Efeso Collins
MP
Collins in 2023
Member of the New Zealand Parliament
for Green party list
Assumed office
14 October 2023 (2023-10-14)
Manukau ward Councillor
In office
1 November 2016 – 28 October 2022
Preceded byArthur Anae
Succeeded byLotu Fuli
Personal details
Born1974 or 1975 (age 48–49)[1]
Auckland, New Zealand
Political partyGreen (2023–present)
Labour (before 2023)
Alma materAuckland (BA, MA)

Fa'anānā Efeso Collins (born 1974 or 1975) is a New Zealand politician serving as a Green Party Member of Parliament since 2023. He was previously a Manukau ward councillor on Auckland Council from 2016 to 2022, when he stood down and unsuccessfully contested the 2022 Auckland mayoral election. He is of Samoan and Tokelauan descent.[2]

Early life and family

Collins was born and raised in the Auckland suburb of Ōtara.[1] He was the youngest of six children to bus driver and Pentecostal Church pastor Tauiliili Sio Collins and factory worker and cleaner Lotomau Collins.[3] His parents immigrated to New Zealand from Samoa in the 1960s.[4] Collins carries the Samoan matai title of Fa’anana from the village of Satufia, Satupaitea, Savai'i.[5] He was brought up a Pentecostal Christian.[6]

He attended East Tamaki Primary School and Ferguson Intermediate School. He briefly attended Auckland Grammar School before moving to Tangaroa College.[1] He later studied education at the University of Auckland, graduating with a Bachelor of Arts in 1997 followed by a Master of Arts in 1999.[7] His MA dissertation included discussion of 'brown flight' .[8] He has subsequently contributed to four published works and taught at Auckland University.[9] He was elected Auckland University Students' Association president in 1999 and was the first Polynesian in that role. As president he represented students on the Auckland University Council.[10] His subsequent career included positions in the education sector and the public service.[11]

Collins married Fia, a diversity and inclusion specialist, in 2011. The couple share two daughters.[12][6]

Auckland Council

Auckland Council
Years Ward Affiliation
2016–2019 Manukau Labour
2019–2022 Manukau Labour

Papatoetoe Local Board, 2013–2016

At the 2013 Auckland elections, Collins was elected to the Ōtara-Papatoetoe Local Board and became its chairperson.[13][14] An original campaign song was created by two former members of a church youth group Collins had previously led.[15]

He contested the Labour party candidate selection for the Manukau East seat before the 2014 general election, but ultimately Jenny Salesa was selected and won the seat.[16][17]

Auckland Council, 2016–2022

At the 2016 Auckland elections, Collins was elected to the Auckland Council, replacing Arthur Anae, who did not seek re-election.[18] He was sworn in as a councillor for the Manukau ward on 1 November 2016.[19] In 2019 he was re-elected as the highest polling candidate in the Manakau Ward.[20]

On 27 August 2021, during the COVID-19 pandemic in New Zealand, Collins called for the New Zealand Government to grant an amnesty to people who had overstayed their visas in order to encourage members of the Pasifika community to come forward for COVID-19 tests. The then Health Minister Chris Hipkins had earlier reassured the Pasifika community that the Government would not use any information collected during testing for immigration purposes.[21]

On 25 July 2021, Collins disclosed that he and his family had received a death threat on 19 June in response to his comments criticising TVNZ's Police Ten 7 programme for its negative depiction of the Māori and Pasifika communities. Despite the threats to him and his family, and the 'deep sense of guilt' he felt for exposing his family to the threat, Collins and his wife resolved to continue his involvement in politics and he later said this was the moment he decided to run for the Auckland mayoralty.[4][22]

2022 Auckland mayoral election

In January 2022 Collins announced he would be running for Mayor of Auckland as an independent candidate in the 2022 election.[4][23] On 28 February 2022, the Labour Party announced that it would be endorsing Collins as its preferred candidate.[24] On 15 March 2022, the Green Party announced its endorsement of Collins, a first for the party.[25] He also received the endorsement of incumbent mayor Phil Goff.[26] Collins' policies included fare-free public transport as "the first and best way" to address the city’s emissions.[2]

In the October Auckland mayoral election, Collins received 124,802 votes, compared to 181,810 votes for Wayne Brown, who was elected mayor. Collins attributed his election defeat to alleged "unconscious bias" among voters and the postal ballot system which disadvantaged lower-income voters.[27]

Member of Parliament

New Zealand Parliament
Years Term Electorate List Party
2023–present 54th List 11 Green

Following the 2022 Auckland mayoral election, Collins announced that he would retire from local body politics. When asked on election night, he stated he had no intention to run for Parliament at the 2023 New Zealand general election[28] but in November it was reported that he was considering opportunities with the Labour Party and the Green Party.[29]

Collins was reported as a likely candidate for the Green Party in January 2023.[30] In February 2023 Collins announced he was seeking selection as the Green candidate for Panmure-Ōtāhuhu and a place on the party list.[6] The draft Green Party list released on 3 April featured Collins in 12th place.[31]

