The New Zealand Labour Party welcomed Lemauga Lydia Sosene who was sworn in at Parliament and took the oath of allegiance in Te Reo Maori and in the Samoan language this afternoon in Wellington. She replaces Louisa Wall who resigned last month.
Lemauga who hails from the villages of Falefa Falevao, Matautu, Sapunaoa Falealili, Saasaai Savai’i, Salani and Apia has joined the largest ever Pacific caucus in Aotearoa New Zealand’s Parliamentary history, which now has a total of 11 members of Samoan, Tongan, Cook Island and Tokelauan descent.
Born and raised in South Auckland, Lemauga hails from Māngere. During her 12 year background in local body affairs, she was elected to the Māngere-Ōtāhuhu Local Board in 2010 and spent the last nine years as the Chair.
Lemauga says, “my parents dream was that I served my community, to know where I come from and to know where I am going. They both had service backgrounds and they didn’t have much, so to become a Member of Parliament to serve Aotearoa is very humbling.
Lemauga’s maiden speech will be at 7pm on Wednesday, 4 May.
Image credit: NZ Parliament