Holly Walker

Early life

Walker was born in Lower Hutt in 1982. She was raised by a mother on the Domestic Purposes Benefit and attended Waterloo School, Hutt Intermediate School and Hutt Valley High School, where she was deputy head girl.

University and early political work

From 2001 she studied at the University of Otago, graduating with a BA (Hons) in English and Politics, as well as winning a Blue for her achievements with the Otago University Debating Society. In 2005 she was the editor of student magazine Critic Te Arohi, the year's winner of the Aotearoa Student Press Association's award for Best Student Publication. In September 2005 Critic's annual "Offensive Issue" included a fictional diary of a man who used drugs to stupefy and rape women. The Office of Film and Literature Classification banned the issue in early 2006, after Walker's tenure as editor had ended. At the time of the ban she said the article was "defendable in that it highlights a very important issue", but when Critic interviewed her in 2012 she called it "a mistake to publish that particular article the way that we did".

She moved from Dunedin to Wellington and in 2006 began working as a media adviser to the Green Party. The next year she moved to the Office of Treaty Settlements, working as an analyst. 2007 also saw her named a Rhodes scholar, leading to a master's degree in Developmental Studies from the University of Oxford, awarded in 2009.

After two years in Oxford, Walker returned to New Zealand and the Green Party. She spent 2009-11 as a Political and Media Adviser to the party's MPs, leading a poverty research project for the party, and she co-convened the Young Greens of Aotearoa in 2010.

Member of Parliament

Placed twelfth on the Green Party list for the 2011 election, Walker was elected to Parliament when the Greens gained 14 seats.

On 5 April 2012, Walker's Lobbying Disclosure Bill was drawn from the ballot of private members' bills and introduced to Parliament. It had originally been written by Sue Kedgley, but was narrowed in scope under Walker. The bill was modelled on a Canadian law, with similar legislation in Australia and America also being an influence. Its intention was to make interactions between MPs and lobbyists more transparent. It passed its first reading but was rejected by a parliamentary select committee in August 2013.

In January 2013 Walker unveiled the Green Party's Home for Life scheme, aimed at getting low income earners into their own homes. By the end of the Parliamentary term she was Green Party spokesperson for Housing, Electoral Reform, Children, Open Government, Arts Culture & Heritage, and Students.

Three months before the 2014 general election, Walker withdrew from the Green Party list, citing "a recent unexpected change in my family life". She had been placed twelfth - high enough to be returned to Parliament. She remained the party's (unsuccessful) candidate for Hutt South, campaigning only for the party vote, and has not ruled out a return to politics.

Career after politics

Since stepping down as a Green MP, Walker is working at the Office of the Children's Commissioner, and writes a blog reviewing books written by women. She has written that she wishes to return to public life when family commitments allow her to:

In 2015 she began contributing to website 'The Spinoff', reviewing books, interviewing authors, and writing other articles. The next year she launched a parenting podcast, 'Dear Mamas', co-hosted with Emily Writes, and contributed book reviews to Radio New Zealand's 'Nine to Noon' programme.

Family life

Walker is in a civil union with David Haines. They have a daughter, Esther, born on 7 October 2013.