Janette Rose Tinetti (born 1968) is a New Zealand politician and 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 of ...

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.

Personal life

Tinetti was born in

Hokitika Hokitika is a town in the West Coast region of New Zealand's South Island, south of Greymouth, and close to the mouth of the Hokitika River. It is the seat and largest town in the Westland District. The town's estimated population is as of . ...

on the

West Coast West Coast or west coast may refer to: Geography Australia * Western Australia *Regions of South Australia#Weather forecasting, West Coast of South Australia * West Coast, Tasmania **West Coast Range, mountain range in the region Canada * Britis ...

and grew up in

Christchurch Christchurch ( ; mi, Ōtautahi) is the largest city in the South Island of New Zealand and the seat of the Canterbury Region. Christchurch lies on the South Island's east coast, just north of Banks Peninsula on Pegasus Bay. The Avon River / ...

. She received her secondary school education at

Villa Maria College Villa Maria College is a private Roman Catholic college in Buffalo, New York. It was founded in 1960 by the Felician Sisters. History The college was initially a teacher-training center for sisters in the education apostolate and was establish ...

. She then studied at the Christchurch College of Education, from where she obtained a diploma in teaching in 1990. She graduated from the

University of Canterbury The University of Canterbury ( mi, Te Whare Wānanga o Waitaha; postnominal abbreviation ''Cantuar.'' or ''Cant.'' for ''Cantuariensis'', the Latin name for Canterbury) is a public research university based in Christchurch, New Zealand. It was ...

with a

Postgraduate Diploma in Education The Postgraduate Diploma in Education (PGDE), also known as a Graduate Diploma of Education (GradDipEd), is a one-year postgraduate course in several countries including Australia, Ghana, New Zealand, Republic of Ireland, Scotland, Hong Kong, Sing ...

in 2013 and a

Master of Education The Master of Education (MEd or M.Ed. or Ed.M.; Latin ''Magister Educationis'' or ''Educationis Magister'') is a master's degree awarded by universities in many countries. This degree in education often includes the following majors: curriculum a ...

in 2016. She became a teacher and union member. She then became the principal of Merivale School in

Tauranga Tauranga () is a coastal city in the Bay of Plenty region and the fifth most populous city of New Zealand, with an urban population of , or roughly 3% of the national population. It was settled by Māori late in the 13th century, colonised by ...

and has previously been on the national executive of the

New Zealand Educational Institute The New Zealand Educational Institute (NZEI, in Maori: Te Riu Roa) is the largest education trade union in New Zealand. It was founded in 1883 and has a membership of 50,000. History The NZEI was founded by a merger of district institutes of t ...

. She is married to David Merton, whose father

Don Merton Donald Vincent Merton (22 February 193910 April 2011) was a New Zealand conservationist best known for saving the black robin from extinction. He also discovered the lek breeding system of the kākāpō. When Merton began his work as a conser ...

was a noted conservationist, and the couple have two children. In 2019, she was diagnosed with breast cancer.

Political career

Tinetti stood for Labour in the electorate in the and was placed 15 on Labour's party list. Tinetti came second, with the incumbent—

Simon Bridges Simon Joseph Bridges (born 12 October 1976) is a former New Zealand politician and lawyer. He served as Leader of the National Party and Leader of the Opposition between 2018 and 2020, and as the Member of Parliament for Tauranga from the to ...

—winning with a 11,252-vote margin. She entered parliament via the party list. During the 2020 general election, she contested Tauranga, coming second to Bridges with a margin of 1,856 votes on final results. Tinetti was elected on the Labour party list where she was in 32nd place for the 2020 election. Tinetti put her name forward for the Labour candidacy at the

2022 Tauranga by-election The 2022 Tauranga by-election for the New Zealand House of Representatives was held on 18 June 2022 in the Tauranga (New Zealand electorate), Tauranga electorate, after the sitting member, former New Zealand National Party, National Party leader ...

. She was confirmed as Labour's candidate on 6 April as announced by party president Labour President

Claire Szabó Claire Szabó is a New Zealand chief executive officer and was president of the New Zealand Labour Party from 2019 to 2022. Biography Her father came to New Zealand as a refugee from Hungary in 1956 following the Hungarian Revolution of 1956, Hun ...

Cabinet positions

In the Cabinet formed after the 2020 election, Tinetti was appointed as

Minister of Internal Affairs Minister may refer to: * Minister (Christianity), a Christian cleric ** Minister (Catholic Church) * Minister (government), a member of government who heads a ministry (government department) ** Minister without portfolio, a member of government w ...

, Minister for Women and Associate Minister of Education.

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Tinetti, Jan Living people People from Hokitika People educated at Villa Maria College, Christchurch New Zealand Labour Party MPs Members of the New Zealand House of Representatives 21st-century New Zealand women politicians New Zealand list MPs Women members of the New Zealand House of Representatives Candidates in the 2017 New Zealand general election New Zealand schoolteachers 1968 births Candidates in the 2020 New Zealand general election Christchurch College of Education alumni Female interior ministers