, and his experience among poor families prompted his famous sermon in August 1881 on “The Sin of Cheapness”. Waddell eloquently described the plight of shop girls, barmaids and seamstresses who laboured long hours in miserable conditions for pitiful remuneration — sometimes as little as two shillings a day. It was a classic example of sweated labour.

His plea for a living wage and decent working conditions echoed throughout the colony. It brought about the founding of the Tailoresses’ Union of NZ, a world “first”, followed by legislation to limit working hours and raise the minimum wage. Waddell’s thesis was that although wealthy manufacturers — and he named them — bore much of the blame, the root cause was the general public’s passion for bargains, especially cheap garments, which increased competition and drove down wages.

Waddell’s efforts for social justice included equal pay for women doing equal work to men, promoting temperance, improving education and providing libraries and, with his wife Kathleen, founding free kindergartens. He campaigned for penal reform, advocating “indeterminate sentences”: society needed to reform criminals rather than simply incarcerate them. Waddell was a deeply religious man and his faith and preaching were the springboard for good works and social reform. He was an advocate of women’s suffrage, gained in New Zealand in 1893.

Rutherford Waddell’s extraordinary achievements have been neglected in New Zealand history writing, but that is being remedied. Pulpit Radical gives a well-documented and meticulously researched account. It is well presented, but could have been improved by further editing. For instance, it includes at least 25 photographs of Waddell — which is surely overkill. Sometimes the text becomes laboured with too many examples. However, Dougherty is to be commended for a scholarly presentation and lovers of biography and history will appreciate this book.

Tui Motu Magazine. Issue 230 September 2018: 31