Mahuta was born into the kahui ariki in Auckland, the daughter of Sir Robert Mahuta who was the adopted son of King Koroki.
71 Facts About Nanaia Mahuta
2.
Nanaia Mahuta was previously Minister of Local Government, Minister of Youth Development and Minister of Customs in the Fifth Labour Government and Minister of Local Government and Minister for Maori Development in the Sixth Labour Government.
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Nanaia Mahuta is the first female MP to wear a moko kauae and is the first woman to serve as New Zealand's Minister of Foreign Affairs.
4.
Nanaia Mahuta was announced as the next Minister of Foreign Affairs on 2 November 2020.
5.
Nanaia Mahuta received international recognition as the first woman to hold the Foreign Affairs portfolio.
6.
Nanaia Mahuta's wearing of a moko has been widely praised as a powerful symbol of Indigenous women.
7.
Nanaia Mahuta has taken a generally progressive platform as Minister of Foreign Affairs.
8.
Nanaia Mahuta has called on the Israeli government to stop evictions of Palestinian families from their homes in illegally-occupied East Jerusalem.
9.
Nanaia Mahuta introduced the Russia Sanctions Act 2022, which after unanimous approval imposed various sanctions targeting Russian elites and assets deemed to be complicit in the Russian invasion of Ukraine.
10.
In October 2022, Nanaia Mahuta became the Mother of the House, having served continuously in the House of Representatives since the 1996 general election.
11.
Nanaia Mahuta was born in Auckland in 1970 to Eliza Raiha Edmonds, and Robert Nanaia Mahuta.
12.
Nanaia Mahuta was educated at Kura Kaupapa Rakaumanga school in Huntly and later at Waikato Diocesan School for Girls as a boarder.
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Nanaia Mahuta then studied social anthropology and Maori business development at the University of Auckland, graduating with an MA.
14.
Nanaia Mahuta has strong links to the Maori King Movement.
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Nanaia Mahuta is related to the Maori monarch, Kingi Tuheitia.
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Nanaia Mahuta's sister, Tipa Nanaia Mahuta, is a long-serving Waikato regional councillor and the co-chair of the Maori Health Authority.
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Nanaia Mahuta is married to William Gannin Ormsby, her first cousin.
18.
Nanaia Mahuta joined the Labour Party at the request of retiring Western Maori MP Koro Wetere and after hearing Helen Clark speak in Auckland.
19.
Nanaia Mahuta was encouraged to participate in politics by members of the Maori Women's Welfare League.
20.
Nanaia Mahuta contested Te Tai Hauauru in the 1996 elections but lost to New Zealand First's Tuku Morgan.
21.
However, with a list ranking of 8, Nanaia Mahuta was elected as one of the first New Zealand list MPs.
22.
Nanaia Mahuta was aged 26 years and 52 days when she was elected and was the youngest member of the New Zealand House of Representatives until the election of Darren Hughes in 2002.
23.
Nanaia Mahuta transferred to and won the new Tainui electorate for the 2002 election and held it in 2005.
24.
In October 2022, Nanaia Mahuta became the Mother of the House, being the longest continuously serving female MP.
25.
Nanaia Mahuta has been placed in high positions on the Labour list in each election she has contested where she has had a list position.
26.
On 8 December 2022, Nanaia Mahuta confirmed that she would be contesting the 2023 general election in order "to ensure that the changes that we've [the Labour Government] been putting through can continue to progress".
27.
Nanaia Mahuta did not join Turia when she quit Labour to found the Maori Party.
28.
Nanaia Mahuta was the Labour party spokesperson for Maori education.
29.
From 1999 to 2005, the first two terms of the Fifth Labour Government, Nanaia Mahuta was variously a member of the justice and electoral, Maori affairs, education and science, local government and environment committees, and was chair of the Maori affairs committee from August 2004 to August 2005.
30.
Nanaia Mahuta was deputy chairperson of the Maori Affairs select committee in the 51st Parliament.
31.
In July 2017, Nanaia Mahuta's Sentencing Amendment Bill was drawn.
32.
Nanaia Mahuta had been a supporter of Cunliffe and sought election as his deputy in his unsuccessful 2011 leadership bid.
33.
Nanaia Mahuta was one of four MPs who sought election as Cunliffe's successor.
34.
Nanaia Mahuta announced her candidacy half an hour before nominations closed on 14 October 2014 and was nominated by Louisa Wall and William Sio.
35.
Nanaia Mahuta considered retiring from politics at the 2017 general election after Maori King Tuheitia Paki changed his allegiance to the Maori Party.
36.
Nanaia Mahuta was not placed on the Labour Party list at that election in line with Labour's decision for its incumbent Maori electorate MPs to contest the electorate vote only.
37.
Nanaia Mahuta was appointed a minister in the final term of the Fifth Labour Government.
38.
