On this day, November the 28th, in the year of 1893, women in New Zealand, after an extensive suffrage campaign, gained the right to vote, being the first instance of women’s suffrage on a national level in any country.

With the movement being by a mixture of temperance movements, feminists, and male politicians, it had support form the public, but not all. Additionally, support from the public could only go so far, as laws had to be passed for women to be able to vote.

Legislatively, bills granting women the right to vote in New Zealand’s lower chamber passed in 1891 and in 1892, but both of the bills died in the upper chamber.

In the following year, with a margin of 20-18, the bill passed and women (including the native Māori women) were allowed to vote.

New Zealand would see their first Member of Parliament, Elzbeth McComb in 1933 and their first female Prime Minister, Jenny Shipley, in 1997 (NZ History) (NZ History).