Pregnant Meghan Markle delivers an empowering speech while glowing in an elegant black dress

On Sunday, Duchess Meghan and Prince Harry visited the Government House in Wellington. There the Duchess gave a moving and empowering speech.

In her speech, she used the language of New Zealand’s indigenous people te reo Māori in greeting. This was her third speech since her 16-day tour began.

Duchess Meghan and Prince Harry were at Government House for a welcoming reception and to celebrate New Zealand’s 125th anniversary of women’s suffrage. They were joined by Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern and Governor Dame Patsy Reddy.

During her speech, Meghan started off by welcoming the assembled dignitaries. She also opened with a formal greeting in te reo Māori.

For more on this story go to our Twitter account @amomama_usa. The Duchess was heard saying:

“Tēnā koutou katoa [greetings to all].”

She immediately received warm applause and whoops from the audience. For the occasion, Meghan wore an elegant black Gabriela Hearst dress with a necklace that had a traditional Māori design

She said:

“We are proud to be able to join you tonight in celebrating the 125th anniversary of women’s suffrage in your country.”

The Duchess added:

“The achievements of the women of New Zealand who campaigned for their right to vote, and were the first in the world to achieve it, are universally admired.”

In her moving speech she continued:

“Because yes, women’s suffrage is about feminism, but feminism is about fairness. Suffrage is not simply about the right to vote but also about what that represents: the basic and fundamental human right of being able to participate in the choices for your future and that of your community, the involvement and voice that allows you to be a part of the very world that you are a part of.”

She emphasized that women’s suffrage wasn’t “simply about the right to vote for women,” but about what that represented. Meghan shared that it represented “the basic and fundamental human right of all people, including those members of society who have been marginalized whether for reasons of race, gender, ethnicity or orientation, to be able to participate in the choices for their future and their community.”

The Duchess ended off her speech by congratulating New Zealand for “championing” that right 125 years ago. Meghan has been a vocal feminist for a long time and she’s worked with One World Vision and also served as an ambassador for United Nations Women.

As part of their tour of New Zealand, the Duchess and the prince visited Courtenay Creative which is a new training facility for the screen and creative industries. It provides young people with programs to excel in the film industry.

The couple was greeted by young people who were dressed in different costumes.