Anahila Lose Kanongata'a (born 1969) is a New Zealand politician. She served as 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 ...

for the Labour Party from 2017 to 2023.

Early life and career

Kanongata'a-Suisuiki was born in

Tonga Tonga (, ; ), officially the Kingdom of Tonga ( to, Puleʻanga Fakatuʻi ʻo Tonga), is a Polynesian country and archipelago. The country has 171 islands – of which 45 are inhabited. Its total surface area is about , scattered over in ...

. When she was a child her single mother went to work in New Zealand, leaving her children in the custody of her father. When her mother and stepfather became permanent residents, she came to New Zealand in 1980 and settled in a state house in

Onehunga Onehunga is a suburb of Auckland in New Zealand and the location of the Port of Onehunga, the city's small port on the Manukau Harbour. It is south of the city centre, close to the volcanic cone of Maungakiekie / One Tree Hill. Onehunga is a ...

. Kanongata'a-Suisuiki later worked as a senior executive at the Ministry of Social Development and was on the national executive of P.A.C.I.F.I.C.A Incorporated.

Political career

Kanongata'a-Suisuiki stood for election unsuccessfully at both the and as a list-only candidate. She stood again at the and was elected via Labour's party list. She was placed 37 on the party list. In 2019, Kanongata'a-Suisuiki served on the Abortion Legislation Committee which considered the Abortion Legislation Act, that proposed eliminating most legal restrictions on abortion in New Zealand. She opposed the bill during all three readings of the bill in Parliament, which subsequently passed into law in March 2020. In the

2020 New Zealand general election The 2020 New Zealand general election was held on Saturday 17 October 2020 to determine the composition of the 53rd parliament. Voters elected 120 members to the House of Representatives, 72 from single-member electorates and 48 from closed ...

, she contested the Papakura electorate, challenging

Judith Collins Judith Anne Collins (born 24 February 1959) is a New Zealand politician who served as the Leader of the Opposition and Leader of the New Zealand National Party from 14 July 2020 to 25 November 2021. She was the second female Leader of the Natio ...

, the Leader of the Opposition. Kanongata'a-Suisuiki lost to Collins by a final margin of 5,583 votes. However, she returned to Parliament on the Labour Party list. In March 2021, Kanongata'a-Suisuiki voted against the proposed

Contraception, Sterilisation, and Abortion (Safe Areas) Amendment Act 2022 The Contraception, Sterilisation, and Abortion (Safe Areas) Amendment Act 2022 is an Act of Parliament in New Zealand that will provide a regulation-making power to set up safe areas around specific abortion facilities on a case-by-case basis. ...

, claiming that the creation of safe areas around abortion providers amounted to the "erosion of freedom of expression". She also voted against the bill during its second and third readings in 2022. During the

2023 New Zealand general election The 2023 New Zealand general election to determine the composition of the 54th Parliament of New Zealand is planned to be held on 14 October 2023, after the currently elected 53rd Parliament is dissolved or expires. Voters will elect 120 memb ...

, Suisuiki contested the Papakura electorate a third time but failed to unseat National MP Judith Collins, who won by a margin of 13,519 votes. Since she was not high enough on the Labour Party list, she was not returned to Parliament.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Kanongataa-Suisuiki, Anahila Living people 1969 births Tongan emigrants to New Zealand 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 Unsuccessful candidates in the 2011 New Zealand general election Unsuccessful candidates in the 2014 New Zealand general election Candidates in the 2017 New Zealand general election Candidates in the 2020 New Zealand general election Unsuccessful candidates in the 2023 New Zealand general election Foreign-born New Zealand politicians New Zealand justices of the peace