Meka Whaitiri | |
|---|---|
 | |
| 63rd Minister of Customs | |
| In office 6 November 2020 – 3 May 2023 | |
| Prime Minister | Jacinda Ardern Chris Hipkins |
| Preceded by | Jenny Salesa |
| Succeeded by | Damien O'Connor (acting) |
| In office 26 October 2017 – 30 August 2018 | |
| Prime Minister | Jacinda Ardern |
| Preceded by | Tim Macindoe |
| Succeeded by | Kris Faafoi |
| Member of the New Zealand Parliament for Ikaroa-Rāwhiti | |
| In office 29 June 2013 – 14 October 2023 | |
| Preceded by | Parekura Horomia |
| Succeeded by | Cushla Tangaere-Manuel |
| Personal details | |
| Born | Melissa Heni Mekameka Whaitiri 11 January 1965 |
| Political party | Te Pāti Māori (2023–present) Labour (before 2023) |
| Children | 2 |
Melissa Heni Mekameka Whaitiri (born 11 January 1965) is a New Zealand politician and former member of the New Zealand House of Representatives. She was first elected to Parliament in the 2013 Ikaroa-Rāwhiti by-election for the Labour Party.
Whaitiri served as Minister of Customs for the Sixth Labour Government on two separate occasions but resigned from her party on 3 May 2023 to contest the 2023 general election for Te Pāti Māori.[1] For the remainder of the parliamentary term, she was treated as an independent member in the House,[2] and was defeated in her bid to retain Ikaroa-Rāwhiti by the Labour candidate, Cushla Tangaere-Manuel.
- ^ Cite error: The named reference
1News20230503was invoked but never defined (see the help page). - ^ "Meka Whaitiri remains an MP - 'waka-jumping' law not triggered - Speaker". NZ Herald. Retrieved 14 May 2023.