7 hours Ago By Danielle Zollickhofer
New Zealand’s first non-binary Member of Parliament, Benjamin Doyle , has presented their maiden speech. Doyle (they/them/ia), of Ngāpuhi and Pākehā descent, became a List MP for the Green Party earlier this month after Darleen Tana was ousted from Parliament. In the maiden speech this week, Doyle touched on numerous big topics from trans rights , to Toitū Te Tiriti, disability justice, the environment , freedom, love, education, and injustices in Gaza , Lebanon, Sudan, the Congo, Kanaky, West Papua.
Doyle, who is based in Hamilton , grew up in Te Tai Tokerau Northland and spent nine years in education as a high school teacher in Auckland Tāmaki Makaurau and Hamilton Kirikiriroa, and more recently as a kaupapa Māori researcher at the University of Waikato . They stood in the 2023 general election as a Green Party candidate for the Hamilton West electorate, coming in third , behind National’s Tama Potaka and Labour’s Myra Williamson, with 3230 votes..
