Tariana Turia is the uncompromising co-leader of the Maori Party, who's not afraid to stand up for what she believes in.
Background:
Tariana was born on April 8, 1944 to a Maori mother and an American father – possibly a Native American, she once told the New Zealand Herald.
She was brought up by her grandmother after her real father abandoned her mother whilst she was pregnant. She is now married to George Turia and has six children of her own, 25 grandchildren and seven great-grandchildren.
Before entering Parliament, Tariana worked for several Maori organisations, including Maori Affairs, the Te Oranganui Iwi Health Authority and the Ministry of Maori Development.
She has affiliations with Ntagi Apa, Nga Rauru and Tuwharetoa.
Career in politics:
Tariana first entered Parliament in 1996 ranked #20 on Labour's list. She rose to #16 for Labour's 1999 election victory, but in 2002 opted out of the list. She instead contested – and won – the Te Tai Hauauru seat on the Maori roll.
Over the next few years she served as Associate Minister of Māori Affairs, Associate Minister of Corrections, Associate Minister of Social Services and Employment, Associate Minister of Health, and Associate Minister of Housing.
In 2002 she was promoted to Minister for the Community and Voluntary sector.
She split from Labour in 2004 as a result of the foreshore and seabed controversy, claiming her party's Foreshore and Seabed Act was confiscating Maori land.
The newly-formed Maori Party got into Parliament after winning the Te Tai Hauauru byelection with over 92 percent of the vote – none of the other major parties fielded a candidate.
She brought three other candidates in with her in 2005, and another in 2008, before striking a confidence and supply deal with National. Turia regained many of her old ministerial responsibilities, and took over as Minister for Disability Issues from National's Paula Bennett in 2009.
Notable achievements:
Got National to agree not to abolish the Maori seats without Maori consent, in return for a confidence and supply agreement
Struck a deal to introduce Whanau Ora
Got the Foreshore and Seabed Act replaced with the Marine and Coastal Area Bill.
Famous quote:
"The holocaust suffered by many Maori tribes during the Land Wars needs to be acknowledged. Only then will the healing for Maori occur." – Speech to the Psychological Society Conference at Waikato University in August, 2000.
Gaffes and blunders:
Made a last-minute attempt in April to appoint a doctor with strong anti-abortion views to the Abortion Supervisory Committee, which was voted down.
In June, Tariana apologised after effectively writing off the Maori Party candidate in the Te Tai Tokerau byelection. She said if ex-Maori Party MP Hone Harawira had "done the work on the ground" he should win. Of her own candidate, Solomon Tipene, she said: "I think that he has shown that he doesn't understand politics clearly."
In a sentence:
Tariana Turia is the cool, hard yin to Pita Sharples' soft and cuddly yang.