It is a pleasure to be with you today to celebrate one of the occasions that defines New Zealand as a nation.

We are justifiably proud of the fact that we were the first country in the world where women won the right to vote back in 1893, a time when women around the world were fighting to have their voices heard.

Women like suffragette Kate Sheppard fought tirelessly and successfully for this to happen in a time when other nations were facing violent riots over the issue of a woman's right to vote.

In 1893, women in England - where Kate Sheppard was born -were starting to vocalise their frustration at being denied the right to vote, which would later lead acts of civil disobedience and violent uprisings.

A number of women went to prison for the right to vote and many went on hunger strikes while incarcerated to highlight the discrimination.

Women in England wouldn't be given the right to vote until 1918 after demonstrating they were indispensable by taking on heavy physical factory and farm work while the nation's men were out fighting in World War One.

The relatively peaceful way to New Zealand women's victory in the fight for the right to vote is in no small measure a result of the organisational skills, determination and resourcefulness of our Suffragettes and an early glimpse of our nation's comparatively progressive and inclusive attitude.

Of course, Christchurch has played a huge role in the Suffrage movement, including being the hometown of Kate Sheppard.

It is here in Christchurch, that pioneering women first started to come together to build on their good work after securing women the right to vote.

They refused to rest on their laurels and continued to work to ensure that women could do anything they put their minds to.

In 1894, just one year after securing women the vote, Kate Sheppard travelled to England where she was requested by the International Council of Women to form a national council of women in New Zealand.

Kate Sheppard was elected as the first president of the Council, a position she held for three years as she tirelessly rallied women and men together to ensure that women were not treated as "second class citizens".

During the second meeting of the Council, Kate Sheppard started pushing for women to enter politics, highlighting the fact that they were not being represented in Parliament.

But it would take another 40 years before Elisabeth McCombs would become New Zealand's first woman MP, after winning the seat of Lyttelton during a by-election in 1933.

Kate Sheppard managed to see Elisabeth McCombs enter Parliament, before passing away at her Riccarton home in 1934.

The Christchurch Times reported her death in simple appreciation: 'A great woman has gone, whose name will remain an inspiration to the daughters of New Zealand while our history endures.'

And the daughters of New Zealand continue to inspire and to break through the glass ceiling - including our women Prime Ministers Rt Hon Jenny Shipley and Helen Clark, as well as women Govenor Generals, speaker of the House and the current Auditor General - showing that women can hold top positions.

New Zealand is still a young nation, but in our short history, our pioneering women have built us an international reputation for being a feisty nation championing the ideal of having a "fair go".

We may be considered to be a small country on the international stage, but New Zealand has a big voice in promoting equality at international forums - a role that we take very seriously because the world cannot afford to underutilise the talents and skills of women.

Our strong voice and reputation came about through the tireless efforts of trailblazing women and it is crucial that we honour these women by continuing to pave the path they started many years ago.

It is pioneering Canterbury women like Kate Sheppard, Elisabeth McCombs, first woman Cabinet Minister Mabel Howard; Christchurch's first woman city councillor Ada Wells, and, of course, the first woman Prime Minister, Rt Hon Jenny Shipley that paved the path for me as a woman from ethnic background to have the opportunity to make a difference as Minister of Women's Affairs - starting my political career here in Christchurch in 1989 as a Canterbury Regional Councillor.

I am determined to ensure that all New Zealand women know that they can pave paths of their own in any field - whether it be in arts and culture, the community, commerce or the creative sector.

Since 1893, women have become role models and leaders in all fields and we continue to see pockets of brilliance coming out of New Zealand.

I am so glad that on Thursday, the Attorney General Hon Chris Finlayson announced that he is appointing Hon Justice Helen Winkelmann as the Chief High Court Judge - only the second woman to be given the appointment as head of the High Court, after our current Chief Justice Dame Sian Elias first held that post.

There are brilliant pioneering women breaking through in many fields, but often there are significant time gaps between them - which means we cannot rest on their laurels to smash through the glass ceiling.

We must find ways to open up the gates and tear down the barriers to ensure that there is a flood of women who are aspiring to fulfil their own dreams and potential.

More than a century ago, Kate Sheppard said she hoped that there would be a day in the not too far future where women's councils would be able to be disestablished.

But in the year 2009, we are lucky that they are still around because there is still much to do.

The Ministry of Women's Affairs has identified three priorities and look forward to working with national women's councils and organisations to make significant difference ... Tackling the gender pay gap; increasing the number of women in leadership; and reducing violence against women.

In this year's budget, the Ministry of Women's Affairs was given an additional $2 million over four years to tackle the pay gap, which has been stalled at 12 percent since 2001.

Over the next 12 months, they will focus on four work-streams:

Crystalising and resolving the pay gap developing between women and men who graduate into the same profession after one year of working.

Creating the business case for flexible work arrangements, which will allow women and men to stay connected to the workforce while caring for their families.

Developing ways to upskill and chart career pathways for women in low-paid jobs.

And highlighting the barriers that prevent young women from entering into trades training and promoting trades as a viable career path.

To increase the number or women in leadership, the Ministry is working with business organisations to ensure that companies know the benefits of having more women leadership roles.

Leading international research shows that companies with a greater mix of men and women in senior management, the boardroom and other leadership roles tend to outperform male-dominated companies.

The Ministry has teamed up with Business New Zealand and the Institute of Directors to release the Women on Boards publication - which highlights the fact that Kiwi companies are missing out on the competitive edge that comes with having greater gender diversity. Currently, women directors only make up 8.6 percent of the top 100 listed companies.

The Ministry is also working hard to foster leadership in the state sector through its Nominations Service, which provides names of competent and qualified women to sit on public sector boards.

Women can't exercise choice and fulfil their dreams and potential if they do not live in a safe environment.

Domestic and sexual violence against women are black marks on the proud history of our country and we must erase them.

The Ministry is soon to release a significant sexual violence research project, which will help Police, Courts and other services better understand and tackle the issues faced by victims of sexual violence. There are four parts to the Strong and Safe Communities research.

I am pleased to announce that the Ministry and the Office of Ethnic Affairs are joining forces to undertake the Ethnic Women and Intimate Partner Violence Study.

This research will improve our understanding of the occurrences, will identify practical ideas and will examine good practices that will meet the needs of women in the ethnic communities and to start to raise consistent awareness of intimate partner violence in the communities.

It is a subject that many find difficult to discuss openly but we can't afford to continue to fail our ethnic women who are victims or potential victims by not addressing it in a comprehensive manner.

The National-led Government has made a number of legislative changes to ensure there is justice for victims of sexual and domestic violence and it will be an ongoing effort.

As Minister of Women's Affairs I am committed to working with women to ensure that all women remain safe and that they have all the necessary tools, skills and opportunities to continue to put their hands up to be leaders in all fields. The daughters of New Zealand will honour the pioneering spirit of our Suffragettes led by Kate Sheppard some 116 years ago.