Yesterday marked 125 years since the passing of the Electoral Act 1893, which enabled women to vote in Parliamentary elections for the first time. To celebrate that victory, and New Zealand's pioneering role in women's suffrage, Dame Patsy hosted a morning tea for Maori Dames in Auckland, followed by a Government House Wellington dinner attended by half of New Zealand's living Dames, along with female members of the Order of New Zealand and female Chief Executives of government agencies. The guest speakers were the Government Science Adviser, Professor Juliet Gerrard, and Thomasin McKenzie, grand-daughter of one of the guests, Dame Kate Harcourt.