Kiri Allan’s courage ‘THIS JOURNEY HAS BEEN A GIFT

After her brave battle with cancer, the MP reflects on the family who got her through and life beyond politics

- Nicky Pellegrino

Things are getting loud at Kiritapu Allan’s place in Gisborne. The kids are singing so enthusiastically, the Labour MP has to move outside and sit in the sunshine, where she can make herself heard. We get the feeling this isn’t the first time she’s been ousted from her own living room.

Family life is both beautiful and messy for Kiri and her partner of three years, Ma-ni Dunlop. Both juggle parenthood with full-on careers – Ma-ni as a presenter on RNZ National, and Kiri as our Minister for Conservation and Emergency Management.

They live between the East Coast and Wellington with their blended family that also includes daughters Pikiarero Hazel, four, and Hiwaiterangi Allan-Coates, four and a half.

“There’s no typical day for us,” admits Kiri, who is divorced from her former partner, lawyer Natalie Coates. “We manage to raise our children with a big colourful tribe of people who are a huge part of our lives. We’re fortunate with the family support we have wrapped around us.”

Politics is a challenging career and Kiri is in no doubt that being with family is the best way for her to recharge. “This is the place that grounds me,” she explains. “Those kids who were singing those beautiful songs – everything is really focused around them having a good life. I’m lucky that they allow me to come home and for it to be a soft place to land, where I can curl up in a corner if I need to. It’s family that gives me sustenance.”