<Li> 1860--Franchise extended to holders of miner's licenses who met all voting qualifications except that of property . </Li> <Li> 1867--Māori seats established, giving Māori four reserved seats in the lower house . There was no property qualification; thus Māori men gained universal suffrage before other New Zealanders . The number of seats did not reflect the size of the Māori population, but Māori men who met the property requirement for general electorates were able to vote in them or in the Māori electorates but not both . </Li> <Li> 1879--Property requirement abolished . </Li> <Li> 1893--Women won equal voting rights with men, making New Zealand the first nation in the world to allow adult women to vote . </Li>

Where does the right to vote come from