Carmel's Beehive buzz I DON'T WANT TO BE THE SOOKIE BUBBA DEPUTY PM

Our first Pasifika deputy prime minister credits her devoted husband and the rest of her 'village' for allowing her to pursue her political ambitions

It’s been two weeks since Carmel Sepuloni was made Aotearoa’s new deputy prime minister and in that time, the proud Pasifika politician has shed her fair share of tears.

There’s the magnitude of what it means to be the first-ever person of Pacific descent to hold the role, the outpouring of love and support from her community, not to mention the sense of privilege that comes with such a position. It’s little wonder, perhaps, that emotions have been close to the surface.

“Oh, it’s certainly taken a bit to get my head around it all,” she says with a smile, as she welcomes Woman’s Day into the West Auckland home she shares with her husband Daren Kamali and their blended whanau.

“There have been a few tears cried this week, but I don’t want to be the sookie bubba deputy prime minister, so I’m going to try to pull back on that!”

Joining her at our photoshoot is Carmel’s biggest supporter, her husband of four years, poet and musician Daren, 47. Together they raise their four sons, aged 24, 16, 12 and nine, and the couple recently became grandparents, with the arrival of their first moko. 

“We’re now Nan C and Papa D,” says Carmel proudly. “And I can’t explain how amazing it is to be a grandparent. It’s a totally different love to that of a parent.”