A Maldivian woman, Shazly Rasheed, won a seat on New Zealand's Hutt City Council.
Shazly holds New Zealand citizenship and has been residing in the country for 20 years.
She was an independent candidate and won the election held on October 12, for Hutt City.
In her campaigns, she pledged to increase employment opportunities and business opportunities in the city.
Shazly won over 8000 votes from Hutt City which has a population of 104,700.
With this victory, Shazly is now one of the 11 members of the council.
In addition to being in politics, Shazly is a successful entrepreneur, owning a Hair Salon, "Shazly Experience" in Hutt City.