Summer catch-up with Angie Warren-Clark

Angie Warren Clark's ideal holiday is spending time at the beach. Photo / Andrew Warner

It is fair to say Angie Warren-Clark is not afraid of big roles.

At the start of the year, she was the manager of Tauranga Women's Refuge and today she is a Member of Parliament as a list MP for the Labour Party.

So why the change?

"I was faced with a choice, do I continue banging my head against a brick wall or take a stand?"

Warren-Clark said her experience of working with families at the refuge exposed flaws in the Government system at the time.

She said she was often put in a position where she considered evicting women from safe houses for them to receive more financial support.

"I just thought, I can't keep saying there is something wrong with the system, I had to actually do something about the system."

That choice led to hours of campaigning for Warren-Clark and weeks of waiting until she made the list for Parliament on special votes.

"I was in a meeting with about 25 other people when I found out I had made it but it didn't sink in straight away."

She said the first person she called was her husband, Blair Warren.

"After that, the phone just didn't stop," Warren-Clark said.

"At one point my phone rang and the name Jacinda Ardern flashed up, that was really special."

Taking a minute to reflect on the year of 2017, Warren-Clark said it was a year of learning.

"It's been pretty amazing, exhausting and an exciting learning curve."

Highlights for Warren-Clark included being successful in receiving support in the Mount Everest Challenge, a fundraising event where members of the community climbed Mount Maunganui 38 times over 50 days to raise funds for Tauranga Women's Refuge.

Making her maiden speech in Parliament also featured highly.

"I got the opportunity to do my maiden speech on issues that are really important to me."

Warren-Clark said although she had a successful year career-wise she did have one regret of not looking after herself more.

"When I was campaigning I lived off toasted sandwiches and pizza," she laughed.

"I do regret I haven't been able to exercise more."

But that is not a New Year's resolution coming out of Warren-Clark's mouth, she never sets them.

"I used to say I had New Year's resolutions but then I would just feel really bad when I didn't achieve them," she joked.

She said she has a permanent resolution of being kind.

"No matter how many people are mean or rude to me I always make an effort to be nice."

Getting to know Angie

Favourite food? Kaimoana (seafood, especially oysters) and chocolate.
iPhone or Samsung? Samsung.
Favourite NZ holiday spot? Somewhere on the East Cape on a beach with not a lot of people.
Favourite part of Christmas? Catching up with family and friends.
Ham or turkey? Both - but the turkey has to have cranberry sauce.