Meka whaitiri biography books

New Zealand politician

Melissa Heni Mekameka Whaitiri (born 11 January ) is a New Zealand politician and former member of the New Zealand House of Representatives. She was first elected to Parliament in the Ikaroa-Rāwhiti by-election for the Labour Party.

Whaitiri served as Minister of Customs for the Sixth Labour Government on two separate occasions but resigned from her party on 3 May to contest the general election for Te Pāti Māori.^[1] For the remainder of the parliamentary term, she was treated as an independent member in the House,^[2] and was defeated in her bid to retain Ikaroa-Rāwhiti by the Labour candidate, Cushla Tangaere-Manuel.

Early life

Whaitiri was born in Manutuke near Gisborne in ^[3][4] Her parents were Wirangi Wiremu Whaitiri, a Korean War veteran, and Mei Whaitiri (née Irihapiti Robin), who was the model used for the Pania of the Reef statue in Napier in ^[5][6][7] W