The Green MP on her parody and satire bill, meeting a teenage Chl\u00f6e Swarbrick, and the Act minister she\u2019d like to share a drink with.<\/p>\n
Kahurangi Carter is the earthly, resourceful and indulgent star sign Taurus and, when you think about it, it makes a lot of sense. In this corner of Pint of Order, Carter is the picture of natural luxury in a silky brown shirt, swirling a red wine and dabbing her spotless face with a homemade mixture of sunflower seed and essential oils. And, duh, she\u2019s a member of parliament for the Green Party, a former national manager for the M\u0101ori-led zero-waste group Para Kore and worked in the arts as an actor for over a decade, even once starring in a play as the mother of her party leader Chl\u00f6e Swarbrick.<\/p>\n
That\u2019s how a 24-year-old Carter first met a 15-year-old Swarbrick, hanging around her house for rehearsals. About 14 years later, Swarbrick would shoulder tap Carter to run for the Greens in the Christchurch Central electorate in the 2023 general election, and Carter would end up in parliament on the party list. These days, their lives are all about caucus and the occasional concert (like Tyler, the Creator), but Carter has found that there are a lot of transferrable skills between acting and being a politician.<\/p>\n
\u201cYou have this whole team that works together \u2013 you have your writers, but then you feed back into them and bring your own magic to it,\u201d Carter says. \u201cThat\u2019s what it\u2019s like having a policy team, a comms team, an outreach team and the MPs. We all work together to share our message and spread our movement.\u201d<\/p>\n
Big Taurus energy in this photo.<\/p>\n
Carter\u2019s been pretty lucky as a first-term MP, having two member\u2019s bills pulled from the biscuit tin in the two years she\u2019s been in parliament. Her Drug Overdose (Assistance Protection) Legislation Bill was chosen a week after it was lodged in September, and would protect those who need life-saving assistance following a drug overdose from being charged with low-level drug offences. That followed another member\u2019s bill being pulled last November, which would allow creatives to use copyrighted work for parody and satire.<\/p>\n
\u201cAn integral part of being Kiwi is looking at people like Billy T James, and how he was able to shape conversations our whole country was having through humour, and tackling really difficult topics with a bit of levity,\u201d Carter says on the kaupapa behind her Copyright (Parody and Satire) Amendment Bill. \u201cParody and satire is a really important way for us to talk about what\u2019s happening in the world. People are feeling overwhelmed, and it\u2019s really easy to shut off from politics and what\u2019s happening around you \u2013 which is scary because the more we isolate ourselves, the less connection we have.\u201d<\/p>\n
When she\u2019s not drafting bills, Carter spends her time stretched across eight portfolios, including mental health, children, women and arts, and culture and heritage. She didn\u2019t expect these first years in parliament to keep her so busy, but the government of the day clearly had other plans for her. With Christmas around the corner, the only gift Carter is wishing for is a little bit more time with her two teenage children \u2013 but having Olivia Dean\u2019s new album on repeat in between yoga classes and the odd acupuncture appointment is enough to keep this Taurus grounded for now.<\/p>\n
THE SPINOFF PUB Q+A<\/p>\n
How much should a pint cost?<\/p>\n
Like, $7-10. I\u2019m a dreamer.<\/p>\n
Do you have a karaoke go-to?<\/p>\n
Easy: Natasha Bedingfield\u2019s \u2018Unwritten\u2019. You can do a duet with me! The lyrics are so good, it ramps up and I love to sing it with somebody.<\/p>\n
Favourite place to get a drink in Aotearoa?<\/p>\n
Probably my sister\u2019s house. We both live in Christchurch and love being around our kids \u2013 she\u2019s got little kids, so it\u2019s just easier to be at home and do that. But there is a cool bar in Christchurch called Smash Palace \u2013 it\u2019s a bus, the same kind of bus I used to live in with my kids and my husband.<\/p>\n
Which three MPs would be on your pub quiz team?<\/p>\n
I\u2019d choose \u014ctautahi MPs because we love Christchurch, and if we learn to work together, our city will thrive. Doing a pub quiz is a good way to build camaraderie and have fun, and we\u2019d win the round on Canterbury. [Greens] Mike Davidson, [National\u2019s] Hamish Campbell, [Labour\u2019s] Reuben Davidson, [National\u2019s] Vanessa Weenink and Matt Doocey, [Act\u2019s] Laura McClure,<\/a>\u00a0[Labour\u2019s] Duncan Webb<\/a>\u00a0and Megan Woods.<\/p>\n Which MP from across the aisle would you most like to share a drink with?<\/p>\n