Pita Paraone

Pita Paraone
MNZM
Member of the New Zealand Parliament
for New Zealand First party list
In office
22 July 2002 (2002-07-22) – 8 November 2008
In office
21 September 2014 – 23 September 2017
Personal details
Born Rewiti Pomare Kingi Paraone
(1945-11-30) 30 November 1945
Kawakawa, New Zealand
Political party New Zealand First

Rewiti Pomare Kingi "Pita" Paraone MNZM (born 30 November 1945) is a New Zealand politician and chairman of the Waitangi National Trust Board. He is a member of the New Zealand First party.

Early life and family

Paraone was born in Kawakawa in the Northland Region.[1] He received his education at Motatau District High School and Bay of Islands College. He has a Diploma in Business Development from the University of Auckland, and a Diploma in Social Work from Victoria University of Wellington.[1] He has also attended the Henley Management College in Henley-on-Thames, England.[1]

Before entering politics, Paraone had a long career in public service spanning several decades.[1] He was a regional director for Te Puni Kōkiri, the Ministry of Maori Development.[1] In the 1997 New Year Honours he was appointed a Member of the New Zealand Order of Merit for services to Māori and the community.[2] He lived in Pakuranga during his first period in parliament.[3]

Paraone is married with three children and five grandchildren.[1]

Political career

New Zealand Parliament
Years Term Electorate List Party
2002–2005 47th List 7 NZ First
2005–2008 48th List 7 NZ First
2014–2017 51st List 8 NZ First

Before entering parliament, Paraone was a board member of New Zealand First (1999–2000) and a member of the Board of Directors (2000–2002).[1]

He stood in the 1999 election in the Pakuranga electorate but was unsuccessful.[4] He was ranked 19th on the New Zealand First party list, which was too low to be elected from the list.[5] He was first elected to Parliament as a list MP in the 2002 election. In the 2008 general election Paraone was sixth on the New Zealand First party list, but the party lost all its parliamentary seats, winning no electorates and polling below the 5% threshold.[3]

In December 2009 he was elected a Chairman of the Waitangi National Trust Board, replacing Jeremy Williams. Paraone has been on the board of the Waitangi National Trust since 1997.[6]

At the 2014 election Paraone was re-elected as a New Zealand First list MP and is currently his party spokesperson on Māori Affairs, Treaty of Waitangi Issues, Pacific Island Affairs, and the Office of Treaty Settlements.

References

  1. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 "Pita Paraone". New Zealand Parliament. 8 November 2008. Archived from the original on 12 March 2012. Retrieved 21 October 2014.
  2. ↑ "New Year honours list 1997". Department of the Prime Minister and Cabinet. 31 December 1996. Archived from the original on 5 December 2012. Retrieved 15 March 2015.
  3. 1 2 Dinsdale, Mike (29 September 2014). "MP returns vowing to push for North". The Northern Advocate. Retrieved 21 October 2014.
  4. ↑ "Candidate vote details – Pakuranga". Electoral Commission. Retrieved 8 April 2017.
  5. ↑ "Party Lists of Successful Registered Parties". Electoral Commission. Retrieved 8 April 2017.
  6. ↑ "Waitangi Trust Board has new chairman". The New Zealand Herald. Newstalk ZB. 12 December 2009. Retrieved 12 December 2009.
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