From high school dropout to Parliament - new Labour MP Kiritapu Allan shares her inspiring story

New Labour MP Kiritapu Allan says she will give a voice to voiceless New Zealanders, like her nana, who had her language and identity strapped out of her.

On Thursday, the list MP from the East Coast delivered her maiden speech in the House.

The high school drop out from " the mighty Paengaroa" talked about growing up in a family of 10 children, where central government politics weren't a part of the daily discourse "but standing up for what's right and honourable was of absolute and fundamental importance".

TVNZ Kiri Allan (left) brought her baby Hiwa-i-te-rangi into the House. Allan's wife Natalie was nearby with the baby during the speech.

"Like many monumental events in my life, you could describe my entry into this House as somewhat accidental," she said.

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Allan left school at 16 and started fulltime work at a KFC.

SUPPLIED Kiritapu Allan spoke candidly of her upbringing and background during her maiden speech, paying tribute to her family and her ancestors.

Her aspiration was to work in every KFC in New Zealand, so she might "see the world".

During her time at KFC she joined her first union (the Service and Food Workers Union, now E tū), though she didn't know what a union was at that point.

"That began my journey to this place."

SUPPLIED Willow-Jean Prime also delivered her maiden speech on Thursday, and paid tribute to her mother and family.

But "the hint of adventure and the thirst to know New Zealand" beyond the East Coast, led Allan to take a job as a cherry picker in Blenheim.

So, with "dreadlocks flying, 50 bucks in my pocket, a second-hand backpack on my back, and a borrowed tent strapped to my pack", she commenced her trip down country.

On the way she passed through Wellington and stopped outside the Beehive.

MONIQUE FORD / STUFF Labour Ohariu MP Greg O'Connor also delivered his maiden speech on Thursday.

"I said to myself that day, I'm going to find out, and I kinda wanna work there. I could not have anticipated that would come in the form of being a member of this House."

Allan also spoke of her grandmother, and namesake, a Pirirakau Princess who only spoke te reo in the home until she started school.

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On her first day at that school her name was changed to Kitty, a name she carried for the rest of her life, and she was strapped for speaking te reo Māori.

"Whatever the intention, Sir, it was nevertheless the effect that my nana's cultural identity was whipped out of her at that school. And so too, some might say, was her voice.

"So nana, I stand here in this House to honour your name, to give voice to the voiceless, who for whatever their circumstances cannot speak for themselves."

Like fellow Labour MP Willow-Jean Prime, Allan paid tribute to her mother's strength and the example she set.

Both Allan and Prime are new mothers, who brought their babies to Parliament with them.

She said she was "extraordinarily proud" to be from a country that punched above its weight but "there is ugliness in the shadows if you take the time to look".

Allan spoke of a family of seven living in a car, a working-age man who waited four years for a heart operation, nine Gisborne families who lost people to suicide in the space of a few weeks, and forestry workers killed on the job.

"I feel like we are on the precipice of real change," she said, adding that she had "real hope" for the future.

Allan finished her maiden speech by performing a spoken word poem she penned on the steps of Parliament when she first visited on her way to Blenheim at 17:

We are raising a nation of beautiful babies

This is our generation where we lift our heads high

Be gone the days of our forbearers where they were taught to be shy

Because this land, yes, Aotearoa, it is our promise and that is for sure

Being strong in our identities, fostering visions of equality, strong people, and strong communities

Yeah​

Allan is now a commercial lawyer and business consultant, with a focus on primary production, based in Whakatane.

She has a background in advocacy, and is on the board of climate change organisation 350.org, and is an executive member of a national kiwifruit growers association.

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