Nanaia Mahuta was appointed Minister of Customs, Minister of Youth Affairs, Associate Minister of Local Government and Associate Minister for the Environment in October 2005.
39.
Nanaia Mahuta gained the full local government portfolio and became Associate Minister of Tourism in November 2007.
40.
Nanaia Mahuta lost her portfolios when Labour was defeated in the 2008 general election.
41.
Nanaia Mahuta served as a cabinet minister in the Sixth Labour Government.
42.
Prime Minister Chris Hipkins stated that the change was intended to allow Nanaia Mahuta to focus on her foreign affairs portfolio and to travel overseas.
43.
Nanaia Mahuta denied that it was motivated by the response to the controversial Three Waters reform programme and confirmed that the Government would continue with the programme.
44.
On 22 April 2022, Nanaia Mahuta reappointed the Tauranga Commission's chairwoman Anne Tolley and fellow commissioners Bill Wasley, Stephen Selwood, and Shadrach Rolleston; with elected councillors expected to return in July 2024.
45.
On 1 February 2021, Nanaia Mahuta announced that the Government would pass legislation upholding local councils' decisions to establish Maori wards and constituencies.
46.
Nanaia Mahuta's Bill was supported by the Labour, Green and Maori parties but opposed by the opposition National and ACT parties.
47.
Nanaia Mahuta has argued that the Three Water reforms will give Maori a greater say in the administration of water resources, stating the status of water as Taonga in Maori culture.
48.
In March 2022, Nanaia Mahuta acknowledged underestimating the level of public opposition to the Three Waters reforms and problems with the associated promotional advertising campaign.
49.
Nanaia Mahuta introduced the Water Services Entities Bill in early June 2022.
50.
Nanaia Mahuta confirmed that further legislation would be introduced to facilitate the transfer of assets and liabilities from local authorities to the new water services entities, integrate entities into other regulatory systems, and to ensure economic regulation and consumer protection over the new entities.
51.
Nanaia Mahuta's position went against the Labour Cabinet's position opposing the entrenchment clause.
52.
Shadow Leader of the House Chris Bishop accused Nanaia Mahuta of failing to consult Justice Minister Kiri Allan on proposals relating to constitutional arrangements.
53.
Prime Minister Ardern defended Nanaia Mahuta and accused Luxon of misrepresenting Nanaia Mahuta's actions while reaffirming Labour's opposition to privatising water assets.
54.
At the time, Nanaia Mahuta held the portfolio of Associate Minister of Housing.
55.
On 21 June 2022, Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern defended Nanaia Mahuta, claiming that she had abided by Cabinet policies and protocol.
56.
Nanaia Mahuta emphasised that she had declared any potential conflicts of interest, abided by the Cabinet manual and supported the Public Service Commissioner's investigation.
57.
Nanaia Mahuta was announced as the next Minister of Foreign Affairs on 2 November 2020.
58.
Nanaia Mahuta received international recognition as the first woman to hold the Foreign Affairs portfolio.
59.
On 9 February 2021, Nanaia Mahuta announced that New Zealand had suspended high-level bilateral relations with Myanmar in response to the 2021 Myanmar coup d'etat.
60.
Nanaia Mahuta's statements came amid rising disagreements between the New Zealand and Australian Governments on how to manage relations with Beijing.
61.
On 11 May 2021, Nanaia Mahuta called on Israel to stop evictions of Palestinian families from their homes in Israeli-occupied East Jerusalem and for "both sides to halt steps which undermine prospects for a two state solution".
62.
In late January 2022, Nanaia Mahuta reaffirmed the New Zealand Government's support for Ukraine in response to the Russian military build-up on the Russo-Ukrainian border and urged Russian to reduce tensions in accordance with international law.
63.
In mid-June 2022, Nanaia Mahuta hosted Australian Foreign Minister Penny Wong during her first state visit to New Zealand.
64.
In early August 2022, Nanaia Mahuta met with Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi at the East Asia and ASEAN summits in Cambodia.
65.
Nanaia Mahuta accepted an invitation from Wang Yi to visit China.
66.
On 5 February 2023, Nanaia Mahuta visited India and conducted bilateral talks with Indian Foreign Minister S Jaishankar.
67.
Nanaia Mahuta promoted New Zealand's education, trade and tourism sector.
68.
In 2020, Nanaia Mahuta exercised her conscience vote in opposing the Abortion Legislation Act 2020, which decriminalised abortion in New Zealand.
69.
In June 2022, Mahuta published a Twitter post condemning the United States Supreme Court's decision to overturn Roe v Wade, which had accorded a constitutional right to abortion in the United States.
70.
Nanaia Mahuta was criticised by Twitter users for hypocrisy on the grounds that she had opposed the Abortion Legislation Act.
71.
Nanaia Mahuta supported the Contraception, Sterilisation, and Abortion Amendment Act 2022 that established a regulation-making power to set up safe areas around specific abortion facilities on a case-by-case basis.