Fauono Ken Laban (born 1957) is a New Zealand rugby league footballer, broadcaster and politician.

Biography

Laban grew up in

Wainuiomata Wainuiomata () is a large suburb of Lower Hutt, in the Wellington Region of New Zealand's North Island. Origin of name The word 'Wainui-o-mata' is a Māori name made up of the words Wai = water, Nui = big, O = of, and Mata – which could refer ...

with his older sister

Winnie Laban Luamanuvao Dame Winifred Alexandra Laban (born 14 August 1955) is a former New Zealand politician. She served as the Member of Parliament (MP) for the Mana (New Zealand electorate), Mana electorate, representing the New Zealand Labour Party, L ...

, who was later a Member of Parliament. His parents, Amy and Ken Snr, came to New Zealand from Samoa in the 1950s. He attended Scots College in Wellington. Straight after leaving school he joined the

New Zealand Police The New Zealand Police ( mi, Ngā Pirihimana o Aotearoa) is the national police service and principal law enforcement agency of New Zealand, responsible for preventing crime, enhancing public safety, bringing offenders to justice, and maintai ...

, working there for 16 years. He then briefly went into community work before entering broadcasting. In 1990 he became a sports commentator for

TVNZ , type = Crown entity , industry = Broadcast television , num_locations = New Zealand , location = Auckland, New Zealand , area_served = Nationally (New Zealand) and some Pacific Island nations such as the Cook Islands, Fiji, and the So ...

. In 2000 he began commentating rugby on

Sky The sky is an unobstructed view upward from the surface of the Earth. It includes the atmosphere and outer space. It may also be considered a place between the ground and outer space, thus distinct from outer space. In the field of astronomy, ...

. He married Donna Liddell, a police inspector. He was a noted rugby league player and played for the

Wainuiomata Lions The Wainuiomata Lions are a New Zealand rugby league club based in Wainuiomata, Wellington. They compete in the Wellington Rugby League competition. In the early 1990s, prior to the creation Lion Red Cup national league competition based on ...

. His final game for the club was their victory in the 1990 Lion Red Cup final, where Wainuiomata beat Otahuhu 34–12, thought to be the first win by a non-Auckland team at

Carlaw Park Carlaw Park was a multi-purpose stadium in Parnell, New Zealand, Parnell, a central suburb of Auckland, New Zealand. It neighboured the Auckland Domain's Northern end. It was primarily used for rugby league and had a peak spectator capacity of aro ...

. He later coached rugby league until retiring in 1999. In 2004 he stood for a seat on the

Hutt Valley District Health Board The Hutt Valley District Health Board (Hutt Valley DHB) is a district health board with the focus on providing healthcare to the cities of Lower Hutt and Upper Hutt in New Zealand. History The Hutt Valley District Health Board, like most other d ...

for the Labour Party affiliated Hutt 2020 ticket and was elected. In 2007 he stood for

Mayor of Lower Hutt The city of Lower Hutt, New Zealand, was first proclaimed a borough on 1 February 1891. Prior to this it had been part of Hutt County, initially as a Roads Board and from 1881 as a Town Board. Since 2019, the mayor has been Campbell Barry. Li ...

as the Hutt 2020 candidate, but was unsuccessful, in a close three horse race with incumbent David Ogden and city councillor Ray Wallace. From 2010 to 2013 he was elected a member of the

Hutt City Council The Hutt City Council is a territorial authority in New Zealand, governing the city of Lower Hutt. Lower Hutt is the country's seventh largest city. The city borders Porirua to the north, Upper Hutt to the northeast, South Wairarapa District to ...

for the Wainuiomata ward serving until 2013 when he instead stood successfully for the

Wellington Regional Council Wellington Regional Council, branded as Greater Wellington Regional Council, is the regional council overseeing the Wellington Region of New Zealand's lower North Island. It is responsible for Public transport in the Wellington Region, public ...

. In 2010 he was elected as a trustee of the Hutt Mana Charitable Trust to represent Lower Hutt and became deputy chairman of the trust. Laban was bestowed with the matai title of Fauono from his mother’s village,

Vaiala Vaiala is a village on the island of Upolu in Samoa. It is situated on the central north coast of the island, to the east of the capital Apia. The village is in the political district of Tuamasaga Tuamāsaga is a district of Samoa, with a populat ...

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Laban, Ken 1957 births Living people People from Lower Hutt New Zealand sportspeople of Samoan descent People educated at Scots College, Wellington New Zealand rugby league players New Zealand rugby league coaches New Zealand rugby union commentators New Zealand sportsperson-politicians 21st-century New Zealand politicians Hutt City Councillors Hutt Valley District Health Board members Wellington regional councillors