Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern honours 'incredibly determined' Kiritapu Allan at conference

Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern paid an evening visit to Labour MP Kiri Allan, who is fighting stage 3 cervical cancer in hospital.

Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern used a speech to an emergency management conference this morning to pay tribute to the "incredibly determined" Kiritapu Allan for her work in this space.

Ardern told those in attendance that Allan always put the community first, despite her health issues.

Earlier this year, Allan revealed she had stage three cervical cancer and, as such, was taking leave from Parliament while she had treatment.

She was the Emergency Management Minister.

Ardern's praise comes as the Government announced almost $50 million in funding, over four years, to further incorporate Māori perspectives in emergency management.

Speaking to the conference this morning, Ardern said that when she is selecting ministers for portfolios, there is always a number of things she keeps in mind.

These include someone's ability to remain calm during a crisis, as well as their ability to quickly relocate themselves.

There are also a number of personality traits that she looks out for.

"What I also look for is whether or not someone is a good morning person – that will generally tell me what they are going to be like if they have to be up and about at 2am in the morning."

She said Allan "ticks all of those boxes" as well as putting her commitment to her community first.

That was all on display in March during the tsunami warning, Ardern said.

Allan fronted a press conference to relay information to the public about what was going on and what people needed to do.

She had received her cancer diagnosis just hours before stepping up to the podium.

Ardern also spoke about how important it was to have a Māori perspective in disaster management.

"When iwi mobilise to extend manaatikanga, they do it not only for Māori but for all people who find themselves in distress."

This comes soon after Acting Emergency Management Minister Chris Hipkins highlighted a $50m budget spend on ensuing Māori have a more active role in emergency management.

The money will help fund a partnership programme with iwi Māori and Pacific community groups to develop training to lift the capability of the emergency management workforce.

"The Government, guided by my colleague Kiri Allan, is making a significant investment into making our communities safer and more resilient to natural disasters and other emergencies," Faafoi said.