Mahara Okeroa

Template:Short description Template:Use dmy dates Template:Use New Zealand English Template:Infobox officeholder Te Whakamaharatanga Okeroa (born 1946) is a former New Zealand politician of the New Zealand Labour Party. He represented the Te Tai Tonga Māori electorate as a Member of Parliament from 1999 to 2008.

Early life and career

Okeroa was born in Waitara, Taranaki and grew up in Parihaka. He has iwi affiliations to Te Ātiawa, Ngāti Maniapoto, Taranaki, Ngāti Ruanui and Ngā Rauru.<ref name=":0">Template:Cite web</ref><ref>Template:Cite web</ref> He trained and worked as a teacher before joining the Ministry of Education as a Māori education advisor and Te Puni Kōkiri as director for the Taranaki region.

Member of Parliament

Template:NZ parlbox header Template:NZ parlbox Template:NZ parlbox Template:NZ parlbox Template:NZ parlbox footer Okeroa sought the Labour Party candidacy in Te Tai Hauāuru in 1998 (for the 1999 general election), but lost to Labour list MP Nanaia Mahuta.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref> He was instead selected for Te Tai Tonga, the Māori electorate covering the South Island and Wellington city. He was successful, defeating the incumbent Tu Wyllie of the New Zealand First Party. Okeroa held the electorate in 2002 and 2005.

In his first term as an MP, Okeroa was deputy chair of the Social Services select committee and a member of the Māori Affairs committee. In his second term, he was chair of the Māori Affairs committee and a member of the law and order committee. From July 2004, he held additional appointments as parliamentary under-secretary to the Minister of Māori Affairs and to the Minister of Education.

After the 2005 general election, Okeroa was appointed a minister outside of Cabinet holding associate ministerial portfolios for Arts, Culture and Heritage; Conservation and Social Development and Employment.

In the 2008 general election, Rahui Katene of the Māori Party out-polled Okeroa by a margin of 1,049 votes.<ref>Election results – Te Tai Tonga Template:Webarchive </ref> Okeroa's party list placement of 40 meant he was not able to immediately be elected as a list MP. He declined to re-enter Parliament as a list MP after the resignation of Darren Hughes in 2011<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> and did not stand for the general election later that year. He was succeeded as Labour's Te Tai Tonga candidate by Rino Tirikatene.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>

Post-parliamentary career

Okeroa was elected to the Port Nicholson Block Settlement Trust in 2009<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> and succeeded Sir Ngātata Love as chair in October 2012 after the latter was removed, following a Serious Fraud Office investigation.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> Okeroa held the chair until October 2013 when he was replaced by Neville Baker.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> Okeroa's resignation from the Trust was announced the following year.<ref>Template:Cite webTemplate:Cbignore</ref>

He has also been a trustee of the Wellington Tenths Trust.<ref name=":0" />

External links

• Parliamentary website page