In which year New Zealand Government granted unqualified right of vote to women:

The correct answer is 1893.
On September 19, 1893, New Zealand made history by becoming the first self-governing country in the world to grant all women the right to vote in parliamentary elections. This achievement was not an overnight success but the result of a long, determined campaign led by the women's suffrage movement.

The Role of Kate Sheppard

The movement was spearheaded by Kate Sheppard, who is now famously featured on the New Zealand $10 banknote. Under her leadership, the Women’s Christian Temperance Union (WCTU) and other suffrage groups organized three massive petitions to Parliament.The final petition in 1893 was signed by nearly 32,000 women—roughly one-quarter of the adult female population of New Zealand at the time. This massive roll of paper was so large that it had to be unrolled across the floor of the House of Representatives.

Passing the Legislation

The Electoral Act 1893 was introduced by Richard Seddon’s government. While Seddon himself was privately opposed to women’s suffrage, the pressure from the public and the success of the petitions made the bill impossible to ignore. After a narrow victory in the Legislative Council (the upper house), the bill was signed into law by Governor Lord Glasgow.

    Global Impact

• Australia granted federal voting rights in 1902.


• The United States followed in 1920.


• The United Kingdom granted full equal voting rights in 1928.