The swearing in of new Labour list MP Soraya Peke-Mason means for the first time, females make up half of MPs in Parliament.
Peke-Mason is replacing Trevor Mallard, who stepped down last week, while Gaurav Sharma’s resignation means there is no MP holding the Hamilton West electorate.
It means there are now 60 female MPs.
"That's exciting," Peke-Mason said before her swearing in. "While it's a special day for me I think it's a historic day for New Zealand."
Women weren’t allowed to become MPs until 1919, with Elizabeth McCombs the first female MP in 1933. Helen Clark was just the 17th.
Women MPs now make up half of those in Parliament, following the swearing in of Labour’s Soraya Peke-Mason. (Source: 1News)
"I'm just really pleased that my daughters are growing up in a country where women being equally represented in public life is just normal," National's deputy leader Nicola Willis said, adding that her party was encouraging more women to put their names forward as candidates.
NZ is one of just six nations to have 50% female representation, Grant Robertson said.
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