1. Early life

2. Professional career

3. Political career
    Local-government politics  Election to Parliament: 2008–2011  Second term in Parliament: 2011–2014  Third term: 2014–2017  Post-political career 

4. Personal life and community involvement

5. References

6. Further reading

7. External links

Peseta Samuelu Masunu "Sam" Lotu-Iiga (born 2 November 1970) is a former member of the New Zealand Parliament for the Maungakiekie electorate, having been elected in the 2008 election. Lotu-Iiga was one of two National Party Pacific Island MPs. Lotu-Iiga holds the Samoan high chiefly title of Peseta.

Early life

Lotu-Iiga was born in Apia, Samoa in 1970. In 1973, Lotu-Iiga and his family moved to New Zealand as a child.{{sfn|Whimp|2012|p=276}} He grew up in Māngere, South Auckland and attended Mangere Central Primary School.^[2] He then studied at Auckland Grammar School and the University of Auckland, where he earned an MCom(Hons) and a BCom/LLB.{{sfn|Whimp|2012|p=276}}^[3]

Professional career

While studying, Lotu-Iiga worked as an intern at the New Zealand Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Trade, but declined an offer to continue after graduation{{fact|date=November 2017}}, instead joining Russell McVeagh McKenzie Bartleet in Auckland as a solicitor. He worked in the area of corporate and commercial law.^[3]

Lotu-Iiga later migrated to Britain, where he worked for Bankers Trust as a financial analyst. While in Britain he earned his MBA from the University of Cambridge's Queen's College.^[3]{{sfn|Whimp|2012|p=276}} While at Cambridge, Lotu-Iiga played rugby for the New Zealand Barbarians.^[4] Lotu-Iiga moved to Sydney and worked as an executive consultant with Macquarie Bank. Later, he returned to New Zealand to work as a management consultant and adviser.^[3]

Political career

Local-government politics

Lotu-Iiga stood on the Citizens & Ratepayers' ticket for a seat on the Auckland City Council during the 2007 Auckland local body election in the Tamaki-Maungakiekie ward.^[5] Following his successful election, Lotu-Iiga was appointed Chairman of the City Development Committee on the Council under Mayor John Banks.^[3]

Election to Parliament: 2008–2011

In February 2008 Lotu-Iiga put his name forward for the National Party selection for the Maungakiekie electorate. That month, incumbent Labour Party MP Mark Gosche, who held a majority of over 6,000 votes, announced he would stand down from the seat in the forthcoming general election.^[6] In April Lotu-Iiga defeated two other National Party nominees for the selection on the first ballot.{{citation needed|date=October 2014}}

While the electoral boundaries for Maungakiekie had changed, removing Otahuhu, the new boundary included the new suburbs of Royal Oak, Onehunga and Point England^[7], which were considered{{by whom|date=December 2015}} to heavily favour the Labour Party.{{citation needed|date=October 2014}} Gosche's large majority meant that Maungakiekie was still considered a safe Labour seat.

Lotu-Iiga ran a high-profile campaign, capitalising on his high name-recognition as a City Councillor, and heavily engaged in grass-roots campaigning, including door-knocking the electoral district. On election night, Lotu-Iiga beat Labour List MP Carol Beaumont by a margin of 1,942 votes^[8] in what was one of the largest electoral swings in the country.^[9] Lotu-Iiga became one of three National Party candidates in the Auckland region to claim a seat from Labour, along with Nikki Kaye in {{NZ electorate link|Auckland Central}} and Paula Bennett in Waitakere.^[9] In his first parliamentary term, Lotu-Iiga served as the Deputy-Chairperson of the Commerce Committee and as a member of the Finance and Expenditure Committee.^[10]

Lotu-Iiga faced some criticism for not resigning from his role as an Auckland City Councillor when he was elected as an MP. He missed a significant number of meetings, attending 12 out of 22 scheduled meetings. Lotu-Iiga responded: "People don't want a politician who's only going to meetings. It's only one part of our job. It's about going out meeting with people from the community. I feel like I'm doing fine. I'm busy but I'm on top of everything..."^[11] During the period in which he missed meetings, important decisions were made{{by whom|date=December 2015}} with regard to areas within the Tamaki-Maungakiekie Ward.{{citation needed|date=October 2014}} Lotu-Iiga eventually resigned his council post in October 2009.^[12]

Second term in Parliament: 2011–2014

In November 2011, Lotu-Iiga was reelected the MP for Maungakiekie, beating Carol Beaumont a second time with an increased majority.^[13] Following the election, Lotu-Iiga was elected Chairperson of the Social Services Select Committee, where he has presided over the Government's welfare reform legislation.^[10]

In January 2014, Lotu-Iiga was promoted into cabinet, becoming Minister of Pacific Island Affairs, and Associate Minister of Local Government.^[14]

Third term: 2014–2017

On 8 October 2014, Lotu-Iiga received his warrants as Minister for Pacific Peoples, Minister for Ethnic Communities and Minister of Corrections.^[15]

On 7 December 2015, Prime Minister John Key announced that Lotu-Iiga would be handing the Corrections portfolio over to returning Cabinet Minister Judith Collins, and would take over the Local Government portfolio from Paula Bennett. The changes were effective from 14 December 2015.

On 13 December 2016, Lotu-Iiga announced that he was quitting politics, to take effect at the 2017 general election.^[16]

Post-political career

Following the 2017 election, Lotu-Iiga became Manukau Institute of Technology's deputy chief executive Pasifika on 25th September 2017.^[2][17]

Personal life and community involvement

Sam Lotu-Iiga lives with his wife Jules in Onehunga. They have one daughter named Hope and a son named Luka. Lotu-Iiga is an active leader of the Pasifika community and holds the Samoan high chief (alii) title of Peseta. Lotu-Iiga is a patron of the Maungarei Cadets, the Dolphin Theatre and the Onehunga Bowling Club. Lotu-Iiga is a Christian and a member of the Royal Oak Baptist Church. He is also a member of the Rotary Club of Penrose. Lotu-Iiga has coached the Auckland under-14 rugby team and once served as a board member of the Primary health organisations of New Zealand.^[3]

References

Further reading

• {{cite book |last=Whimp |first=Graeme |editor-last1=Mallon |editor-first1=Sean |editor-last2=Māhina-Tuai |editor-first2=Kolokesa |editor-last3=Salesa |editor-first3=Damon|title=Tangta O Le Moana: New Zealand and the People of the Pacific |publisher=Te Papa Press |date=2012 |pages=265-284 |chapter=Representing the People: Pacific Politicians in New Zealand |isbn=978-1-877385-72-8}}

External links

• [https://twitter.com/MaungakiekieSAM?ref_src=twsrc%5Egoogle%7Ctwcamp%5Eserp%7Ctwgr%5Eauthor Peseta Sam Loti-Iiga's Twitter account]
• [https://www.parliament.nz/en/mps-and-electorates/former-members-of-parliament/lotu-iiga-peseta-sam Sam Lotu Iiga Parliamentary Page]
• [https://www.national.org.nz/pesetasamlotuiiga National Party biography]

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