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Marama DavidsonNew Zealand politician
Date of Birth: 29.12.1973
Country:  New Zealand |
Content:
- Marama Davidson: Early Life and Activism
- Professional and Community Involvement
- Political Journey
- Sixth Labour Government (2017-Present)
- Personal Life
Marama Davidson: Early Life and Activism
Marama Davidson is a renowned New Zealand politician who entered Parliament in 2015 as the co-leader of the Green Party. Born in Auckland, Davidson is a proud member of the Ngāti Porou, Te Rarawa, and Ngāpuhi iwi. Her father, Rawiri Paratene, was an actor, and both her parents were active in the Māori language campaign during the 1970s. Davidson's early years were marked by frequent moves, with her family settling in Whanganui, Dunedin, and Christchurch before finally residing in Firminaki, Hokianga, when she was nine years old. She completed her undergraduate studies in Hamilton and Auckland, where she obtained a Bachelor of Arts degree. Additionally, Davidson earned a Postgraduate Diploma in Indigenous Studies and Diplomacy from Te Whare Wānanga o Awanuiārangi.
Professional and Community Involvement
Before her political career, Davidson worked at the Human Rights Commission from 2003 to 2012. She also held a part-time role with the Breastfeeding Association of New Zealand and served as an "issues analyst" for the Owen Glenn Inquiry into Child Abuse and Domestic Violence. Davidson was a founding member of the Māori women's organization Te Wharepora Hou Māori Women's Collective.
Political Journey
Fifth National Government (2013-2017)As an environmentalist and human rights advocate, Davidson made her electoral debut in June 2013, contesting the Ikaroa-Rāwhiti by-election as a Green Party candidate. She finished fourth with 11.15% of the votes. In the 2014 general election, Davidson stood in the Tāmaki Makaurau electorate. Ranked 15th on the Green Party list, she entered Parliament in 2015 following the resignation of Russel Norman.
Davidson advocated for the liberalization of abortion laws, improved sex education, increased access to contraception, and enhanced support for adoption. She has openly shared her experience of having an abortion as a teenager. In October 2016, Davidson joined the "Women's Boat to Gaza," a mission to highlight the Israeli blockade of the Gaza Strip. Notable passengers included Nobel Peace Prize laureate Mairead Maguire and retired US Army Colonel Ann Wright. The "Zaytouna-Oliva," the boat carrying the Women's Peace Flotilla, was intercepted by the Israeli Navy on October 5th. In response to the boarding of the flotilla, Green Party Co-leader Metiria Turei demanded the Israeli authorities release Davidson and the other activists and end the blockade.
During the 2017 general election, Davidson secured the second position on the Green Party's list in April 2017. After the release of the full election results on October 7, Davidson was re-elected to Parliament. The Green Party received 6.3% of the vote and secured eight seats.
Sixth Labour Government (2017-Present)
Following Metiria Turei's resignation as Green Party co-leader in 2017, Davidson was considered a potential contender for the leadership. On February 4, 2018, she officially declared her candidacy for the position and emerged victorious on April 8 after defeating fellow MP Julie Anne Genter in the female co-leader election. Reflecting on the Green Party's co-leadership role, Davidson stated that the Greens' responsibility was to push the Labour-led coalition government towards a more progressive direction, including repealing the residential tenancy bond cap.
Davidson supported Auckland Mayor Phil Goff's decision to ban far-right speakers Lauren Southern and Stefan Molyneux from speaking in council-owned venues in 2018. In the aftermath, she and her children received rape and death threats on social media. At a rally against racism, where families and children were in attendance, Davidson declared that New Zealand needed to "reclaim the word 'cunt'" in response to the threats.
On March 25, 2020, Davidson was appointed a member of the Epidemic Response Committee, a select committee that examined the government's response to the COVID-19 pandemic. Davidson was re-elected to Parliament on the Green Party list in the 2020 general election, held on October 17. While she also contested the Tāmaki Makaurau electorate, she placed third behind Labour candidate Peeni Henare and Māori Party candidate John Tamihere. The preliminary results indicated that the Greens received 7.6% of the party vote (180,224).
Personal Life
Marama Davidson is married to Paul Davidson and is a mother of six; their youngest child was born in 2008. Davidson is a qualified aerobics instructor and taught part-time at Les Mills International while studying to support her young family.
In June 2018, Davidson revealed on the Speaking Secrets podcast that she had been sexually violated at the age of eight by an extended family member. When Parliament gave a formal apology to gay men convicted for consensual sex prior to the 1986 Homosexual Law Reform Act, Davidson disclosed that her uncle had assaulted a gay man following a sexual proposition. Her uncle was later convicted of manslaughter when his victim fell into Wellington Harbour and drowned. On behalf of her late uncle, Davidson apologized to New Zealand's LGBTQI+ community.
