Pita Paraone

Early life and family

Paraone was born in Kawakawa in the Northland Region. He received his education at Motatau District High School and Bay of Islands College. He has a Diploma in Business Development from the University of Auckland, and a Diploma in Social Work from Victoria University of Wellington. He has also attended the Henley Management College in Henley-on-Thames, England.

Before entering politics, Paraone had a long career in public service spanning several decades. He was a regional director for Te Puni Kōkiri, the Ministry of Maori Development. In the 1997 New Year Honours he was appointed a Member of the New Zealand Order of Merit for services to Māori and the community. He lived in Pakuranga during his first period in parliament.

Paraone is married with three children and five grandchildren.

Political career

Before entering parliament, Paraone was a board member of New Zealand First (1999–2000) and a member of the Board of Directors (2000–2002).

He stood in the 1999 election in the Pakuranga electorate but was unsuccessful. He was ranked 19th on the New Zealand First party list, which was too low to be elected from the list. He was first elected to Parliament as a list MP in the 2002 election. In the 2008 general election Paraone was sixth on the New Zealand First party list, but the party lost all its parliamentary seats, winning no electorates and polling below the 5% threshold.

In December 2009 he was elected a Chairman of the Waitangi National Trust Board, replacing Jeremy Williams. Paraone has been on the board of the Waitangi National Trust since 1997.

At the 2014 election Paraone was re-elected as a New Zealand First list MP and is currently his party spokesperson on Māori Affairs, Treaty of Waitangi Issues, Pacific Island Affairs, and the Office of Treaty Settlements.