Kahurangi Carter (born 1983 or 1984) is a New Zealand politician, representing the Green Party of Aotearoa New Zealand as a Member of Parliament since the 2023 New Zealand general election.[1]
Kahurangi Carter | |
|---|---|
.jpg) Carter in 2023 | |
| Member of the New Zealand Parliament for Green party list | |
| Assumed office 14 October 2023 | |
| Personal details | |
| Born | 1983 or 1984 (age 40–41) |
| Political party | Green |
Early life
editCarter was born in 1983 or 1984[2] and is of Ngāti Maniapoto and Tainui descent.[3][4] She was born and lived in rural Waikato until she was twelve, when her family moved to Auckland's North Shore.[5] She studied psychology and philosophy at the University of Auckland.[3] Carter is a zero-waste advocate, who worked for the Ministry for the Environment.[4][6] She trained as an actor in New York, and appeared in a controversial promotional video as part of the Chorus Gigatown competition.[5][7] Two of Carter's family members were involved in the Christchurch rebuild as structural engineers, and Carter "fell in love with" the city and moved there in 2021.[3]
Political career
edit| Years | Term | Electorate | List | Party | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2023–present | 54th | List | 14 | Green | |
Carter was encouraged to enter politics by Chlöe Swarbrick.[3] She was also inspired by her son's concerns about climate change and property ownership.[3] In the 2023 general election, Carter stood in the Christchurch Central electorate, and was placed 14th on the Green Party list. She said she wasn't running an electorate campaign, planning to do so in 2026 instead, but "Christchurch Central just embraced" her.[3] She entered Parliament on the list when the Green Party picked up a larger share of the party vote than predicted in the preliminary results.[5] The final results on 3 November confirmed her election to Parliament on the party list.[8]
In late November 2023, Carter assumed the Green Party's Zero Waste, Children, Disability Issues, Rainbow Communities, Community and Voluntary Sector, Arts, Culture and Heritage, Christchurch Issues spokesperson portfolios. She also became the party's Deputy Musterer.[9]
In November 2024, Carter became the sponsor of the Green Party's Copyright (Parody and Satire) Amendment Bill, which proposed allowing copyrighted works to be used for parody, satire and memes. On 8 November 2024, the bill was pulled from Parliament's ballot. Carter said that the bill would "protect artists' right to freedom of speech, and in doing so helps protect our democracy."[10]
Views and positions
editIssues Carter sees as important for Christchurch include protections for people in rental housing, wage increases, affordable city living, public transport, and waste minimisation.[3]
Personal life
editCarter's hobbies include swimming and dancing. She has two teenage children.[5]
References
edit- ^ "Kahurangi Carter | Christchurch Central | List Rank #14". Archived from the original on 3 November 2023. Retrieved 14 September 2023.
- ^ Gill, Sinead (4 October 2023). "On the list: Christchurch candidates on the cusp of Parliament". The Press. Archived from the original on 17 December 2023. Retrieved 17 December 2023.
- ^ a b c d e f g Gill, Sinead (4 October 2023). "On the list: Christchurch candidates on the cusp of Parliament". The Press. Archived from the original on 3 November 2023. Retrieved 3 November 2023.
- ^ a b Gifford, Adam (11 April 2023). "Greens pick zero-waster for Christchurch run". Waatea News. Archived from the original on 3 November 2023. Retrieved 14 September 2023.
- ^ a b c d Mathias, Shanti (3 November 2023). "Who is Kahurangi Carter, the new Green MP?". The Spinoff. Archived from the original on 3 November 2023. Retrieved 3 November 2023.
- ^ Forman, Luke (12 May 2022). "Teaching sustainability through Tikanga". Metro News. Archived from the original on 3 November 2023. Retrieved 14 September 2023.
- ^ Mitchell, Charlie (2 May 2014). "Telecom cops flak over 'racist' ad". Stuff. Archived from the original on 3 November 2023. Retrieved 3 November 2023.
- ^ "2023 General Election: Successful candidates". Electoral Commission. 3 November 2023. Archived from the original on 17 November 2023. Retrieved 20 November 2023.
- ^ "Greens unveil portfolio spokespeople". 1News. 29 November 2023. Archived from the original on 28 November 2023. Retrieved 23 February 2024.
- ^ "Greens' Copyright (Parody and Satire) bill to be debated in Parliament". RNZ. 8 November 2024. Archived from the original on 11 November 2024. Retrieved 11 November 2024.