December 12, 2016
Social justice driving Labour candidate
Labour’s candidate for East Coast says growing up in a working class Maori community gave her a thirst for social justice and standing up for her community.
Kiritapu Allan from Ngati Ranginui, Ngai Te Rangi and Ngati Tuwharetoa was selected at the weekend to contest the seat held by Social Development Minister Anne Tolley.
The lawyer and business consultant says she joined the party at 18, but her values were shaped before that around the family table at Paengaroa in discussions with her freezing worker father.
"In our community those were the two things that were most important. You work hard, you get your hands dirty, and our life was based around hard work, and two, we don't do this alone so when you see people struggling you give them a hand up and you know in turn they will give you a hand up, so those principles aorund social justice, social equality were deeply rooted into us as kids," Ms Allan says.
She says despite electing a Naitonal MP East Coast has suffered under the current government, with some of the highest rates of deprivation in the country.
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