Its 124 years since women won the right to vote in New Zealand.

I know this because right now I live in Christchurch.

The Governor of the time, Lord Glasgow, signed a new Electoral Act which meant that NZ was the first self-governing country in the world to grant women the right to vote in parliamentary elections.

A monumental occasion by anyone’s standards. All because of the perseverance of a group of women.  Kate Sheppard being the most famous of that group, led a women’s rights campaign along with the women from the Women’s Christian Temperance Unit.

More than 90,000 New Zealand women went to the polls on 28 November 1893. That’s a lot of women. Of course they didn’t get the right to stand for Parliament until 1919 but that’s a whole other story.

On 19 August 2013, same sex marriage became legal in New Zealand.

Leaders these Nu Zulanders.

It’s a pity Australia wouldn’t get its act together on same sex marriage.  Let’s hope they come to their senses this November.