'Star-struck' Northland MP Willow-Jean Prime talks period poverty with Duchess

Northland-based Labour list MP Willow-Jean Prime (in yellow) talks to the Duchess of Sussex Meghan Markle (in black) during a function at Government House. Photo / supplied

What would you talk about if you had just one chance to chat one-on-one with royalty?

If you were Labour list MP Willow-Jean Prime meeting actress turned Duchess of Sussex Meghan Markle, the answer would be period poverty.

Prime was among a select group invited to an event at Government House in Wellington on Sunday hosted by Governor-General Dame Patsy Reddy to celebrate 125 years of women's suffrage in New Zealand.

The Duchess began her speech in te reo, quoted Kiwi suffragette Kate Sheppard and talked about feminism as fairness before mingling with the crowd.

Prime knew that one of the charities the Duke and Duchess had nominated for donations in lieu of wedding presents worked to alleviate period poverty in India, so when it was her turn to meet Meghan Markle she told her about the work of Tukau Community Fund and MyCup NZ to distribute menstrual cups free of charge to Northland women.

''I raised it with the Duchess because she has spoken about period poverty before. Some people consider it embarrassing or taboo, but she has lifted the lid on it and made it a global topic,'' Prime said.

''I thanked her for her work and we had a little exchange about it. When it was time for her to go on she turned around, squeezed my wrist and said something along the lines of 'keep it up' or 'you're doing great work' ... I was too star-struck to remember exactly.''

Prime said Tukau's initiative had so far seen 2400 women in Kawakawa, Moerewa and Kaikohe take up re-usable menstrual cups, freeing them from the expense of buying sanitary products.

''That's huge when you think about the financial and environmental impact, and the empowerment,'' she said.

The project had its genesis during last year's election campaign when Prime was shocked to learn how many girls were missing school every month because they couldn't afford sanitary products.

Her sister, Season-Mary Downs, launched a fundraiser and started giving away the cups, which last 10 years and normally cost $25. Women who could afford the cups gave a koha which then paid for a cup for someone who couldn't.

Prime also met Prince Harry, who had just been to Fiji and Tonga. She spoke about the lack of female representation in Pacific Parliaments while the Prince talked about the role men could play to address the imbalance.

She then cheekily asked for a high five — she'd been put up to it by her brother-in-law AJ Prime — even though it was against strict protocol which allowed only hongi, handshakes and curtsies. Prince Harry didn't hesitate, however.

Prime worried her name would be scrubbed from the Governor-General's list of future events, until she saw the royal high-five was included in the event's official video.