Su'a William Sio
Encyclopedia
Su'a William Sio is a politician who became a Member of Parliament
in the New Zealand House of Representatives
on 1 April 2008 as a New Zealand Labour Party
list MP. He currently represents the Māngere
electorate seat in Parliament.
A Samoan
, Sio has the matai
(chieftain title) of Su'a from the Matatufu village of the Lotofaga
district on the island of Upolu
. He belongs to the extended family called Aiga Sa Aupito headed by the High Chief Aupito, a matai title currently held by his father.
City Councilor, representing the Otara
ward from 2001. Sir Barry Curtis
, the Mayor of Manukau City, selected Sio as chair of the planning committee in November 2004. In October 2007, the newly-elected Mayor of Manukau City, Len Brown
, appointed Sio Deputy Mayor
, making him the first Pacific Islander
to hold this position in Manukau City.
Sio was ranted 47th on the Labour party list and failed to be elected by two places. However New Zealand Labour Party
list MP Dianne Yates
left the New Zealand Parliament
on 29 March 2008, and Sio was declared elected in her place (the person above him on the list, Louisa Wall
, had already been declared elected to replace Ann Hartley
).
In the 2008 general election
Sio won the Māngere
electorate seat, defeating the incumbent independent (and former Labour) MP Taito Phillip Field
by 7126 votes.
Member of Parliament
A Member of Parliament is a representative of the voters to a :parliament. In many countries with bicameral parliaments, the term applies specifically to members of the lower house, as upper houses often have a different title, such as senate, and thus also have different titles for its members,...
in the New Zealand House of Representatives
New Zealand House of Representatives
The New Zealand House of Representatives is the sole chamber of the legislature of New Zealand. The House and the Queen of New Zealand form the New Zealand Parliament....
on 1 April 2008 as a New Zealand Labour Party
New Zealand Labour Party
The New Zealand Labour Party is a New Zealand political party. It describes itself as centre-left and socially progressive and has been one of the two primary parties of New Zealand politics since 1935....
list MP. He currently represents the Māngere
Mangere (New Zealand electorate)
Māngere is a New Zealand Parliamentary electorate, returning one Member of Parliament to the New Zealand House of Representatives. The current MP for Māngere is Su'a William Sio, elected for the Labour Party. He has held this seat since 2008....
electorate seat in Parliament.
A Samoan
Samoans
The Samoan people are a Polynesian ethnic group of the Samoan Islands, sharing genetics, language, history and culture. Due to colonialism, the home islands are politically and geographically divided between the country of Samoa, official name Independent State of Samoa ; and American Samoa, an...
, Sio has the matai
Fa'amatai
Fa'amatai is the chiefly system of Samoa, central to the organization of Samoan society.It is the traditional indigenous form of governance in the Samoa Islands, comprising American Samoa and the Independent State of Samoa...
(chieftain title) of Su'a from the Matatufu village of the Lotofaga
Lotofaga
Lotofaga is a village on the south coast of Upolu island in Samoa. Lotofaga is also the name of the larger Lotofaga Electoral Constituency which includes Lotofaga village and two other villages, Vavau and Matatufu....
district on the island of Upolu
Upolu
Upolu is an island in Samoa, formed by a massive basaltic shield volcano which rises from the seafloor of the western Pacific Ocean. The island is long, in area, and is the second largest in geographic area as well as the most populated of the Samoan Islands. Upolu is situated to the east of...
. He belongs to the extended family called Aiga Sa Aupito headed by the High Chief Aupito, a matai title currently held by his father.
Local politics
Sio had served as a ManukauManukau
Manukau City was a large territorial authority in Auckland, New Zealand. The city was sometimes referred to as South Auckland, but this term did not possess official recognition and did not encompass areas like East Auckland, which was previously within the official boundaries of Manukau City...
