Arena Williams (born 1990) is a New Zealand politician. As of 2020, she is a

Member of Parliament A member of parliament (MP) is the representative in parliament of the people who live in their electoral district. In many countries with bicameral parliaments, this term refers only to members of the lower house since upper house members o ...

in the

House of Representatives House of Representatives is the name of legislative bodies in many countries and sub-national entitles. In many countries, the House of Representatives is the lower house of a bicameral legislature, with the corresponding upper house often c ...

for the Labour Party.

Early life and career

Williams is affiliated with Te Aitanga-a-Māhaki,

Ngāi Tūhoe Ngāi Tūhoe (), often known simply as Tūhoe, is a Māori iwi of New Zealand. It takes its name from an ancestral figure, Tūhoe-pōtiki. ''Tūhoe'' is a Māori-language word meaning "steep" or "high noon". Tūhoe people also bear the sobriquet ...

and

Ngāi Tahu Ngāi Tahu, or Kāi Tahu, is the principal Māori (tribe) of the South Island. Its (tribal area) is the largest in New Zealand, and extends from the White Bluffs / Te Parinui o Whiti (southeast of Blenheim), Mount Mahanga and Kahurangi Point ...

. She studied law and commerce at the

University of Auckland , mottoeng = By natural ability and hard work , established = 1883; years ago , endowment = NZD $293 million (31 December 2021) , budget = NZD $1.281 billion (31 December 2021) , chancellor = Cecilia Tarrant , vice_chancellor = Dawn F ...

, and was active within the Princes Street Labour. In 2012 she was president of the

Auckland University Students' Association The Auckland University Students' Association (AUSA), founded in 1891, represents students at the University of Auckland. AUSA organises student events, publicises student issues, administers student facilities, and assists affiliated student c ...

. In 2012 she and other university students staged a campus protest to highlight the issue of rising student debt. The under-dressed students begged people passing on the street for clothing, graphically depicting how students have to "borrow to live". Williams began her career working as a probations officer in Panmure, encountering many people in the court system for relatively minor offences, prompting her advocacy for justice reform.

Political career

Williams stood for the Hunua electorate in the New Zealand House of Representatives in for the Labour Party where she placed second, losing to

Andrew Bayly Andrew Henry Bayly (born 1962) is a New Zealand politician who was elected to the New Zealand Parliament at the 2014 general election as the MP for Hunua and a representative of the New Zealand National Party. Personal life Bayly was born in ...

by the large margin of 17,376 votes. Aged 24 she was Labour's youngest candidate at that election. In November 2019 Williams was appointed as a member of the

Waitematā District Health Board The Waitemata District Health Board (Waitemata DHB) was a district health board with the focus on providing healthcare to people living in the area that used to be covered by North Shore city, Rodney District, and Waitakere City in New Zealand. ...

. Williams as well as Ian Dunwoodie both nominated to challenge

Louisa Wall Louisa Hareruia Wall (born 17 February 1972) is a former New Zealand Labour Party politician who served as a Member of Parliament (MP) from 2011 to 2022. She has represented New Zealand in both netball as a Silver Fern and rugby union as a m ...

for the Labour Party selection for the seat of , one of the safest red seats in the country. The selection was scheduled to be held on 21 March 2020, but was delayed due to a complaint about whether some new party electorate branch members lived in Manurewa and were eligible to vote in the selection process. In May, Wall's partner and lawyer Prue Kapua contacted the national party council, claiming that Williams's application was late, and warned that legal action would be taken if it was not rejected. The selection was rescheduled to 30 May, but Wall withdrew her application on 29 May, to instead run as a list-only candidate. Williams was selected as the Labour candidate. During the 2020 general election held on 17 October, she beat National candidate Nuwi Samarakone by a margin of 17,179 votes. Williams is one of twenty-three new Labour Party MPs in the 53rd Parliament.

Controversies

Kāinga Ora advertisement

In November 2021,

Kāinga Ora Kāinga Ora, officially Kāinga Ora – Homes and Communities, is a Crown agency that provides rental housing for New Zealanders in need. It has Crown entity status under the Kāinga Ora–Homes and Communities Act 2019. On 1 October 2019 K� ...

drew controversy after

Newshub ''Newshub'' (stylised as ''Newshub.'') is a New Zealand news service that airs on the television channels Three and Eden, as well as on digital platforms. It formerly operated across radio stations run by MediaWorks Radio until December 2021 ...

and Radio New Zealand reported that the agency had used Williams (a Labour Party candidate) in a taxpayer funded advertisement in 2020, compromising its political neutrality. Kāinga Ora drew criticism from Housing Minister

Megan Woods Megan Cherie Woods (born 4 November 1973) is a New Zealand Labour Party politician who serves as a Cabinet Minister in the Sixth Labour Government and has served as Member of Parliament for Wigram since 2011. Early life Woods was born and gre ...

and deputy Opposition Leader

Nicola Willis Nicola Valentine Willis (born 7 March 1981) is Deputy Leader of the National Party and Minister of Finance in a Coalition Government with ACT and New Zealand First. Willis entered the New Zealand Parliament in 2018, when she inherited Steve ...

on the grounds of professionalism and compromising its political neutrality. Woods subsequently reported the agency to the Public Service Commission. The National Party called for an investigation into Kāinga Ora, alleging a cover up and "culture of deceit." Williams had informed Kāinga Ora of her political ambitions prior to the advertorial featuring her was paid for and published.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Williams, Arena 1990 births Living people University of Auckland alumni New Zealand Māori women lawyers Waitemata District Health Board members Unsuccessful candidates in the 2014 New Zealand general election Candidates in the 2020 New Zealand general election New Zealand Labour Party MPs New Zealand MPs for Auckland electorates Members of the New Zealand House of Representatives 21st-century New Zealand women politicians Women members of the New Zealand House of Representatives Māori MPs Te Aitanga-a-Māhaki people Ngāi Tūhoe people Ngāi Tahu people 21st-century New Zealand lawyers