The only Pacific MP-elect in New Zealand’s National Party has her eye on the Pacific peoples portfolio.

“I want to make sure that I deliver,” 29-year-old Angee Nicholas said.

“Being a really competent first time MP is the focus for me,” she said.

The National Party will form the next government, but the exact structure is unknown until special votes come in. Special votes and final results will be announced on 3 November.

“I would love to obviously, maybe [be] Pacific people spokesperson for that because obviously, I'm Pacific,” Nicholas said.

National's Pacific peoples spokesperson is currently Dr Shane Reti, who is Māori.

For Nicholas, the possibility of taking on that portfolio is premature given negotiations are ongoing. But if she was afforded the opportunity, she said it would be more than about being Pasifika.

She wants to use her journey, being a Pacific woman growing up in New Zealand, to make sure children in Pacific communities have opportunities and can get ahead.

Nicholas was born in the Cook Islands and moved to New Zealand with her family about 20 years ago.

“The (election) journey itself has been a big one for us as a family,” Nicholas said.

The journey starts with her parents, who are from two different islands, Rarotonga and Mangaia.

“Neither of them (parents) finished high school,” she said.

As a young girl, she settled into school in West Auckland.

Now she is in line to be the next Te Atatū MP but could lose her seat after special votes come in.

“That was a pretty big dream accomplished, when we think about where we came from,” she said.

Before anything else she said she wants to make sure she delivers for her community and will wait for special votes to be counted before sticking her hand up for any portfolios.

“Obviously, I would love to still be here after special votes are counted,” Nicholas said.

“But the focus is really to try and get everyone moving ahead.”

Meanwhile Nicholas believes Pacific representation in government is important.

“For Pacific communities to see someone who looks like them in Parliament,” Nicholas said.

“But we are part of a team.”

The National Party leader and incoming prime minister of New Zealand Christopher Luxon admits there is still work to do on the diversity front in his caucus, and has acknowledged the importance of diversity.

• Lydia Lewis/RNZ Pacific

Profile

Angee Nicholas, 29, was born in the Cook Islands and moved to New Zealand with her family over two decades ago. She was raised in West Auckland attending local schools Ranui Primary and St Dominic’s College before gaining a Bachelor of Laws from AUT.
During her university years, Angee got involved with student clubs and activities and was elected as the Co-president for the Maori and Pacific Island Law Students Association and then President and founding member of AUT’s Pacific Island Law Students Association. She also worked while studying and in one of her roles became a Student Navigator (Mentor) for the Oceania Leadership Network.
Angee is a director of a family-owned and operated security company. She was an in-house lawyer at the Royal Commission of Inquiry into Abuse in Care and a staffer to former NZ Cabinet Minister, Deputy Leader of the National Party and MP for Auckland Central the Hon Nikki Kaye. Angee also brings practical experience working directly with young people as a Youth Worker.
Angee has always been very connected to the local community and its people through her local squash club and volunteering in various ways through her local church and playing an active role with Pasifika Women out West.
In her spare time, Angee enjoys good coffee, time with family and friends, and exploring new places.

• NZ National Party