The finalised party list was released on 20 May 2023, featuring Collins up one place to 11th while also confirming him as the Green Party candidate for Panmure-Ōtāhuhu.[32]

In mid September 2023, Collins received a death threat during the 2023 election campaign. The Green Party referred the threat to the Police, who subsequently identified a 58-year old man as the perpetrator. The man admitted fault and completed a Te Pae Oranga restorative justice process involving Police and Māori iwi (tribal) partners.[33]

Collins came third in the Panmure-Ōtāhuhu electorate with 4,312 votes.[34] However, he was elected to Parliament via the Green party list.[35]

Political views

Collins was historically aligned with the Labour Party, but has veered from the party line on a number of occasions, such as opposing the Regional Fuel Tax on equity grounds, and being a vocal supporter of the 2019 Ihumātao protest.[36][37]

LGBT issues

His politics are generally centre-left,[29] but he has held some conservative positions previously. He says these stemmed from his strict, Pentecostal religious upbringing.[4][6] He was opposed to the Marriage (Definition of Marriage) Amendment Act 2013, which legalised same-sex marriage in New Zealand, but later apologised for his actions.[38][39][6] He supported the Conversion Practices Prohibition Legislation Act 2022.[39]

Collins has credited his niece coming out as transgender in 2013 as a pivotal shift in his religious views and beliefs. He defended his niece and supported her even as others in her family struggled to accept her identity. As a result of this experience, Collins subsequently decided to provide support to both takatāpui (LGBT) and fa'afafine (third gender) youth. Collins has also stated that he has abandoned the Christian theological position of "love the sinner, hate the sin."[6]

Abortion

On abortion, Collins said in 2022: "I won't get in the way of women and people who are pregnant making their own, deeply personal decisions. I too am on a journey of understanding and empathy and always open to listening to people's diverse experiences and beliefs."[4]

Cannabis

During the 2020 New Zealand cannabis referendum, Collins opposed the legalisation of cannabis; however he supported its decriminalisation.[40]

