First politicians

All 51 members from the two Houses of New Zealand’s first Parliament were Pākehā (European) men. The year was 1854. In these colonial days, most members were British-born and worked as farmers.

Politics was a poorly paid, part-time pursuit. Even getting to Parliament (often by sea) was hard work. Because of these conditions, turnover in membership was high.

Māori politicians

During the 1850s and 1860s, Māori campaigned for political representation. Parliament agreed that some representation was needed but feared that Māori votes might outnumber Pākehā votes in some areas. It therefore created four separate Māori seats.

The first four Māori entered Parliament in 1868. For decades, their voice was a lonely one in a Pākehā-dominated House. Only during the twentieth century did the Māori voice begin to make an impact.

Professional politicians

From the 1870s, members of Parliament were increasingly New Zealand-born and generally less educated than before. But they were now able to make a career out of politics. From the 1890s, members were organised into political parties.

Women politicians

Women got the vote in 1893 — but couldn’t stand for Parliament until 1919. In 1933, the first woman entered Parliament. However, the impact of women members wasn’t really felt until the 1980s. In 1997, New Zealand got its first female Prime Minister.

Politicians today

Today’s members of Parliament work full-time and are well educated and well paid. Under mixed-member proportional representation (MMP), they come from more diverse backgrounds than before. Women make up about a third of members, and Māori make up about 17 percent. Māori now hold not only Māori seats (of which there are seven) but also other seats.

The face of politics has changed dramatically.