Helen White is fair fizzing with excitement after winning selection as Labour Party candidate for Mt Albert last month
Hard to imagine the vibrant 54-year-old could be any more exuberant than her default, but as a list member of Parliament since the last election she is rearing to go in the electorate where she has lived for 34 years and is well placed to hit the ground running.
White has been based in offices on Ponsonby Road that effectively straddle the Auckland Central and Mt Albert electorates, sharing the space with another first-termer, Camilla Belich, who also stood against her for selection in Mt Albert.
The electorate is a diverse cultural mix embracing Grey Lynn, Westmere, Pt Chev and Arch Hill and stretching across and out to Owairaka. While White has made much about growing up in Freemans Bay before it was the affluent territory of stylish urbanites, home is Sandringham and she says she “belongs” to Mt Albert.
She describes the role of an MP as an honour “on steroids” exposing her to different cultures and walks of life, and over the last two years has completed a Post Grad Diploma in Public Policy devised by Victoria University specifically for incoming MPs. She says the input from a diverse group of members from all parties has enriched her appreciation of the practical effects of legislation and she believes it is vital that members of parliament are truly representative of our populus.
Twenty five years practice in employment law cements her grasp of the law and its impacts on real lives; she says that she is not therefore formed by Parliament, but rather in a position to use it as a tool to make positive and constructive change. It is the narratives of the citizens she encounters and the stories of those she has represented at the bar that drives her steely resolve to serve.
In October 2022 she introduced a members bill - Employment Relations (Restraint of Trade) Amendment Bill - to the House which aims to refine the existing law which has been abused leaving individuals at both ends of the income spectrum unable to earn a living. Her most recent attempt to make change that matter is an initiative with Habitat for Humanity to require rental properties to provide curtaining.
Landlords may see this as yet another imposition, but the benefits to health and wellbeing, not to mention energy consumption, have wider implications for the public purse.
As she has settled into the process of Parliament - she is deputy chair of the Regulatory Review Select Committee and sits on the Transport and Infrastructure Committee - she has been determined to maintain accessibility to the constituency. She has hosted a series of local public meetings with Michael Wood, Minister of Transport, and with Grant Robertson, some of which will be rescheduled after postponement due to Auckland flooding.
She intends to invite new Minister of Police, Ginny Andersen, and Barbara Edmonds, Associate Minister of Housing whose focus is on rental issues. Intrigued by the idea of bringing the vote to sixteen year olds she has been part of a team of MPs who have taken an education programme into schools to develop student understanding of the parliamentary workings of democracy.
Riding into Parliament with the 2020 Labour wave at number 48 on the list, White will be relieved to have secured selection for the electorate seat with a 29,000 majority; but her campaign planning is underway already as no sensible politician can take their position for granted.
The Mt Albert electorate has produced a steady stream of Labour Prime Ministers, so stepping into Jacinda Ardern’s footsteps is a daunting prospect for any up-and-comer.
White feels for younger MPs with children at home who bear the cost of the parliamentary lifestyle, but she has already launched her three children and is in a phase of her life where she can commit limitless energy to the task. Scooting round the city streets, she can be seen relishing the challenge and loving her job 100 per cent.
Hail her if you see her, because she is always ready to converse. The peoples voice is her food and ammunition. (Cait McLennan White)
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