Neru Leavasa

Anae Neru Leavasa
Leavasa in 2023
Member of the New Zealand Parliament
for Takanini
In office
17 October 2020 – 14 October 2023
Preceded byElectorate established
Succeeded byRima Nakhle
Personal details
Born1983 or 1984 (age 39–40)[1]
Auckland, New Zealand
Political partyLabour
Children1
Alma materUniversity of Auckland
ProfessionGeneral practitioner

Anae Neru Asi Tuiataga Leavasa[2] is a New Zealand politician of the Labour Party. He served as the Member of Parliament for Takanini from 2020 to 2023.

Early life and family

Leavasa's parents immigrated from Samoa in the 1980s. His mother is from Le'auva'a and Solosolo and his father is from Vaiala and Vaimoso.[3] He was born in Auckland and has four brothers and an older sister.[3] His mother's uncle was Minister of Education in Samoa and his paternal grandfather was Minister of Agriculture in Samoa. Tuimalealiʻifano Vaʻaletoʻa Sualauvi II, the O le Ao o le Malo (head of state of Samoa), is also an uncle.[3]

Leavasa received secondary education at Marcellin College and Auckland Grammar School.[3] As a teenager, Leavasa survived metastatic bone cancer. He has only one lung and has a metal joint in one knee, and walks with a slight limp.[4]

He earned his medical degree from the University of Auckland Medical School and was awarded fellowship of the Royal New Zealand College of General Practitioners in 2014.[5] Prior to entering Parliament, Leavasa worked for 12 years as a general practitioner and sports doctor in Māngere.[4][6]

He is married and has one child.[7]

Political career

New Zealand Parliament
Years Term Electorate List Party
2020–2023 53rd Takanini 52 Labour

Leavasa was elected to the Māngere-Ōtāhuhu Local Board in the 2019 elections.[4]

At the 2020 election Leavasa stood for parliament for the Labour Party and was ranked 52nd on the party list.[8] He also ran for the Takanini electorate which he won by a margin of 7,724 votes, defeating National Party candidate Rima Nakhle.[9][10] This was the first election after Takanini had been created and many, including University of Auckland political scientist Lara Greaves, had anticipated prior to the election that the seat would be won by National.[7] During his time in Parliament, Leavasa was deputy chair of the health committee and also sat as a member of the Pae Ora legislation committee.[11]

Leavasa and Nakhle contested Takanini a second time at the 2023 New Zealand general election; Leavasa lost by a margin of 8,775 votes.[12] His position of 38 on the Labour Party list was not high enough to see him return as a list MP.[13][14]

Views and positions

Leavasa depicts himself as a social conservative with a Christian faith background.[15] He opposed the 2020 decriminalisation of abortion, saying: "I come from a faith background, and so I won't move on my moral convictions. In regards to the abortion legislation, I would have, from a faith background and a conservative view, have voted against it."[16]

Leavasa wants the government to build more housing to accommodate Takanini's growing population and to also reduce the health risks from overcrowding.[15]

References

  1. ^ "Compare the candidates for Takanini — NZ Election 2020". Your complete guide to NZ Election 2020 — Policy. The Spinoff. Retrieved 2 November 2020.
  2. ^ "Speech – New Zealand Parliament".
  3. ^ a b c d Husband, Dale (5 December 2020). "Neru Leavasa: A history of service". E-Tangata. Retrieved 10 January 2023.
  4. ^ a b c "A few words from…Neru Leavasa". New Zealand Doctor. 6 May 2020. Archived from the original on 27 May 2020. Retrieved 9 August 2020.
  5. ^ "Meet Neru". New Zealand Labour Party. Retrieved 9 August 2020.
  6. ^ Keogh, Brittany (6 August 2020). "Doctor, businesswoman among candidates for new Takanini seat". Stuff. Archived from the original on 22 September 2020. Retrieved 19 October 2020.
  7. ^ a b Keogh, Brittany (19 October 2020). "Labour's Neru Leavasa becomes MP for newest electorate, Takanini". Stuff. Archived from the original on 22 October 2020. Retrieved 19 October 2020.
  8. ^ "Labour announces list for 2020 Election". New Zealand Labour Party. Archived from the original on 17 October 2020. Retrieved 27 July 2020.
  9. ^ "2020 General Election and Referendums – Official Result". Electoral Commission. 6 November 2020. Retrieved 6 November 2020.
  10. ^ "Election 2020: The 40 diverse new MPs entering Parliament". Newstalk ZB. 18 October 2020. Archived from the original on 22 October 2020. Retrieved 16 November 2020 – via The New Zealand Herald.
  11. ^ "Leavasa, Neru". New Zealand Parliament. Retrieved 30 April 2024.
  12. ^ "Takanini - Official Result". Electoral Commission. 3 November 2023. Archived from the original on 23 November 2023. Retrieved 16 December 2023.
  13. ^ "Party Lists of Successful Registered Parties". New Zealand Electoral Commission. Retrieved 30 April 2024.
  14. ^ Mathias, Shanti (17 October 2023). "Which Labour MPs have been washed away by the outgoing red tide?". The Spinoff. Retrieved 30 April 2024.
  15. ^ a b Latif, Justin (6 August 2020). "Welcome to Takanini, the sparkling new seat in the 2020 election". The Spinoff. Archived from the original on 18 October 2020. Retrieved 10 August 2020.
  16. ^ Latif, Justin (7 August 2020). "Abortion became legal in March – but it still divides Labour in South Auckland". The Spinoff. Archived from the original on 30 October 2020. Retrieved 10 August 2020.
New Zealand Parliament
New constituency Member of Parliament for Takanini
2020–2023 		Succeeded by