Green MP set to be youngest in 42 years

New-comer Chole Swarbrick looks set to become the youngest MP in New Zealand for 42 years. Photo: Chris Smith

New-comer Chloe Swarbrick looks set to become the youngest MP in New Zealand for 42 years. Photo: Chris Smith

As number seven on the Green Party's list, 23-year-old Chloe Swarbrick is set to become New Zealand's youngest MP in 42 years.

Swarbrick only needs the Green Party to get 5.5 percent of the party vote in order to become an MP.

At 89.4 percent of the votes counted, the Green Party sits at 5.9 percent, which guarantees her spot in Parliament.

Speaking to TVNZ, Swarbrick said she's not sure what people will make of that.

"I suppose the significance of that is what people choose to read into the significance of that.

"I would say it's supposed to be a House of Representatives," she said.

"Currently the youngest person in the previous Parliament was a tobacco lobbyist from Southland.

"I wouldn't say he's super representative of the youth of today."

NZME.

1 Comment

Comments

John Anderson Sun, 24/09/2017 - 9:16am #

While I have always been disposed to the sentiment of Green Politics, I have always dismissed the political candidates forwarded by the NZ Green Party as lunatic fringe and not to be taken seriously. Swarbrick just might change that. She may be the first green politician worth taking seriously. It will be interesting to see what she actually delivers over the next three years.