City Councilor, representing the Otara
Otara
Ōtara is a suburb of Auckland, New Zealand, situated 18 kilometres to the southeast of the Auckland CBD. Ōtara lies near the head of the Tāmaki River , which extends south towards the Manukau Harbour...
ward from 2001. Sir Barry Curtis
Barry Curtis
Sir Barry Curtis was the Mayor of Manukau from 1983 until 2007. When he announced his intention to retire in 2007, he was New Zealand's longest serving mayor at that time.-Career:...
, the Mayor of Manukau City, selected Sio as chair of the planning committee in November 2004. In October 2007, the newly-elected Mayor of Manukau City, Len Brown
Len Brown
Len Brown is the Mayor of Auckland in New Zealand and the head of the Auckland Council. He won the 2010 Auckland mayoral election on 9 October 2010 and was sworn in as Mayor of Auckland on 1 November 2010, being the first to hold that title for the amalgamated Auckland 'Super City'...
, appointed Sio Deputy Mayor
Deputy Mayor
Deputy mayor is an elective or appointive office of the second-ranking official in many local governments. Many elected deputy mayors are members of the city council who are given the title and serve as acting mayor in the mayor's absence...
, making him the first Pacific Islander
Pacific Islander
Pacific Islander , is a geographic term to describe the indigenous inhabitants of any of the three major sub-regions of Oceania: Polynesia, Melanesia and Micronesia.According to the Encyclopædia Britannica, these three regions, together with their islands consist of:Polynesia:...
to hold this position in Manukau City.
National politics
In the 2005 parliamentary electionsNew Zealand general election, 2005
The 2005 New Zealand general election held on 17 September 2005 determined the composition of the 48th New Zealand Parliament. No party won a majority in the unicameral House of Representatives, but the Labour Party of Prime Minister Helen Clark secured two more seats than nearest rival, the...
Sio was ranted 47th on the Labour party list and failed to be elected by two places. However New Zealand Labour Party
New Zealand Labour Party
The New Zealand Labour Party is a New Zealand political party. It describes itself as centre-left and socially progressive and has been one of the two primary parties of New Zealand politics since 1935....
list MP Dianne Yates
Dianne Yates
Dianne Fae Yates is a New Zealand politician. She is a member of the Labour Party.-Member of Parliament:Yates first entered Parliament in the 1993 elections, representing the Hamilton East electorate. In the 1996 elections, she was defeated in Hamilton East by National's Tony Steel, but remained...
left the New Zealand Parliament
New Zealand House of Representatives
The New Zealand House of Representatives is the sole chamber of the legislature of New Zealand. The House and the Queen of New Zealand form the New Zealand Parliament....
on 29 March 2008, and Sio was declared elected in her place (the person above him on the list, Louisa Wall
Louisa Wall
Louisa Hareruia Wall is a New Zealand MP and national representative netball and rugby union player.-Early and personal life :...
, had already been declared elected to replace Ann Hartley
Ann Hartley
Margaret Ann Hartley known as Ann Hartley is a former New Zealand member of parliament, a former Mayor of North Shore City, and a member of the Labour Party.-Early years:...
).
In the 2008 general election
New Zealand general election, 2008
The 2008 New Zealand general election was held on 8 November 2008 to determine the composition of the 49th New Zealand parliament. The conservative National Party, headed by its Parliamentary leader John Key, won a plurality of votes and seats, ending 9 years of government dominated by the social...
Sio won the Māngere
Mangere (New Zealand electorate)
Māngere is a New Zealand Parliamentary electorate, returning one Member of Parliament to the New Zealand House of Representatives. The current MP for Māngere is Su'a William Sio, elected for the Labour Party. He has held this seat since 2008....
electorate seat, defeating the incumbent independent (and former Labour) MP Taito Phillip Field
Taito Phillip Field
Taito Phillip Hans Field is a Samoan New Zealand politician. He was a Member of Parliament for south Auckland electorates from 1993 to 2008. Field was a minister outside Cabinet in a Labour-led government from 2003 to 2005. Following charges of bribery and perverting the course of justice, he was...
by 7126 votes.