Māori Development Minister Nanaia Mahuta has been recognised in the BCC 100 Women 2018 list of inspiring and influential women around the world.
Mahuta was the only Kiwi to make the cut.
"Nanaia has served in the New Zealand parliament for 22 years and was the first female parliamentarian to wear a Māori face tattoo," the BBC said.
Former Australian prime minister Julia Gillard was also recognised on the list, but New Zealand Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern and former prime minister Helen Clark were not.
Mahuta, 48, asked for and was appointed Māori Development Minister and was sworn in alongside Ardern in October, 2017.
The Hauraki-Waikato MP has been vocal about her aspirations to influence change for Māori.
"In this day and age, Māori are in a different space in terms of development aspirations in a post-settlement context, in how we are upskilling our kids and what that looks like for future opportunity for our hapū and our whānau," Mahuta said.
"The challenge of lifting the aspirations for Māori, you can do it through that portfolio."
After Mahuta was sworn in, the Government committed $4 million to go towards telling the stories of the New Zealand Wars.
Mahuta opened applications for the Te Pūtake o Te Riri - Wars and Conflicts in Aotearoa New Zealand Fund, which supports whānau, hapū and iwi to be able to promote and deliver events which would commemorate the New Zealand Wars.
UN Deputy Secretary General Amina Mohammed told the BBC the idea that women "should be grateful for being at the table" is still prevalent.
"What we really need to see is that we have equal rights to all those things that allow us to be present and to be effective and be part of society and our economies."
The list of inspirational women is alphabetised, and Mahuta comes in at number 53.
THE FULL LIST:
1) Abisoye Ajayi-Akinfolarin, 33 - Social impact entrepreneur, Nigeria.
2) Esraa al-Shafei, 32 - Executive director of not for profit Majal.org., Bahrain.
3) Svetlana Alekseeva, 18 - Model, Russia.
4) Lizt Alfonso, 51 - Director and choreographer, Cuba.
5) Nimco Ali, 35 - Writer and activist, Somaliland.
6) Isabel Allende, 76 - Author, Peru.
7) Boushra Yahya Almutawakel, 49 - Artist, photographer and activist, Yemen.
8) Alina Anisimova, 19 - Student programmer, Kyrgyzstan.
9) Frances Arnold, 62 - Professor of chemical engineering, bioengineering and biochemistry, US.
10) Uma Devi Badi, 54 - MP, Nepal.
11) Judith Balcazar, 65 - Retired fashion designer, UK.
12) Cindy Arlette Contreras Bautista, 28 - Lawyer, Peru.
13) Leyla Belyalova, 61 - University lecturer, Uzbekistan.
14) Analia Bortz, 51 - Doctor, rabbi and bioethicist, Argentina.
15) Fealofani Bruun, 35 - Yachtmaster, Samoa.
16) Raneen Bukhari, 31 - Curator and social media manager, Saudi Arabia.
17) Joy Buolamwini, 28 - AI artist/researcher, Canada.
18) Barbara Burton, 62 - CEO of BehindBras, UK.
19) Tamara Cheremnova, 62 - Author, Russia.
20) Chelsea Clinton, 38 - Vice-chair of the Clinton Foundation, US.
21) Stacey Cunningham, 44 - President, New York Stock Exchange (NYSE) Group, US.
22) Jenny Davidson, 50 - CEO of Stand Up Placer, US.
23) Asha de Vos, 39 - Marine biologist, Sri Lanka.
24) Gabriella Di Laccio, 44 - Soprano and founder of DONNE: Women in Music, Brazil.
25) Xiomara Diaz, 34 - Entrepreneur, restaurant owner and charity founder, Nicaragua.
26) Noma Dumezweni, 49 - Actor, eSwatini (formerly known as Swaziland).
27) Chidera Eggerue, 23 - Blogger - 'Slumflower', UK.
28) Shrouk El-Attar, 26 - Electronic design engineer, Egypt.
29) Nicole Evans, 44 - Online retail sales facilitator, UK.
30) Raghda Ezzeldin, 26 - Free-diver, Egypt.
31) Mitra Farazandeh, 42 - Artist, Iran.
32) Mamitu Gashe, 72 - Senior nurse aide/fistula surgeon, Ethiopia.
33) Meena Gayen, 36 - Business owner, India.
34) G.E.M., 27 - Singer-songwriter, China.
35) Fabiola Gianotti, 58 - Particle physicist, Italy.
36) Julia Gillard, 57 - Former Australian prime minister, UK.
37) Elena Gorolova, 49 - Social worker, Czech Republic.
38) Randi Heesoo Griffin, 30 - Olympic hockey player and data scientist, US.
39) Janet Harbick, 33 - Altruistic surrogate and tanning consultant, Canada.
