She is the new leader of the Labour Party and hopes that she will be the new Prime Minister after the election. She is an Auckland MP, representing the Mt Albert electorate. She is spokesperson for Security and Intelligence; Arts, Culture and Heritage; and Children.
She has been interested in politics since she was a teenager. She joined the Labour Party when she was 17 years old. She did a degree at Waikato University in Communication Studies and later travelled overseas. She spent two and half years in the UK working with local governments. In 2007, she was President of the largest international political youth group – IUSY- the International Union of Socialist Youth. She therefore had experience in politics before returning to New Zealand.
After she was chosen to be the leader of the Labour Party on Tuesday, she was asked by international TV whether she wants to be a mother. She said that “antiquated views” on motherhood have no place in New Zealand or anywhere else. The deputy leader, Kelvin Davis, joked that he was not pregnant. He was making the point that the media do not ask men about their plans to have children.
Kelvin Davis is the new deputy leader of the Labour Party. He is Maori, he lives in Kaitaia and represents the Maori electorate Te Tai Tokerau. He has worked in education as a teacher, principal and advisor to the Ministry of Education.
Vocabulary
• Security and Intelligence – spying
• spokesperson – the Opposition MP who can speak about this subject
• culture – includes music, literature, art
• heritage – old buildings and places which we love and want to keep
• antiquated – very old fashioned, out of date, not used any more
• to make a point – to give an opinion