Nanaia Mahuta

The Honourable Nanaia Mahuta MP
Minister for Local Government
In office 2005–2008
Prime Minister	Helen Clark
Preceded by	Chris Carter
Succeeded by	Rodney Hide
Member of the New Zealand Parliament for Te Tai Hauāuru
In office 1999–2002
Preceded by	Tukuroirangi Morgan
Succeeded by	Tariana Turia
Majority	6,233[1]
Member of the New Zealand Parliament for Tainui
In office 2002–2008
Preceded by	New constituency
Succeeded by	Constituency abolished
Majority	3,430[1]
Member of the New Zealand Parliament for Hauraki-Waikato
Incumbent
Assumed office 2008
Preceded by	New constituency
Majority	1,046[2]
Personal details
Political party	Labour

Nanaia Cybelle Mahuta^[3] (b. 21 August 1970) BA, MA in social anthropology,^[4] is a New Zealand politician and was a cabinet minister in the Fifth Labour Government of New Zealand. She was Minister of Customs, Minister of Local Government, Minister of Youth Development, Associate Minister for the Environment and Associate Minister of Tourism.^[5] She has strong links to the Te Kingitanga (Māori King Movement), being the daughter of Sir Robert Mahuta, who was the adopted son of King Korokī and the elder brother of Māori Queen Te Atairangikaahu.

Member of Parliament

Mahuta was first elected to Parliament in the 1996 elections, when she became a list MP. In the 1999 elections, she won the Te Tai Hauauru electorate, and in the 2002 elections, she won Tainui. Before the 2008 general election the electorate boundaries were changed and it was renamed Hauraki-Waikato. She held the seat with a majority of 888.^[2]

Foreshore and seabed controversy

In 2004, she joined Tariana Turia, another Labour MP, in voting against the first reading of her party's legislation on the controversial foreshore and seabed issue. She did not, however, join Turia when she quit Labour to found the Māori Party. In the bill's second reading, she again voted against her party, but in the third reading, she changed her position and supported it, saying that while it had "serious flaws, ... at the end of the day, it was the right thing to do".

Cabinet minister

In the 2005 general election Mahuta held her electorate seat of Tainui. Subsequently, Mahuta as part of the Labour-Progressive coalition government, was Minister of Customs, Youth Development and Associate Environment and Local Government. Mahuta lost her portfolios when Labour were defeated in the 2008 general election.

In opposition

Following the defeat of the Labour government in the 2008 election, Mahuta was appointed spokesperson for Maori Social Development.^[6]

In 2009, her Resource Management (Enhancement of Iwi Management Plans) Amendment Bill, which gives more weight to Māori in resource management decisions, was drawn from the member's ballot.^[7] The bill was defeated at its first reading in August.^[7]

On 15 June 2010, Opposition Leader Phil Goff appointed Mahuta to be Portfolio Spokesperson for Energy and Associate Portfolio Spokesperson for Law and Order. Energy was a portfolio formerly held by Shane Jones. At the same time, in addition to the portfolio appointments, both Mahuta and Charles Chauvel were moved to the parliamentary front bench.

References