Long serving Hauraki-Waikato MP is first NZ woman appointed Minister of Foreign Affairs

Nanaia Mahuta became the first woman to be elected as the Minister for Foreign Affairs. Photo / Mark Mitchell

Hauraki-Waikato MP Nanaia Mahuta, who is one of the longest serving Members of Parliament at 22 years, has been appointed Minister for Foreign Affairs, taking over from former deputy Prime Minister Winston Peters, and becoming the first women to be appointed to the role in New Zealand.

Mahuta is a tribal member of Waikato-Tainui, Ngāti Maniapoto and Ngāti Manu while also having strong links to the Kīngitanga as a cousin of Kingi Tuheitia. Her father Sir Robert Mahuta was a prominent NZ politician, and the adopted son of former Māori King Korokī Mahuta.

Mahuta, who will also remain the Minister of Local Government, and the Associate Minister for Māori Development, said at the announcement on Monday that she felt privileged to be leading the conversation in the foreign affairs space.

"Winston has shown us that if you can make strong diplomatic relationships, not withstanding the politics in their own countries, then New Zealand as a small country can forge a way forward where we can have those types of discussions in terms of trade settings to improve benefits back to New Zealand," Mahuta said.

"I also have the priviledge of retaining Local Government and supporting my colleagues for Māori Development."

Mahuta has held the Hauraki-Waikato electorate since 2011, while also holding the Tainui electorate from 2002, which became Hauraki-Waikato.

She first entered Parliament off Labour's list in 1996. In 2016, she acquired a Māori facial tattoo (Tā moko) and became the first female MP to wear one in the New Zealand Parliament.