This is a list of LGBTQIA+ (lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender and intersex) holders of political offices in New Zealand.
Charles Mackay, who served as Mayor of Whanganui for a non-consecutive period from 1906 to 1920, is the first known gay mayor. Mackay resigned from his position in 1920 after the attempted murder of poet D'Arcy Cresswell, who allegedly blackmailed him and threatened to publicly expose his homosexuality. Most mentions of Mackay were removed from Whanganui due to the controversy, including having streets renamed, his official portrait removed, and his name sanded off the foundation stone of the Sarjeant Gallery. The first openly lesbian councillor in New Zealand was Margaret Magill, who served on the Eastbourne Borough Council from 1931 for around 30 years, including as deputy mayor of Eastbourne.
The first known LGBTQIA+ member of the New Zealand Parliament was Marilyn Waring, who served in parliament from 1975 to 1984. Waring was outed by the press in 1975, but openly acknowledged her sexual orientation only after leaving parliament. The first openly LGBTQIA+ politician was Chris Carter, who was elected to the Te Atatū electorate in 1993, serving until 2010. Carter and Tim Barnett established Rainbow Labour, the LGBT branch within the New Zealand Labour Party, in 1997.
Georgina Beyer became the world's first openly transgender mayor in 1995, when she became the Mayor of Carterton. Beyer later represented Wairarapa in the New Zealand Parliament from 1999 to 2005, becoming the world's first openly transgender Member of Parliament.
After the 2020 New Zealand general election, the New Zealand parliament had thirteen openly LGBTQIA+ MPs, making it the country with the highest proportion of LGBTQIA+ politicians serving in government in the world. Currently, there are nine LGBTQIA+ MPs in the New Zealand parliament.
Grant Robertson is the longest serving LGBTQIA+ member of parliament, having been elected in 2008. Robertson served as the first LGBTQIA+ Deputy Prime Minister of New Zealand from 2020 to 2023, and was the first openly gay deputy prime minister in New Zealand.
Members of Parliament
Name Image Party SeatTerm in Office NotesMarilyn Waring rowspan="2" National Party Raglan 1975 1978 Outed by a tabloid newspaper in 1976, Waring openly acknowledged her sexual orientation after leaving parliament. Waipa 1978 1984Chris Carter Labour Party Te Atatū 1993 2010 First openly gay member of Parliament, and cofounder of Rainbow Labour. Independent 2010 2011 Tim Barnett Labour Party Christchurch Central 1996 2008 Cofounder of Rainbow Labour. Georgina Beyer Labour Party Wairarapa 1999 2005 First openly transgender Member of Parliament in the world, and first takatāpui Member of Parliament. Chris Finlayson National Party List 2005 2019 First openly gay member of parliament for a right-wing party. Maryan Street Labour Party List 2005 2014 First openly lesbian Member of Parliament. Charles Chauvel Labour Party List 2006 2013 Grant Robertson rowspan="2" Labour Party Wellington Central 2008 2023 First openly gay deputy prime minister in New Zealand. List 2023 2024Louisa Wall rowspan="4" Labour Party List 2008 2008 Wall introduced the Marriage (Definition of Marriage) Amendment Act 2013, which made same-sex marriage legal in New Zealand. List 2011 2011 Manurewa 2011 2020 List 2020 2022 Kevin Hague Green Party List 2011 2016 Jan Logie Green Party List 2011 2023 Paul Foster-Bell National Party List 2013 2017 Claudette Hauiti National Party List 2013 2014 Meka Whaitiri Labour Party Ikaroa-Rāwhiti 2013 2023 First LGBT Māori electorate MP. Independent 2023 2023Tāmati Coffey rowspan="2" Labour Party Waiariki 2017 2020 List 2020 2023Kiri Allan rowspan="2" Labour Party List 2017 2020 East Coast 2020 2023Chlöe Swarbrick rowspan="2" Green Party List 2017 2020 First LGBT leader of a parliamentary party. Auckland Central 2020 PresentGlen Bennett rowspan="2" Labour Party New Plymouth 2020 2023 List 2024 PresentShanan Halbert rowspan="2" Labour Party Northcote 2020 2023 List 2024 Present Tangi Utikere Labour Party Palmerston North 2020 Present Ayesha Verrall Labour Party List 2020 Present Elizabeth Kerekere Green Party List 2020 2023 Independent 2023 2023 Ricardo Menéndez March Green Party List 2020 Present Kahurangi Carter Green Party List 2023 Present Todd Stephenson ACT List 2023 Present Lawrence Xu-Nan Green Party List 2024 Present Benjamin Doyle Green Party List 2024 2025
Mayors Georgina Beyer – Mayor of Carterton (1995–1999) Charles Mackay – Mayor of Wanganui (1906–1912, 1912–1913, 1915–1920) Jenny Rowan – Mayor of Inglewood District (1986–1989), Mayor of Kāpiti Coast (2007–2013)
Councillors Steve Broad – Invercargill City Council (2023–present) Jacquie Grant – Grey District Council (1998–2004) Richard Hills – Auckland Council (2016–present) Margaret Magill – Eastbourne Borough Council (1931–1950s) Teri O'Neill - Wellington City Council (2019–2025) Rohan O'Neill-Stevens - Nelson City Council (2019–2025)
See also Stephen Berry – right-wing perennial candidate, running from 2002 to 2020. Damian Light – while not entering parliament, Light became the first openly gay leader of a political party in New Zealand in 2017. Heather Simpson – chief of staff for Prime Minister Helen Clark, who stood for election in 1987 and 1993. List of the first LGBT holders of political offices
References