The inaugural meeting of the country’s first women’s union was held at the Dunedin Choral Hall, and addressed by the Reverend Rutherford Waddell, who had preached a celebrated sermon on the evils of sweated labour in the clothing trade. Although the union was at first presided over by a man, Harriet Morison was elected vice-president, and the tailoresses became one of the largest and more active unions in New Zealand. It was largely due to their influence that the government appointed a “Sweating Commission” to investigate the wages and conditions of women and young people in the clothing and other trades. This commission’s work was drawn on for many years as evidence of the need for sound labour regulation.