The daughter of an abattoir worker and fruit picker, Sepuloni could have exactly the expertise the PM needs to tackle a brutal cost of living crisis
armel Sepuloni admits her father, who arrived from Samoa in 1964 unable to speak English, had difficulty taking in the news that his daughter was shortly to become New Zealand’s first Pasifika deputy prime minister.
“I’ve received so many humbling messages about another glass ceiling being smashed,” she said. “For our Pacific community and for young girls, for women, we’re continuing to role-model as a country that leadership positions for women are absolutely possible.” “It’s very hard to fathom that a working-class girl from Waitara … can become the deputy prime minister of New Zealand,” Sepuloni said, in her first appearance after being selected for the role on Sunday.
Sepuloni – who was also New Zealand’s first MP of Tongan descent when she was first elected in 2008 – has spent the past five years as minister for social development. Often a fraught portfolio for Labour governments due to the weight of expectations, Sepuloni’s tenure has been without major scandal. She has overseen a series of increases in welfare payments, as well as the rollout of wage subsidies for businesses during Covid-19 lockdowns.
Her upbringing in rural New Zealand may help in speaking to farming communities, which have had increasingly fractious relations with the Labour government. In her maiden speech to parliament, she recalled childhood arguments with her grandparents, whom she describes as “devoted Tories” who clashed with her staunchly Labour-voting father.looks after the poor people.’ His response to that was: ‘Just eat your ruddy Weet-Bix.
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