Ginny Andersen

Andersen was born in 1975.[4] Her parents were both teachers at low-decile schools around the country and her childhood was spent all over New Zealand including Great Barrier Island, Hawke's Bay, Wairarapa before settling in Christchurch where she attended Avonside Girls' High School. Her high school principal was Marian Hobbs, who later became a cabinet minister under Helen Clark. Bill Andersen, a noted activist and trade union leader, was her great-uncle.[6]

While living in the Christchurch suburb of Linwood, Anderson became aware of the negative social impacts of gangs and drugs which were present in the area. She "grew up with kids whose parents were on methadone" and "had friends who took their life at a really young age because the parents were ... addict[s]”.[7]

After leaving school, she studied political science and Māori at the University of Canterbury, before taking three years off to travel the world.[8] On her return to New Zealand, she continued her studies completing a master's degree in Political Science in 2004. Her thesis addressed indigenous self-determination based on the Crown's Treaty settlement with Ngai Tahu.[9]

Following that, she worked at the Office of Treaty Settlements, and in 2004, became private secretary for Margaret Wilson on treaty negotiations. After that, she became a political adviser for David Cunliffe and then Trevor Mallard.[7][10]

Andersen wanted a family and did not enjoy the long work hours in Parliament so in 2006, took a job with the New Zealand Police. She was employed as a policy unit manager focussing on gang problems, and organised crime. She became a strategic adviser on Māori, Pacific and ethnic services with a focus on reducing Māori reoffending. When John Key became Prime Minister, she was seconded to his Department to work on the Methamphetamine Action Plan.[11] She became an MP in 2017.[1]

At the 2008 election Andersen was a campaign organiser for Labour candidate Chris Hipkins in the Remutaka electorate.[8] She stood in the electorate of Ōhāriu at the 2014 election, and was only narrowly defeated by the long-standing incumbent, Peter Dunne of United Future, by a margin of 610 votes (1.91%).[12][1] Andersen served as the Labour Party's Vice-President from 2015 to 2017, when she stood down to focus on her parliamentary candidacy.[1]

In October 2016, Andersen was selected as Labour's candidate for the electorate of Hutt South for the 2017 election against Hutt City Councillor Campbell Barry and list candidate Sarah Packer.[1] She replaced long-serving member of parliament Trevor Mallard as the Labour Party candidate who had, in July of that year, said he would serve as a list-only candidate for the election with the intention of becoming Speaker of the House.[3][1][2][13] While Andersen lost the Hutt South election to Bishop, she entered parliament via the party list, ranked at 28 for Labour, under New Zealand's MMP electoral system.[14]

At the 2020 New Zealand general election, Anderson was again Labour's candidate for Hutt South,[15] and defeated National's Chris Bishop by 3,777 votes.[16][17]

In March 2021, controversy arose over the unusual arrangements for Andersen's office space rented by the Labour Party in Hutt South. Rent for MPs’ offices are paid by Parliamentary Services. However, a sublease arrangement, which had been in place for decades, meant that Parliamentary Services (ie the taxpayer) were paying the Labour Party $6,000 per annum to cover the rent, but the Labour Party was only paying the landlord, the New Zealand Professional Firefighters Union (NZPFU), $1,500 a year. The $4,500 overpayment went to the Labour Party which used it for campaigning and other expenses – in an arrangement which was approved by Parliamentary Services.[18] Once the arrangement became public, Andersen cancelled it.[19]

On 31 January 2023, Andersen was appointed as the Minister for the Digital Economy and Communications, Minister for Small Business, Minister for Seniors, Associate Minister of Immigration and the Associate Minister for Treaty of Waitangi Negotiations in a cabinet reshuffle by Prime Minister Chris Hipkins[20] Following Stuart Nash's resignation as Police Minister, she was appointed as Minister of Police by Prime Minister Chris Hipkins on 20 March 2023.[21]