New Zealand was the first self-governing country to grant women the right to vote in parliamentary elections, in 1893.
The Electoral Act 1893 became law on 19 September after years of campaigning by women’s suffrage organizations. Kate Sheppard was the movement’s best-known leader and helped organize petitions and public advocacy across the country.
New Zealand women voted in the general election held later in 1893. The reform gave women the right to vote, but women could not stand for election to Parliament until 1919. Māori women were also included in the voting reform, an important feature of New Zealand’s electoral history.
Several countries later introduced women’s suffrage. Finland granted women both the right to vote and the right to stand for election in 1906, while Australia introduced federal women’s voting rights in 1902, with important exclusions at first.