Parliament’s newest representative Benjamin Doyle is breaking new ground as New Zealand’s first openly non-binary MP.
Doyle was sworn in on Thursday, replacing Darleen Tana, who was booted by the Greens from Parliament under party-hopping provisions.
The 18th-ranked candidate on the party list, who contested the Hamilton West seat last election, brings a background in education and kaupapa Māori research to their new role.
They said: “I grew up in Whangaparāoa. I’m from the north on my mum’s side, and moved to Auckland to study and do university.
“I trained as a high school teacher and worked in that space for nearly a decade, and I worked it as a researcher, a kaupapa Māori researcher, at Waikato University – predominantly in justice and equity and belonging for Māori students.”
The Green MP said they felt “forced” to be political in their life.
“Just existing as I am, feels, like, it’s forced me to be political,” they said.
“You know, my identity is intersectional. I’m queer, takatāpui. I’m Māori, Pākehā. I live with a disability. But on the other hand, I’m also incredibly privileged, I’ve had access to healthcare and education that many aren’t lucky enough to have.
“I have a very intersectional identity, and that has forced me to be politicised, you know, to fight for what my rights are, the rights of my community, my whakapapa.”
Doyle, who uses they/them pronouns, was sworn in wearing a beret and carrying several books including a facsimile of Te Tiriti o Waitangi, a copy of Imagining Decolonisation, and a copy of a 1996 book, titled Intimate Details and Vital Statistics.
The new MP said they were carefully watching the norms in Parliament.
“This institution is very old fashioned and has some inherited beliefs and rules that don’t fit the context of a modern society,” they said.
“While it may seem like I’m some outlier in how I express myself here, actually, if you look around, there are a lot of people here who, in small ways, express who they are and challenge those old-fashioned kinds of colonial norms – those patriarchal norms.”
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Q+A with Jack Tame is made with the support of New Zealand On Air