New Zealand is marking 133 years since women won the right to vote, with the Government using Suffrage Day to highlight its focus on women’s economic security, health and safety.
Minister for Women Nicola Grigg said the day was a chance to honour the women who changed New Zealand’s history and paved the way for future generations.
She said the suffragists had campaigned for more than the right to vote, including greater opportunity, dignity and fairness.
“The best way to honour the suffragists’ legacy is to keep building a New Zealand where women and girls can fully participate, where they can lead and they can have their voices heard,” she said.
New Zealand became the first self-governing country in the world to give women the right to vote in 1893.
The Government said its focus now included improving women’s health, safety and financial security.
The Government was also focused on getting more women into higher-paid jobs, which it said would help close gender pay and retirement savings gaps.