Elizabeth Yates' election as mayor of Onehunga on 29 November 1893 – the day after New Zealand women had led the world by voting in a general election for the first time – cemented her place as a pioneer of women's political rights. She was the first woman in the British Empire to hold the office of mayor.

​

She was a strong supporter of the women's suffrage movement, and was the first woman to record her vote in the Onehunga electorate in the general election held on 28 November 1893.