Kiri Allan
Kiritapu Allan (born 1983/84) is a New Zealand politician and Member of Parliament in the House of Representatives for the Labour Party.
Kiri Allan MP | |
---|---|
Member of the New Zealand Parliament for Labour party list | |
Assumed office 23 September 2017 | |
Personal details | |
Born | Kiritapu Allan 1983/1984 (age 36–37)[1] Te Karaka, New Zealand |
Political party | Labour |
Spouse(s) | Natalie Coates[2] |
Children | 1[2] |
Profession | Lawyer |
Early life
Allan was born in Te Karaka,[3] of Ngāti Ranginui, Ngāti Tūwharetoa descent. She grew up in Paengaroa.[4] She is part of a family of 10 children.[5]
She dropped out of high school at 16. She worked at a KFC franchise in West Auckland (she joined the Service and Foodworkers Union at that time) and as a cherry picker.[4]
She studied law and politics at Victoria University of Wellington.[6] During her university studies she worked in an internship with then-Prime Minister Helen Clark.[1]
Career before politics
She worked for a period at law firm ChenPalmer.[6] Later she was a commercial lawyer at and business consultant in Whakatane before she became a politician.[3]
Political career
New Zealand Parliament | ||||
Years | Term | Electorate | List | Party |
2017–present | 52nd | List | 21 | Labour |
Allan stood for Labour in the East Coast electorate in the 2017 election and was placed 21 on Labour's party list.[7] Allan did not win the electorate (she came second to Anne Tolley), but entered Parliament via the Party list.[8]
In 2018, Allan launched the political podcast Authorised By with Chlöe Swarbrick.[9]
She is Labour's junior whip, and a member of various Select Committees, including the Epidemic Response Committee.[10]
At the end of 2018, Allan was labelled a strong performer among backbenchers in Parliament.[11]
Personal life
She married her wife, Natalie Coates, in 2016 after marriage equality was legalised in New Zealand.[4]
Her family had a baby at a similar time to Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern, and Allan brought the baby to Parliament.[12]
References
- Malone, Audrey (27 January 2017). "Labour East Coast candidate Kiritapu Allan says National stalwart's time is up". Stuff.co.nz. Retrieved 30 July 2017.
- Malone, Audrey (20 January 2018). "Ardern's baby already has friends in high places". Stuff.co.nz.
- "Candidate Allan ranks 20 on Labour list". Gisborne Herald. 2 May 2017. Retrieved 30 July 2017.
- Allan, Kiri (16 November 2017). "'Nana, I stand here to honour your name': Kiri Allan's maiden speech". The Spinoff. Retrieved 3 January 2019.
- "Labour MP Kiritapu Allan says 'there's ugliness in the shadows' but she has 'real hope' for NZ's future". Stuff. Retrieved 3 January 2019.
- Sachdeva, Sam (22 September 2017). "Fighting for a future on the East Coast". Newsroom. Retrieved 3 January 2019.
- "Revised Labour Party List for the 2017 Election". Scoop.co.nz. 15 August 2017. Retrieved 15 August 2017.
- "Successful Candidates". Electoral Commission. 23 September 2017. Archived from the original on 28 September 2017. Retrieved 30 September 2017.
- "KFC, babies, and tax – the new political podcast 'Authorised By'". Stuff. Retrieved 13 October 2018.
- "Allan, Kiritapu – New Zealand Parliament". Retrieved 14 October 2018.
- Shane, Te Pou (21 December 2018). "Marking the politicians of 2018". Newsroom. Retrieved 3 January 2019.
- "Parliament's new parents Willow-Jean Prime and Kiri Allan pass on congratulations to PM and partner". The New Zealand Herald. 18 January 2018. ISSN 1170-0777. Retrieved 3 January 2019.