A reader has eamiled me with another, far more graphic way of illustrating MMP's effect on diversity: Since 1933, 98 women have been elected to the New Zealand Parliament. Of those 98, 38 are there now - 39% of all the women ever elected. With Pacific Peoples, the numbers are 4 and 3 (75%); with "Asians", 2 and 2 (100%).
Before Helen Clark was elected in 1981, only 16 women had been elected to Parliament. 78 have been elected since - 54 of those under MMP. Anyone who thinks it hasn't made a difference is simply ignoring the facts.
