creates history

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Sandra Lee creates history

IN November’s general election, Sandra Lee became the first Maori woman elected to New Zealand’s parliament on the general roll. The 41 year old beat Labor’s Richard Prebble by 1094 votes in order to represent Auckland Central, T • , L. f.i r> Lee is co-deputy of the Alliance Party, a united front of five leftist parties that includes the New Labor Party, the Green Party, and Mana Motunakc, the Maori self determination party Sandra is president of.

Lee was born at the West Coast of the South Island into a political family, with a Maori mother and an English father who was a trade unionist. Sandra says “being born Maori makes politics imperative” and that “the 60s - Vietnam, French nuclear testing,” politicised her. Elected to the Auckland City Council, Lee represented the Hauraki Gulf ward and was active on environmental issues. Sandra says Mana Motuhake joined the Alliance to “try and make change. For nine years traditional

parties followed New Right policies. It was a tremendous disadvantage against the welfare state, leading to 3007000 New Zealanders out of work. Before NZ was egalitarian, but now there’s a gap between the rich and poor.”

Lee describes her politics as “socialist, leaning to the left. I hold to the socialist tradition. I suppose Maori self direction and advancement. ;< The Alliance’s education spokesperson favors teaching in the “Maori language, learning in the Maori Way. We do far better when driven by Maori educators.” The Alliance’s associate spokesperson on Pacific Island Affairs (in NZ, Maoris are a separate category from Pacific Islanders - Samoans, Tongans, Niueans, and Rarotongans) says, “Polynesians people have a place in the Pacific.”

Sandra is also the Alliance conservation spokesperson, and says there’s “green growing awareness that Earth is our mother.” Alliance’s manifesto declares “New Zealand will remain nuclear free.”

Lee’s heroes include Martin Luther King and Nelson Mandela. She believes in multi racial unity and that Maoris should work with progressive of other ethnic groups. Lee favors a consensus approach and “the politics of inclusion, not exclusion.” Sandra advocates the new Mixed Member Pro portional electoral system New Zealanders voted for in a national referendum. Along with Alliance Party leader Jim Anderton, Sandra is one of two Alliance MPs elected to the 99 seats parliament - despite the fact that under NZ’s old First Past the Post system, the Alliance received almost a fifth of the votes.

Lee says her Auckland Central elector ate, which had a large voter turn out,

includes “working class people, profes

sionals, Pacific islanders, students, artists,” and more, she believes she beat Labor’s Prebble because of his role in selling state assets. Sandra has a granddaughter a few months old, and after her victory, took her first vacation in years, going to Bali in order to rest up for future battles. “One can’t opt out of society, you must be a participant...l’m not naive enough to think that it’s going to be an easy road.”

Before, Maori women were elected to parliament, but only on the Maori roll (four seats are reserved for Maori - only MPs in NZ’s parliament). As for being the first Maori woman elected on the general roll, which includes Maori and non-Maori voters, Sandra Lee declares:“lt’s a very great honor.” □