New Zealand was colonized by England in the early 1800s, who brought with them many influences, including a democratic legal system. The English who colonized New Zealand gained a lot of power and were therefore influential. They represented most of the seats in Parliament since in 1867 the Māori Representation Act was passed which gave Māori four seats in Parliament (Department of Culture and Heritage, 2013, p. 2) This meant that the Europeans had a great influence on what happened in New Zealand and incorporated many English methods into this system. The most significant lasting influence of the English settlers was on the New Zealand legal system. New Zealand inherited English laws when New Zealand became an English colony. These laws include the Statute of Westminster of 1275, the Magna Carta of 1297 and the Bill of Rights of 1688. (Morris, 2012) The English legal system influenced New Zealand because New Zealand was based on precedent and the statutes of England. However, New Zealand broke away from England and created its own legal history. The main difference was the signing of the Treaty of Waitangi. It was the first time that a British colony had entered into 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 laws, such as the Electoral Act 1893, making 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 the Age Pension to all deserving older New Zealanders. (King, 2003, p. 282) Many female settlers influence the way New Zealand is today, such as Mary Muller and Mary Colclough who were influential middle of paper......a.govt.nz /fr/english/page-12Hear. T (July 13, 2012) “English – Values”, Te Ara – The Encyclopedia of New Zealand. Retrieved from: http://www.TeAra.govt.nz/en/english/page-13Royal, TAC (September 22, 2012). Te Ao Marama- the natural world – The importance of the land. In Te Ara: The Encyclopedia of New Zealand. 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 (July 13, 2012) “Diverse 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