MP Efeso Collins a Champion of Equality

Green Party MP Fa’anānā Efeso Collins, who had only recently started his new role as member of parliament, has died at the age of 49. He was participating in the ChildFund Water Run to raise funds to support local communities in the Pacific in Auckland’s Britomart when he collapsed, Maroosha Muzaffar reports for The Independent.

“Aotearoa and the Green Party have lost one of the kindest, most dedicated champions of fairness and equality,” Green Party co-leaders James Shaw and Marama Davidson said in a statement.

Born in Auckland – of Tokelauan and Samoan heritage – he participated actively in student politics and was a fervent supporter of South Auckland. His career in local government spanned nine years, during which he served as a representative for the Labour Party before he made the transition to the Green Party.

It eventually led to his election to parliament in October last year.

Collins made his maiden speech just a week ago and said that they must tackle poverty.

“It’s hard to be poor, it’s expensive to be poor, and moreover, public discourse is making it socially unacceptable to be poor,” he said.

“Many of our societal challenges are driven by poverty. We can achieve greater social cohesion and lift our sense of belonging by addressing poverty.”

Original article by Maroosha Muzaffar, The Independent, February 22, 2024.