Karen Chhour

Karen Louise Chhour^[2] (born 1980 or 1981) is a New Zealand politician. She has been a member of parliament for ACT New Zealand since the 2020 general election.

Early life and career

Chhour is of Māori descent and belongs to the Ngāpuhi iwi.^[3] She was born in Australia and moved to New Zealand as a baby, first living with her grandparents in Kaeo before moving back in with her mother on the North Shore at the age of 5.^[4][5] She regularly ran away from home and ended up in foster care, which she states as a reason for her interest in addressing homelessness and child poverty. She worked in property management prior to becoming involved in politics.^[6][7][8]

Political career

First term, 2020–2023

In the 2020 general election, Chhour was placed seventh on the ACT party list and ran for the electorate of Upper Harbour.^[6] Chhour came fourth in Upper Harbour.^[9] However, ACT won 8% of the party vote, which entitled it to 10 MPs including Chhour.^[10][11] In her first term, Chhour was ACT's spokesperson for social development, children, and child poverty reduction.^[12]

In early December 2021, Chhour criticised the Labour Government's plans to introduce legislation under its Smokefree 2025 programme that would ban anyone under the age of 14 from legally purchasing tobacco for the rest of their lives. Older generations will only be permitted to buy tobacco products with very low-levels of nicotine while fewer shops will be allowed to sell tobacco products. Chhour argued that prohibition was unworkable and that the new law would create a black market for tobacco products.^[13]

On 28 September 2022, Chhour in her capacity as ACT's children spokesperson questioned the Minister of Children

Chhour stood for re-election at the 2023 general election. She finished fourth in the Upper Harbour electorate but was returned for a second term as a list MP.^[15][16]

In late November 2023, Chhour assumed the positions of Minister for Children and Minister for the prevention of Family and Sexual Violence in the Sixth National Government.^[17]

On 30 November 2023 Chhour, as Children's Minister, defended the Government's plans to repeal Section 7AA of the Oranga Tamariki Act 1989, which requires Oranga Tamariki (Ministry for Children) to ensure that Māori babies who are uplifted from unsafe homes remain in the care of their wider family (whānau). She argued that focusing on race detracted from the ministry's primary focus of protecting "at-risk" children.^[18]

In early March 2024 Chhour announced that Government would be launching a pilot Youth Offender Military Academy in mid 2024, which would target serious youth offenders. The pilot boot camp would be run by Oranga Tamariki and have a rehabilitative and trauma-informed care approach as well as a military component^[19][20] The Government's boot camp programme was criticised by Green Party co-leader Marama Davidson, Te Pāti Māori co-leader Rawiri Waititi, IHC director of advocacy Tania Thomas, Professor Joanna Kidman, Auckland youth development worker Aaron Hendry and human rights law firm Cooper Legal, who argued that boot camps did not address the causes of crime and would have an adverse impact on disadvantaged children and young people, particularly Māori and the intellectually disabled.^[21][22] In response to criticism, Chhour argued that boot camps were needed to show young offenders "there were consequences for their actions but they could benefit from a chance to turn their lives around."^[23] Retail NZ issued a statement expressing cautious support in light of high retail crime in New Zealand.^[24]

Personal life

Chhour lives on the North Shore. She met her husband Menglin, a Cambodian refugee, in intermediate school. They lost touch when she moved schools, but reconnected when she was 16, working at McDonald's after dropping out of high school. They have four children together.^{[4][5][6][7][25]}

In 2020, Chhour reconnected with her long-lost Australian father and discovered she has two sisters.^[5]

References