Parliamentary milestone: New MP’s swearing in will make political history
StuffOct 12, 2022
Soraya Peke-Mason from New Zealand's Labour Party was sworn into Parliament on Tuesday, forming a female majority in the legislative body for the first time in the nation's history.
The historic swearing-in of Peke-Mason comes as former Speaker Trevor Mallard resigned his seat in the house to become the country's ambassador to Ireland.
This is a milestone for New Zealand. Peke-Mason's induction is significant not only in terms of gender diversity but also because a wahine Māori has marked this moment. New Zealand is a leading global state for gender representation and equity, and this is another moment for celebration.
Though this marks a historic moment for New Zealand, there's still a long way to go to ensure lasting equal representation. Conservatives are likely to make up ground in next year's general elections and they have a lower proportion of women than liberal parties. Reaching gender parity could prove transitory unless the gains are sustained.
There's a 50% chance that half of world leaders will be women by April 2076, according to the Metaculus prediction community.