References

  1. 1 2 3 Husband, Dale (4 February 2017). "Efeso Collins: We're still on the factory floor — just dressed nicely now". E-Tangata. Archived from the original on 22 February 2022. Retrieved 27 April 2022.
  2. 1 2 Wannan, Olivia (17 March 2022). "Calls for fare-free public transport after Government halves ticket prices". Stuff. Archived from the original on 17 March 2022. Retrieved 17 March 2022.
  3. ↑ "Efeso Collins: The Samoan boy from Ōtara now running for mayor". NZ Herald. Archived from the original on 17 January 2023. Retrieved 17 January 2023.
  4. 1 2 3 4 5 "'I think it's time': Efeso Collins commits to running for Auckland mayor". RNZ. 26 January 2022. Archived from the original on 15 May 2022. Retrieved 22 May 2022.
  5. ↑ "About Us – Efeso Collins". The Daily Blog. Archived from the original on 30 June 2019. Retrieved 9 December 2020.
  6. 1 2 3 4 5 6 Donnell, Hayden (23 February 2023). "Exclusive: Efeso Collins on his return to politics, and why he chose the Green Party". The Spinoff. Archived from the original on 23 February 2023. Retrieved 23 February 2023.
  7. ↑ "Graduation search results". University of Auckland. Archived from the original on 22 July 2021. Retrieved 28 February 2022.
  8. ↑ "Chatting with Auckland's mayoral candidates: Wayne Brown, Efeso Collins, Craig Lord". RNZ. Radio NZ. Archived from the original on 30 September 2022. Retrieved 30 September 2022.
  9. ↑ "Collins, Efeso". Woldcat. Worldcat. Archived from the original on 30 September 2022. Retrieved 30 September 2022.
  10. ↑ Maude, Simon (7 November 2016). "What it means to be Samoan on Auckland Council". Stuff. Archived from the original on 20 April 2019. Retrieved 9 August 2021.
  11. ↑ Collins, Efeso (22 May 2022). "Efeso Collins CV" (PDF). Scoop. Archived (PDF) from the original on 27 June 2022. Retrieved 22 May 2022.
  12. ↑ Hartigan, Florence. "Auckland Mayor hopeful Efeso Collins reveals how his wife saved his life". Now To Love. Archived from the original on 17 January 2023. Retrieved 17 January 2023.
  13. ↑ "Supermarket deal paves way for expansion of Old Papatoetoe mall". Panuku.co.nz. 7 July 2016. Archived from the original on 6 November 2016. Retrieved 5 November 2016.
  14. ↑ Opeta Elika (11 October 2013). "Vote Efeso Collins". Archived from the original on 16 February 2014. Retrieved 5 November 2016 – via YouTube.
  15. ↑ Hopgood, Sela Jane (2 February 2022). "Yeah yeah! The true story of Efeso Collins' council campaign song". The Spinoff. Archived from the original on 17 January 2023. Retrieved 17 January 2023.
  16. ↑ "Labour to select candidate for Manukau East". Scoop. Archived from the original on 6 November 2016. Retrieved 5 November 2016.
  17. ↑ Roberts, Sarah (28 February 2014). "Labour picks Manukau East candidate". Stuff. Archived from the original on 10 January 2017. Retrieved 5 November 2016.
  18. ↑ "Labour sweeps Manukau Ward". Stuff. Archived from the original on 7 December 2017. Retrieved 5 November 2016.
  19. ↑ "Auckland councillor Efeso Collins claims discrimination at swearing in ceremony". The New Zealand Herald. 3 November 2016. Archived from the original on 6 November 2016. Retrieved 5 November 2016.
  20. ↑ "Results and voter turnout numbers 2019". Auckland City Council. Archived from the original on 29 September 2022. Retrieved 29 September 2022.
  21. ↑ "Auckland councillor Efeso Collins calls for amnesty for people with expired visas". Radio New Zealand. 27 August 2020. Archived from the original on 27 August 2020. Retrieved 27 August 2020.
  22. ↑ Latif, Justin (25 July 2021). "Auckland councillor Fa'anana Efeso Collins receives bomb threat after police TV show criticism". The New Zealand Herald. Archived from the original on 3 August 2021. Retrieved 9 August 2021.
  23. ↑ Niall, Todd (26 January 2022). "Auckland mayoralty: Efeso Collins confirms bid for the job". Stuff. Archived from the original on 27 January 2022. Retrieved 1 February 2022.
  24. ↑ "Labour endorses Efeso Collins for Auckland mayoralty". Radio New Zealand. 28 February 2022. Archived from the original on 27 July 2022. Retrieved 28 February 2022.
  25. ↑ "Auckland mayoralty: Greens endorse Labour's Collins in break with past". Stuff. 16 March 2022. Archived from the original on 17 June 2022. Retrieved 14 May 2022.
  26. ↑ Adam, Gifford. "Goff endorses Efeso Collins for mayoralty". Waatea News. Archived from the original on 30 September 2022. Retrieved 30 September 2022.
  27. ↑ Scott, Matthew (8 October 2022). "'An uphill battle from the beginning'". Newsroom. Archived from the original on 9 October 2022. Retrieved 9 October 2022.
  28. ↑ "Local body elections: Losing Auckland mayoral candidate Efeso Collins to quit local politics". The New Zealand Herald. 8 October 2022. Archived from the original on 9 October 2022. Retrieved 9 October 2022.
  29. 1 2 McConnell, Glenn (8 November 2022). "Efeso Collins considers standing for Parliament – but for which party?". Stuff. Archived from the original on 17 January 2023. Retrieved 17 January 2023.
  30. ↑ "Efeso Collins among list of likely Green candidates for 2023 election". NZ Herald. Archived from the original on 17 January 2023. Retrieved 17 January 2023.
  31. ↑ "Green Party releases draft candidate list". Radio New Zealand. 3 April 2023. Archived from the original on 30 April 2023. Retrieved 30 April 2023.
  32. ↑ Shaw, James; Davidson, Marama (20 May 2023). "Green Party unveils its list for the 2023 election". Green Party of Aotearoa New Zealand. Archived from the original on 26 September 2023. Retrieved 26 September 2023.
  33. ↑ Los'e, Joseph (15 September 2023). "Election 2023: Green Party's Efeso Collins gets death threat on the campaign trail". The New Zealand Herald. Archived from the original on 24 September 2023. Retrieved 26 September 2023.
  34. ↑ "Panmure-Ōtāhuhu - Official Result". Electoral Commission. 3 November 2023. Archived from the original on 25 November 2023. Retrieved 15 December 2023.
  35. ↑ "2023 General Election: Successful candidates". Electoral Commission. 3 November 2023. Archived from the original on 17 November 2023. Retrieved 20 November 2023.
  36. ↑ Niall, Todd (14 March 2022). "The pot of gold at the end of Auckland's regional fuel tax rainbow". Stuff. Archived from the original on 22 May 2022. Retrieved 22 May 2022.
  37. ↑ "'I think it's time': Efeso Collins commits to running for Auckland mayor". RNZ. 26 January 2022. Archived from the original on 15 May 2022. Retrieved 22 May 2022.
  38. ↑ Pasifika, Tagata (23 August 2012), The Gay Marriage Bill, archived from the original on 17 January 2023, retrieved 17 January 2023
  39. 1 2 "Shaneel Lal: I trust Efeso Collins has my queer back". The New Zealand Herald. 24 September 2022. Archived from the original on 26 March 2023. Retrieved 17 January 2023.
  40. ↑ "Calls for decriminalisation as legal cannabis looks unlikely". Radio New Zealand. 31 October 2020. Archived from the original on 11 March 2022. Retrieved 12 March 2022.
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