Moana Mackey, Labour party, East Coast

Moana Mackey

Currently a list MP, Moana Mackey will be a candidate in the next election for East Coast, following the retirement of her mother, Labour MP Janet Mackey.

It is 30 years this weekend since the United Women's Convention was held. What big challenges do women face in New Zealand today?

Pay parity is still the big one. The nurses' pay claim being settled will make a big dent. Women under 35 are finding it hard to combine career and family. Whereas 30 years ago family would mean no career, today to have a career seems to mean no family. What we are doing in work-life balance and paid parental leave is incredibly important. We need to say to young women, "You can have both."

Have you found it difficult to manage your work-life balance?

It's never easy. I have seen how isolated you can get if your work becomes everything and you don't keep up contact with friends and family. I definitely don't have the kind of balance that I tell others they should have - which is true of any politician. I do prioritise for family and friends.

Have there been any particular challenges in Parliament that have arisen because you are a young woman?

Sometimes people don't believe you are an MP. [Labour MP] Darren Hughes is younger than me, but he doesn't have the same problem. Sometimes security guards don't believe you are an MP and you find that when you go to other countries they presume you are a member of staff. It's small fry and I don't let it get to me - I take it as a compliment.

You were a baby at the time of the conference Are you grateful to those women?

I wouldn't be here today - particularly as a young woman - if it wasn't for the hard work of women before me.

You and Labour MP Janet Mackey are Parliament's first mother and daughter team. What is it like?

It has been great. We are not on the same committees, so unless we make an effort we only see each other at caucus. We are best friends - she doesn't tell me what to do. We live in Gisborne and I go to her house for dinner as much as I can.

Your mother is retiring at this election. Will it be strange coming back to Parliament without her?

It will but I have no doubt that she will be full of advice. We will both still be living in Gisborne. She is really pragmatic and contributes a lot to our caucus. She has been in Parliament for so long she has a real feel for the place. I will miss that immediate advice.

When did you begin to show an interest in politics?

My mum was always heavily involved - I would go to all the Labour meetings with my colouring book as a kid. All our closest friends were people we met through the party. I joined Labour when I was 15. It reflected my values, and I had emotional connections.

How have you found your first term?

I love the variety and all the different challenges. The highlight for me is that it has allowed me to move back to Gisborne. The low points have been neglecting family and friends and having no social life. That is something I have to try to balance.

What are your political goals?

My goal is to win the East Coast seat but if I have learned anything from Mum, [it is that] politics is fickle and it doesn't matter how good you are, things might happen.

What are the main challenges facing Labour in the lead-up to this election?

It is our concern that our supporters are the ones least likely to vote and also the least likely to realise what they could lose if Labour lost. It is all well for National to scratch an itch, but they have to have a policy that says how they are going to fix things. Flashy billboards mean nothing if they don't say how things should be fixed.

If Labour is returned, what issues would you like to see advanced?

I am keen to see movement on work-life balance. It is very difficult, because I don't necessarily back Government intervention. I am also keen to get the number of sickness beneficiaries and long-term unemployed down. I have seen the difference that makes to the local economy and crime rates.