History of the Vote
- ARTICLES
The Right to Vote
New Zealand's first parliamentary elections were held in 1853. At first, not everyone had the right to vote. But over the next half century New Zealand was to become one of the most democratic nations in the world. Read more »
Māori and the Vote
The involvement of the indigenous Māori people in New Zealand's electoral system is one of the most remarkable stories of New Zealand's political history. Read more »
Votes for Women
When the Governor, Lord Glasgow, signed the Electoral Act into law on 19 September 1893, New Zealand became the first country in the world to grant women the right to vote in parliamentary elections. Read more »
Election Day through the years
General elections have always been important public events. But the experience of voting in the 1850s was very different from today. Read more »
Messages and media
The ways in which politicians and political parties have appealed to voters during election campaigns have changed dramatically over the years - especially since the advent of radio and television. Read more »
Electoral timeline
Key Dates in Electoral Reform, 1852-2002 Read more »
Sound and film files
Sound clips and transcripts from our archives. Also links to film files held at he New Zealand Film Archive website. Read more »
Further reading and links
Sources of electoral information and related links. Read more »
From FPP to MMP
In 1993 New Zealanders voted in a referendum to change their voting system from the traditional first-past-the-post (FPP) method to Mixed Member Proportional representation (MMP). How, and why, did this dramatic change come about? Read more »