Hana-Rawhiti Maipi-Clarke, Hauraki-Waikato

The 2023 election result has brought new women into Parliament but sadly not in sufficient numbers to reach equality. Final election results show that there will be 123 seats in Parliament, instead of the usual 120. The overhang is caused by (a) Te Pāti Māori winning more electorate seats than it would otherwise from its share of the party vote, and (b) result of the Waikato by-election.

This increased total representation for Te Pāti Māori marks the beginning of a political career for Hana-Rawhiti Maipi-Clarke, 21, the youngest woman ever to win a seat in Parliament.

The percentage of women MPs in each party is now as follows:

Te Pāti Māori 66% (4 of 6)
Green 60% (9 of 15)
Labour 56% (18 of 34)
ACT 45% (5 of 11)
NZ First 37% (3 of 8)
National 31% (15 of 49)

New women members of the 2023 Parliament include:

• Te Pāti Māori: Mariameno Kapa-Kingi, Te Tai Tokerau; Hana-Rawhiti Maipi-Clarke, Hauraki-Waikato; Takutia Tarsh, Tamaki
• Green: Kahurangi Carter, List; Hūhana Lyndon, List; Tamatha Paul, Wellington Central; Lan Pham, List; Darlene Tana, List
• Labour: Cushla Tangaere-Manuel, Ikaroa-Rawhiti
• ACT: Laura Trask, List; Dr Parmjeet Parmar, List
• NZ First: Casey Costello, List; Jenny Marcroft, List; Tanya Unkovich, List
• National - Katie Nimon, Napier; Dana Kirkpatrick, East Coast; Nancy Lu, List; Rima Nakhle, Takanini; Suze Redmayne, Rangitikei; Catherine Wedd, Tukituki; Dr Vanessa Weenink, Banks Peninsula

(Note: two were previously MPs but lost their seats in the 2020 election: Jenny Marcroft, NZ First; and, Dr Parmjeet Parmar, ACT.)

There have been twenty-eight Ministers and two Parliamentary Under-Secretaries appointed, eight of those being outside cabinet. Of those Ministers, eight (40%) are women.

Nicola Grigg, Minister for Women

First elected to Parliament for Selwyn in 2020, Nicola Grigg (National) now in 2023 has been appointed as Minister outside cabinet as Minister of State for Trade, Minister for Women, and Associate Minister of Agriculture / Horticulture. NCWNZ notes with disappointment that the Minister for Women now sits outside of Cabinet. Also, ACT's Karen Chhour, the newly appointed Minister for Children and Minister for the Prevention of Family and Sexual Violence, sits outside Cabinet. It is hoped that this does not reflect the new Government’s attitude of low priority to 50% of NZ’s population.

Congratulations also to first time MP Casey Costello, NZ First List, who has been appointed to Cabinet as Minister of Customs, Minister for Seniors, Associate Minister of Immigration and Associate Minister of Police. She sits in Cabinet.

Hon Judith Collins with 20 years in Parliament is now New Zealand’s most experienced woman MP. She has been appointed Attorney General as well as ministerial oversight of six portfolios.

Diverse ethnic representation continues, but sadly Pasifika MPs are missing from the Government benches.

NCWNZ congratulates these successful women and thanks them for being willing to take up these leadership roles.

by Margaret Cook, Economic Independence Action Hub

To read more articles from The Circular (November-December 2023) issue 644, click on the tag below.