17 Facts About Shanan Halbert

Shanan Kiritea Halbert was born on 24 April 1982 and is a New Zealand politician of the Labour Party.

Shanan Halbert was re-elected in 2024 after the resignation of Kelvin Davis.

Shanan Halbert grew up in Napier, and moved to Auckland after graduating from high school.

Shanan Halbert has a BA in education and Maori from the University of Auckland and a certificate in Contemporary Performing Arts from AUT.

Shanan Halbert has worked at Glenfield College, where he set up the Health Sciences Academy, and at Catholic college Hato Petera.

Shanan Halbert was the Head of Relationships at Te Wananga o Aotearoa.

Shanan Halbert stood as a list-only candidate for Labour in the 2014 general election.

Shanan Halbert instead contested the Northcote electorate; he neither won the electorate nor won a list seat on his party list ranking of 51.

In 2018, after the resignation of National MP Jonathan Coleman, Shanan Halbert again contested the Northcote by-election as Labour's candidate, having been chosen for the candidacy over Paul McGreal and Auckland Councillor Richard Hills.

Shanan Halbert's father died of lung cancer on election day.

Shanan Halbert faced criticism in both the 2020 and 2023 election campaigns for misleading advertising.

Shanan Halbert stated on Facebook that the National Party plans to decrease sick leave to five days per year, which is not its policy.

In 21 September 2023, Shanan Halbert was the subject of bullying allegations by several former staff, who claimed he was manipulative, scheming, narcissistic, and intimidated them.

Shanan Halbert urged disaffected staff members to engage with Parliament's complaint process.

In early March 2025, Shanan Halbert gained the tertiary education portfolio during a shadow cabinet reshuffle.

Shanan Halbert retained the Rainbow Issues portfolio but lost the Auckland Issues portfolio.

Shanan Halbert was one of 13 MPs in the 53rd New Zealand Parliament who identified as LGBTQI+.