Humbled and overjoyed to be a Minister

Continued from page 1 include housing, health, education, and keeping communities and businesses safe.

“I was humbled and overjoyed to have such a great opportunity to serve New Zealand,” Ms Andersen told the “Wainuiomata News”.

“Becoming a Cabinet Minister is a really big deal for our family,” she says.

Ms Andersen was, in fact, the first member of her family to go to university.

Another major focus will be “creating a strong economy,” she says.

Ms Andersen’s promotion to Cabinet has been welcomed by Hutt City Mayor Campbell Barry.

“Ginny’s appointment is good news for her and our community,” the Mayor says.

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She studied at Canterbury University, gaining a Master of Arts with distinction in political science.

Her master’s thesis was on the Ngā i Tahu Treaty Settlement, and her first job after leaving university was as a treaty negotiator for the Crown.

“So it is great to be Associate Minister of Treaty Negotiations,” she says.

“We’re extremely lucky to be well represented in Government, and I’m looking forward to continuing to work with her to advance the needs of Wainuiomata and our city at the highest level”.

Ms Andersen was elected to Parliament as a list MP in 2017, and then won the Hutt South seat at the last election in 2020.

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She is also really looking forward to continuing her work with senior citizens, now as Minister for Seniors.

“I’m quite grateful that Wainuiomata Grey Power and Lower Hutt Grey Power keep me on my toes,” Ms Andersen says.

“As a new Cabinet we are going to be focused on the cost of living – the bread and butter issues that ordinary people face.”

As well as the cost of living, those bread and butter issues

Before entering the political arena she worked in the public service, advising a number of former Labour Ministers – including Trevor Mallard and David Cunliffe.

One of her public sector roles was with the Police, and in Parliament she has been working on moves aimed at changing New Zealand’s criminal law.

Her member’s bill – the Crimes (Child Exploitation Offences) Amendment Bill – was selected in the Parliamentary ballot in August 2021.

The bill would amend the

Crimes Act 1961 to make it an offence for a person over 18 to use online communications to falsely represent their age or identity with the intention to meet with someone under 16.

The bill would also make it an offence for someone over 18 to use online communications to plan to cause harm to a person under 16.

The bill proposes to increase the maximum penalty for a person convicted of sexual grooming of a young person from seven to 10 years’ imprisonment. This bill has been considered by Parliament’s Justice Committee (which Ms Andersen chairs) and the committee recommended that the bill be passed.

The next stage is the “third reading” of the bill in Parliament. If Parliament passes the bill it will then go to the Governor General to be signed into law.