40) Jessica Hayes, 41 - Teacher, US.
41) Thando Hopa, 29 - Model, lawyer, activist, South Africa.
42) Hindou Oumarou Ibrahim, 35 - Environmentalist and advocate for indigenous people and women, Chad.
43) Reyhan Jamalova, 16 - Student and entrepreneur, Azerbaijan.
44) Jameela Jamil, 32 - Actress, writer, activist, host, UK.
45) Liz Johnson, 32 - Paralympian and entrepreneur, UK.
46) Lao Khang, 26 - Rugby player and coach, Laos.
47) Joey Mead King, 44 - Model, Philippines.
48) Krishna Kumari, 40 - Politician, Pakistan.
49) Marie Laguerre, 22 - Civil engineer and architecture student, France.
50) Veasna Chea Leth, 44 - Lawyer, Cambodia.
51) Ana Graciela Sagastume Lopez, 38 - Prosecutor, El Salvador.
52) Maria Corina Machado, 51 - Political leader, Venezuela.
53) Nanaia Mahuta, 48 - Minister of Maori development, New Zealand.
54) Sakdiyah Maruf, 36 - Stand-up comedian, Indonesia.
55) Lisa McGee, 38 - Writer, UK.
56) Kirsty McGurrell, 30 - Charity co-ordinator, UK.
57) Becki Meakin, 52 - General manager of Shaping Our Lives, UK.
58) Ruth Medufia, 27 - Metal worker, Ghana.
59) Larisa Mikhaltsova, 66 - Model and music teacher, Ukraine.
60) Amina J Mohammed, 57 - Deputy secretary general, United Nations, Nigeria.
61) Yanar Mohammed, 58 - President of the Organization of Women's Freedom in Iraq (OWFI), Iraq.
62) Joseline Esteffania Velasquez Morales, 26 - Student and NGO co-ordinator, Guatemala.
63) Robin Morgan, 77 - Author and activist, US.
64) Nujeen Mustafa, 19 - Student, Syria.
65) Dima Nashawi, 38 - Artist, Syria.
66) Helena Ndume, 58 - Ophthalmologist, Namibia.
67) Kelly O'Dwyer, 41 - Member of Parliament, Australia.
68) Yuki Okoda, 23 - Astronomer, Japan.
69) Olivette Otele, 48 - Professor in History at Bath Spa University, Cameroon.
70) Claudia Sheinbaum Pardo, 56 - Mayor of Mexico City, Mexico.
71) Park Soo-yeon, 22 - Digital campaigner, South Korea.
72) Ophelia Pastrana, 36 - Comedian and media personality, Colombia.
73) Viji Penkoottu, 50 - Activist, India.
74) Brigitte Sossou Perenyi, 28 - Documentary producer, Ghana.
75) Vicky Phelan, 44 - Educational manager, Ireland.
76) Rahibi Soma Popere, 55 - Farmer and founder of the Seed Bank, India.
77) Valentina Quintero, 64 - Journalist, Venezuela.
78) Sam Ross, 30 - Catering assistant, UK.
79) Fatma Samoura, 56 - Fifa secretary general, Senegal.
80) Juliet Sargeant, 53 - Garden designer, Tanzania.
81) Sima Sarkar, 44 - Full-time mother, Bangladesh.
82) Shaparak Shajarizadeh, 43 - Activist, Iran.
83) Haven Shepherd, 15 - Student and swimmer, Vietnam.
84) Nenney Shushaidah Binti Shamsuddin, 42 - Judge, Malaysia.
85) Hayat Sindi, [age undisclosed] - Chief scientific adviser to the president of the Islamic Development Bank, Saudi Arabia.
86) Jacqueline Straub, 28 - Theologian, journalist and author, Germany.
87) Donna Strickland, 59 - Professor of physics, Canada.
88) Kanpassorn Suriyasangpetch, 30 - Dentist/tech entrepreneur, Thailand.
89) Setsuko Takamizawa, 90 - Retired, Japan.
90) Nargis Taraki, 21 - NGO legal adviser, Afghanistan.
91) Ellen Tejle, 34 - CEO at media house Fanzingo, Sweden.
92) Helen Taylor Thompson, 94 - Former spy and charity founder, UK.
93) Bola Tinubu, 51 - Lawyer, Nigeria.
94) Errollyn Wallen, 60 - Composer, Belize.
95) Safiya Wazir, 27 - Community activist, Afghanistan.
96) Gladys West, 88 - Mathematician, US.
97) Luo Yang, 34 - Photographer, China.
98) Maral Yazarloo-Pattrick, 37 - Fashion designer and motorcyclist, Iran.
99) Tashi Zangmo, 55 - Executive director for the Bhutan Nuns Foundation, Bhutan.
100) Jing Zhao, 35 - Entrepreneur, China.