Background
How New Zealand got the vote we use today
Voting here wasn't always universal — it was expanded bit by bit, often because people campaigned for it. Here's the short version.
The first elections
New Zealand holds its first parliamentary elections. The vote is limited to British men who own or rent property worth a certain amount — most residents can't take part.
Māori Representation Act
Four dedicated Māori electorates are created, giving Māori men a separate voting route at a time when property rules and a patchwork of voting rights would otherwise have excluded many.
The property bar falls
The property qualification is removed, so nearly all adult men can vote — though still not women, and still not everyone equally.
Women win the vote
After a huge petition campaign led by figures like Kate Sheppard, the Electoral Act makes New Zealand the first self-governing country where all women can vote. Women can't stand for Parliament until 1919.
Women can stand for Parliament
Sixteen years after winning the vote, women become eligible to stand as MPs. Elizabeth McCombs becomes the first woman actually elected to Parliament in 1933.
The voting age drops to 18
The voting age had been lowered from 21 to 20 in 1969; in 1974 it drops again to 18, bringing the vote in line with the draft age.
New Zealand votes to change how it votes
A binding referendum asks voters to choose an electoral system. MMP wins overwhelmingly, replacing First Past the Post, where a party could win every seat with far less than half the vote.
The first MMP election
Parliament grows to 120 seats under MMP: 72 electorate seats, 48 list seats, with parties allocated seats in proportion to their party vote. Every election since has produced a coalition or support-based government — no single party has won a majority.
MMP confirmed
A referendum on keeping MMP is held; nearly 58% of voters vote to retain it, cementing the system New Zealanders use today.
A young democracy keeps changing
Voting is open to citizens and permanent residents from 18, with enrolment possible from 17. Debates continue about the voting age, Māori representation and digital voting — history isn't finished yet.