Māori MPs (25 members).When the parliament was officially opened in November, the oath of allegiance sworn by new MPs was repeated in 10 languages, other than the official English and te reo Māori – the most ever.Parliament was “quite an intimidating environment” to walk into, says Omer, the first MP of African origin and the second refugee.
But within hours, “all my nervousness basically evaporated … We were made to feel welcome.”Parliament’s diversity has been hailed globally as a sign of the prime minister Jacinda Ardern’s progressive and inclusive politics.