1. Sam Lotu-Iiga grew up in Mangere, South Auckland and attended Mangere Central Primary School.
19 Facts About Sam Lotu-Iiga
1. 2.
Sam Lotu-Iiga studied at the University of Cambridge where he earned an MBA.
3.
Sam Lotu-Iiga later migrated to Britain, where he worked for Bankers Trust as a financial analyst.
4.
Sam Lotu-Iiga moved to Sydney and worked as an executive consultant with Macquarie Bank.
5.
In February 2008 Sam Lotu-Iiga put his name forward for the National Party selection for the Maungakiekie electorate.
6.
Sam Lotu-Iiga ran a high-profile campaign, capitalising on his high name-recognition as a City Councillor, and heavily engaged in grass-roots campaigning, including door-knocking the electoral district.
7.
On election night, Sam Lotu-Iiga beat Labour List MP Carol Beaumont by a margin of 1,942 votes in what was one of the largest electoral swings in the country.
8.
Sam Lotu-Iiga became one of three National Party candidates in the Auckland region to claim a seat from Labour, along with Nikki Kaye in Auckland Central and Paula Bennett in Waitakere.
9.
Sam Lotu-Iiga faced some criticism for not resigning from his role as an Auckland City Councillor when he was elected as an MP.
10.
Sam Lotu-Iiga missed a significant number of meetings, attending 12 out of 22 scheduled meetings.
11.
In November 2011, Sam Lotu-Iiga was reelected the MP for Maungakiekie, beating Carol Beaumont a second time with an increased majority.
12.
In January 2014, Sam Lotu-Iiga was promoted into cabinet, becoming Minister of Pacific Island Affairs, and Associate Minister of Local Government.
13.
On 8 October 2014, Sam Lotu-Iiga received his warrants as Minister for Pacific Peoples, Minister for Ethnic Communities and Minister of Corrections.
14.
On 7 December 2015, Prime Minister John Key announced that Sam Lotu-Iiga would be handing the Corrections portfolio over to returning Cabinet Minister Judith Collins, and would take over the Local Government portfolio from Paula Bennett.
15.
On 13 December 2016, Sam Lotu-Iiga announced that he was quitting politics, to take effect at the 2017 general election.
16.
Sam Lotu-Iiga is a patron of the Maungarei Cadets, the Dolphin Theatre and the Onehunga Bowling Club.
17.
Sam Lotu-Iiga is a Christian and a member of the Royal Oak Baptist Church.
18.
Sam Lotu-Iiga is a member of the Rotary Club of Penrose.
19.
Sam Lotu-Iiga has coached the Auckland under-14 rugby team and once served as a board member of the Primary health organisations of New Zealand.