New Zealand MP Hana-Rawhiti Maipi-Clarke has been recognised in New York with a Time 100 Next award for her growing influence as a political leader.
The annual list highlights 100 emerging figures whose work is shaping the future across politics, business, entertainment and sport.
Time said Ms Maipi-Clarke is "among the many leaders on this year's list who are younger than the century they are shaping".
At 21, Ms Maipi-Clarke became the youngest MP in New Zealand in 170 years when she won the Waikato-Tainui Māori electorate seat in 2023, defeating former Labour minister Nanaia Mahuta.
Her inclusion on the list acknowledges her leadership in Indigenous advocacy and her role in defending Māori rights.
The magazine cited her protest in Parliament, when she tore up the Treaty Principles Bill and led the Ka Mate haka alongside Te Pāti Māori co-leaders Rawiri Waititi and Debbie Ngarewa-Packer, leading to a brief suspension of Parliament.
The proposed Treaty Bill had triggered political unrest and a march by thousands from the northern tip of New Zealand's North Island to Parliament in Wellington to protest against it.
The haka, which garnered hundreds of millions of views, became a defining moment in the debate over the bill, which was later defeated in Parliament.
Ms Maipi-Clarke has vowed to protect Māori rights and culture and is an advocate for using Indigenous knowledge and practices to address climate change.
She draws inspiration from her grandfather, Taitimu Maipi, a member of the Māori activist group Nga Tamatoa, and is also a grand-niece of Māori language activist Hana Te Hemara.
Speaking about her role and influence, Ms Maipi-Clarke said, "as Indigenous people, there's no place for us in any system".
"Being Indigenous, female and young at the same time, with me just being unapologetically myself and embracing my culture, I can see how impactful that could be to the world," she said.
Former US Secretary of the Interior, Deb Haaland, wrote Ms Maipi-Clarke's tribute for Time, describing her as a young leader continuing a long line of Māori resilience.
"Hana-Rawhiti Maipi-Clarke shook the world when she stood up on New Zealand's Parliament floor in protest last November," Ms Haaland wrote.
She said Ms Maipi-Clarke's actions reflected a broader movement of Indigenous peoples reclaiming space and leadership, adding that "using her platform and voice, she staved off attempts to disenfranchise communities and attack Indigenous rights".
Ms Haaland said Ms Maipi-Clarke represents a generation stepping forward to shape the future.
"Young people are not just leaders of tomorrow, they are also taking the helm and fighting for the future they deserve," she said.
Before receiving international attention, Ms Maipi-Clarke had been named One Young World Politician of the Year, which recognised outstanding politicians aged 18 to 35 who used their positions to positively impact young people in their communities and countries.
