New Zealand was colonized by England in the early 1800s and brought with it many influences, such as a democratic justice system. The English who colonized New Zealand gained a lot of power and therefore were influential and accounted for the majority of seats in parliament as in 1867 the Maori Representation Act was passed allowing four Maori seats in parliament (Ministry of Culture and Heritage, 2013, p . 2) this meant that Europeans had a lot of influence on what was happening in New Zealand and incorporated many English ways into this system. The most significant lasting influence of the English settlers is on New Zealand's legal system. New Zealand inherited the laws of England when New Zealand became an English colony. Such laws include the Statute of Westminster 1275, Magna Carta 1297 and the Bill of Rights 1688. (Morris, 2012) The English justice system influenced New Zealand because New Zealand was based on English precedents and statutes. However, New Zealand broke away from England and created its own legal history. The main difference was the signing of the Treaty of Waitangi. This was the first time that a British colony made a treaty with the indigenous population. This led to the uniqueness of New Zealand as it was very different from England and its other colonies. New Zealand also passed other acts of its own, such as the Electoral Act of 1893, which made New Zealand the first country to allow women to vote. (Morris, 2012) New Zealand established itself as an influential country when it became the first country to introduce age pensions for all deserving elderly New Zealanders. (King, 2003, p. 282) Many settler women influence the look of New Zealand today, such as Mary Muller and Mary Colclough who were influential in the...... middle of paper ...... a.govt. nz /it/italiano/page-12Ascolta. T (2012, 13 July) 'English - Values', Te Ara - the Encyclopedia of New Zealand. Retrieved from: http://www.TeAra.govt.nz/en/english/page-13Royal, TAC (22 September 2012). Te Ao Marama- the natural world – The importance of the earth. In Te Ara: The New Zealand Encyclopedia. Retrieved from: http://www.TeAra.govt.nz/en/te-ao-marama-the-natural-world/page-4Diamond. P (22 September 2012) "Te tāpoi Māori - Māori Tourism - 20th Century Māori Tourism", Te Ara - the Encyclopedia of New Zealand. Retrieved from: http://www.TeAra.govt.nz/en/te-tapoi-maori-maori-tourism/page-2The Penguin History of New Zealand Michael KingMorris. P (2012, 13 July) "Different religions - Religious diversity in New Zealand", Te Ara - the Encyclopedia of New Zealand. Retrieved from: http://www.TeAra.govt.nz/en/diverse-religions/page-1