Soraya Peke-Mason
JP
Peke-Mason in 2023
Member of the New Zealand Parliament
for Labour party list
In office
25 October 2022 – 14 October 2023
Preceded byTrevor Mallard
Rangitikei District Councillor for the Turakina ward
In office
13 October 2007 – 12 October 2019
Preceded byWard established
Succeeded byWard abolished
Personal details
Born1957 or 1958 (age 65–66)
Tokoroa, New Zealand
Political partyLabour
ResidenceRātana
Alma materMassey University

Soraya Waiata Peke-Mason JP is a New Zealand politician. She was a Member of Parliament in the House of Representatives for the Labour Party from 2022 to 2023.

Early life and career

Peke-Mason was born in Tokoroa and grew up in Castlecliff. She has ancestry that can be traced back to the early 1800s in Rangitīkei.[1]

She attended Castlecliff Primary, Rutherford Intermediate, and Whanganui High School.[2] She is self-employed and with a business background in the construction, tourism, forestry and honey industries.[3] She lives in Rātana,[4] and has tribal affiliations to Ngāti Apa, Ngāti Rangi, Ngāti Tūwharetoa, and Tainui.[2] She has been a justice of the peace for over 30 years and has a Masters degree in business administration from Massey University.[3]

Local government

From 2001 to 2007 Peke-Mason was a member of the Rātana Community Board. Her time on the community board was focused on access to clean water for the town, an ambition culminating in 2016 with the opening of a new water treatment plant in the area.[4]

Peke-Mason was a member of the Rangitīkei District Council for 12 years. She became the council's first Māori woman councillor at the 2007 New Zealand local elections, being elected as councillor for the newly created Turakina ward.[5] She represented Turakina around the council table for the ward's entire existence, with the ward being abolished ahead of the 2019 local elections, when she stood unsuccessfully for a spot on the Horizons Regional Council.[4]

Te Tōtarahoe o Paerangi

In 2019 Peke-Mason was chair of the Ngāti Rangi post-settlement entity, Te Tōtarahoe o Paerangi.[6]

Member of Parliament

New Zealand Parliament
Years Term Electorate List Party
2022–2023 53rd List 60 Labour

In the 2011 election she stood as the Labour candidate in the electorate of Te Tai Hauāuru. She came second to Tariana Turia.[7]

In March 2020 Peke-Mason was selected as the Labour candidate for the Rangitīkei. She was unopposed for the nomination after Heather Warren, Labour's candidate from 2017, withdrew.[4] She was unsuccessful in the Rangitīkei seat, but entered Parliament off the Labour list when Trevor Mallard resigned.[8] She was sworn in on 25 October 2022, when, for the first time in history, women held a majority of seats in Parliament.[9]

During the 2023 New Zealand general election, Peke-Mason stood as the Labour candidate in the Māori electorate of Te Tai Hauāuru.[10] She was defeated by Te Pāti Māori's (the Māori Party) candidate and incumbent MP Debbie Ngarewa-Packer by a margin of 9,162 votes.[11]

Personal life

She is a member of the Ratana Church. Her cousin is former Speaker of the New Zealand House of Representatives Adrian Rurawhe.[12]

References

  1. ^ "Local Focus: Who is Soraya Peke-Mason, Labour candidate for Rangitīkei?". NZ Herald. 3 September 2023. Retrieved 3 September 2023.
  2. ^ a b "Labour confirms Soraya Peke-Mason for Te Tai Hauauru". Scoop. 17 December 2010.
  3. ^ a b Ormond, Georgie (5 October 2020). "Local Focus: Who is Soraya Peke-Mason, Labour candidate for Rangitīkei?". The New Zealand Herald. Retrieved 8 October 2020.
  4. ^ a b c d Browne, Alister (10 March 2020). "Labour selects candidate to contest Rangitīkei seat". Stuff. Retrieved 8 October 2020.
  5. ^ "Rangitikei council size unchanged". 3 September 2023.
  6. ^ Kupenga, Talisa (25 July 2019). "Ngāti Rangi settlement bill passes final reading". Te Ao Māori News. Retrieved 25 November 2023.
  7. ^ "Official Count Results – Te Tai Hauāuru". Electoral Commission. 10 December 2011. Retrieved 13 June 2022.
  8. ^ Moir, Jo (13 June 2022). "Labour reshuffle prompted by departure of Faafoi, Mallard". Newsroom. Retrieved 13 June 2022.
  9. ^ Ellis, Moana (12 October 2022). "Parliamentary milestone: New MP's swearing-in will make political history". RNZ News. Retrieved 21 October 2022.
  10. ^ "Willie Jackson confident of winning five Māori seats – but other two will be close". The New Zealand Herald. 3 September 2023. Retrieved 3 September 2023.
  11. ^ "Te Tai Hauāuru - Official Result". Electoral Commission. Archived from the original on 23 November 2023. Retrieved 8 November 2023.
  12. ^ "Te Pāti Māori looking to snatch major electorate away from Labour – The Global Herald". 30 August 2023. Retrieved 3 September 2023.
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