Former prime minister Helen Clark has praised how far women's rights in New Zealand have come at the launch of a programme celebrating 125 years of women's suffrage, in Wellington today.
"I think it's a wonderful, wide representation of New Zealand women who are here," Miss Clark said.
She spoke about the political environment for women compared to when she first came into parliament, and also touched on women having the choice to have children and a career.
Miss Clark, who served as New Zealand's prime minister from December 1999 - November 2008, said she had seen the political atmosphere develop from being "very hard for women to establish themselves in politics, to it being accepted as very mainstream".
"We're not quite there yet in gender parity, but once you reach 38 per cent in parliament you can see that 50 per cent isn't that far away.
"Political parties can be the greatest champions of women's representation, or the greatest opponents."
The former PM said we need "strong, social policy" around parental leave and early childhood education. (Source: Other)
"I think in New Zealand you can hit glass ceilings and break through them... I think other societies are well behind us."
Talking about the 2016 US presidential candidate Hillary Clinton, Ms Clarke said "in my opinion, the best qualified candidate couldn't win".
When asked about the Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern's pregnancy, she said it was "an amazing signal that women can have a family and a career, no matter what that career is".
"The key thing for me, is to see it's possible for women at all levels of income to do that. It's easier obviously if you're on a big income."
Miss Clark said there were still women's issues coming to light, "exposed by the #MeToo movement, and it's exposing a very unpleasant side of New Zealand, as it has other countries".
She said Ms Ardern's signals to remove abortion from the Crimes Act, to the Health Act was a good move.
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