Ambassador for Gender Equality (Pacific)/Tuia Tāngata  
Tuwharetoa, Hineuru and Waikato  

Louisa is a former politician. She has represented New Zealand in both netball as a Silver Fern and rugby as a member of the Black Ferns and in 2019 was inducted into the Maori Sports Hall of Fame. Louisa was influential in the Marriage Amendment Bill being passed into law in 2013 making New Zealand the 13th nation to allow same-sex marriage and was Co-Convener of the parliamentary cross-party working group on LGBTI rights for seven years.

Louisa became Aotearoa New Zealand’s first Ambassador for Gender Equality (Pacific) Tuia Tangata in May 2022. This recognised her work in Parliament as Co-Chair Commonwealth Women Parliamentarians for eight years, helping to pass legislation to end child brides, outlaw all forms of female genital mutilation, create safe areas around abortion facilities, criminalise image-based sexual abuse and to advocate a solution to address period poverty affecting young women’s access to education.

As Ambassador for Gender Equality Tuia Tāngata, Louisa is working with countries across Te Moana-Nui-a-Kiwa to establish new partnerships and programmes that support the full and effective participation by women and LGBTQI+ communities, and equal opportunities for leadership at all levels of decision-making in political, economic and public life in the Pacific.