Laura Trask
Laura Trask party list | |
|---|---|
| Assumed office 14 October 2023 | |
| Personal details | |
| Born | Laura Barbara McClure 3 August 1985 Christchurch, New Zealand |
| Political party | ACT New Zealand |
| Children | 2 |
Laura Barbara Trask (née McClure; born 3 August 1985) is a New Zealand politician, representing ACT New Zealand as a Member of Parliament since the 2023 New Zealand general election.
Early life
Trask was born in Christchurch on 3 August 1985, and raised there as the eldest of three children.[1][2][3] Her father Bill McClure, who moved from England to New Zealand in the 1970s, was a former general manager at Kraft Heinz who later founded a fire evacuation business.[1] Her mother Sharyn (née Neame), one of eight children, was a hairdresser who grew up in public housing.[1][2] Trask's parents disagreed with one another politically, with her mother being a staunch Labour Party supporter and her father a National supporter; she grew up in an environment of significant political discourse.[1]
Trask worked as a pharmacy technician in Christchurch for some time before moving to Wellington, where she met her husband, a construction project manager. After the couple had their first child, they moved to Auckland, where Trask and her husband took over the local wing of her father's business.[1] She is a registered fire safety evacuation consultant.[4] While living in Auckland, Trask advocated for 24-hour medical support for south Auckland, as she found herself driving more than 40 kilometres (25 mi) for after-hours medical care for her children.[5]
Political career
| Years | Term | Electorate | List | Party | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2023–present | 54th | List | 10 | ACT | |
Trask started volunteering for the ACT Party in 2020, working for Toni Severin. Her entry to politics was spontaneous; in a 2023 interview, she stated she would "have absolutely laughed" if someone told her ten years prior that she would become a politician.[1] Trask contested Banks Peninsula in the 2023 election. She was tenth on ACT's party list, placed higher than Severin at 14.[6] Speaking to The Press about her list position, Trask said did not expect to be given a winnable position and “it was not an ideal situation that I wanted to be in, but at the same time, I’m very honoured.”[7] On election night, Trask came fourth, with 2,073 votes based on final results, but entered parliament due to her position on the party list.[8][9]
Trask's primary political concerns are oriented around regulation and the perception of "specific extra rights" for members of particular demographic groups. She states she does not agree with all of ACT's positions, and has expressed support for transgender rights and the position that climate change is primarily caused by human actions. Trask criticises New Zealand's education system as "incredibly woke", which she defines as policies that detract from educating children in favour of ideological pursuits. She supports ACT's proposed budget and substantial cuts to government spending, which she considers the primary factor in inflation.[1]
Private life
Trask's husband is Māori. The couple have a son and daughter. Trask has almost no profile on social media, living as a private individual, and states she had not expected to enter politics.[1]
References
- ^ a b c d e f g h Williams, David (13 September 2023). "The Sure Things: Act's Laura Trask would kill off red tape 'overkill'". Newsroom. Retrieved 26 September 2023.
- ^ PapersPast.
- ^ "Laura Trask". ACT Party. Retrieved 17 October 2023.
- ^ "Ex-TVNZ reporter, climate protester & rugby boss: The new MPs on track to enter Parliament". The New Zealand Herald. 15 October 2023. Retrieved 14 October 2023.
- ^ Earley, Melanie (19 December 2018). "Long drive for medical help for mum of child with seizures". Stuff. Retrieved 16 October 2023.
- ^ Neilson, Michael (16 July 2023). "Act Party list: Some big falls and a few surprises". The New Zealand Herald. Retrieved 17 October 2023.
- ^ Gill, Sinead (3 October 2023). "On the list: Christchurch candidates on the cusp of Parliament". www.thepress.co.nz. Retrieved 3 November 2023.
- ^ "Banks Peninsula – Official Result". Electoral Commission. Archived from the original on 23 November 2023. Retrieved 4 November 2023.
- ^ "2023 General Election – Successful Candidates". Electoral Commission. 3 November 2023. Archived from the original on 22 November 2023. Retrieved 25 November 2023.