Claudette Hauiti UPDATE. 9.20AM: Claudette Hauti has just confirmed she will take up the position in Parliament left vacant by Aaron Gilmore. She's been itching to get into Parliament, tweeting during the final reading of the marriage equality Bill: "Oh F--K! I ccouldv'e been there in that house debating this bill #63listrankingsucks #marriageequality" Hauiti is in a civil union with Nadine Hauiti-Mau and they have three children. She will be National's first openly-lesbian MP; her predecessor Marilyn Waring was outed. When she stood for Parliament, we described Hauiti as a predominantly business-minded candidate who is passionate about lifting people out of poverty and away from benefit dependency. She also believes the Adoption Act is outdated and is passionate about working against bullying in schools, "including of takataapui which the National Party finds particularly abhorrent," she said, adding "Many of our whanau who are welfare-dependant and have been for consecutive generations are very vulnerable. Tackling the needs of children, including those in poverty, requires a whole of government approach." 8.45AM: The resignation of disgraced National list MP Aaron Gilmore may bring the party's next-ranking list candidate, lesbian TV producer and mother of three Claudette Hauiti, into Parliament. Hauiti's business experience has been mostly in media and through her TV production company she was the producer of the acclaimed glbti Maori TV show Takataapui. Her entry into Parliament will give National an openly gay companion MP to Attorney General Chris Finlayson. National has historically had a paucity of openly gay MPs in its ranks, with only Marilyn Waring, who was outed after being elected, preceding Finlayson and Hauiti. The total number of openly glbti MPs will now be seven again following Labour MP Charles Chauvel's resignation from Parliament in February to work for the United Nations. The full list of openly glbti MPs is now Christopher Finlayson and Claudette Hauiti (National), Grant Robertson, Maryan Street and Louisa Wall (Labour) and Kevin Hague and Jan Logie (Greens).
Credit: GayNZ.com Daily News staff
First published: Monday, 13th May 2013 - 8:23am