Marie Laufiso is a local government politician in Dunedin, New Zealand. Laufiso is currently[update] serving her third term as councillor for the Dunedin City Council, having initially been elected in 2016, and is currently[update] chair of its community services committee.[1]
Marie Laufiso was born in Dunedin and raised in Brockville where four generations of her family still live.[2] Her pepeha acknowledges (among others) parents Mikaele Laufiso and the late Agnes (Eti) Ivala and sister Phillippa Laufiso.[1]
Activism
In 2012, Laufiso was appointed a community development co-ordinator for Brockville where she aimed to "put her background in community work and activism to good use."[3] She helped establish a community orchard[4] and campaigned for lower fares on Dunedin's buses.[5]
When elected to the city council in October 2016, Laufiso became Dunedin’s first Pasifika city councillor [7] and the Green Party's first successful Pasifika election candidate at either local or central government level;[8] Laufiso is of Sāmoan and Tongan descent.[1]
In her first term as councillor, Laufiso campaigned against oil and gas exploration near the city, [9] the proposed closure of the city's Cadbury chocolate factory[10] and the naming of a Mosgiel street after coloniser Edward Gibbon Wakefield.[11]
In her third term from October 2022, Laufiso became sole Green councillor as Hawkins lost the mayoralty to Jules Radich. She campaigned with others for upgrades to Dunedin Hospital.[14] She clashed with other councillors, particularly Lee Vandervis over mana whenua representation on local government level and accusations of racism were exchanged[15] and code of conduct violations were alleged.[16]
In July 2024, Laufiso, in a collective action with fellow Pasifika members of the Green party Alofa Aiono and Vasemaca Tavola, resigned from the party over the ouster of Darleen Tana from parliament. The collective said the party co-leaders had "inflamed and weaponised media narratives, intentionally smearing Darleen’s character, integrity and mana."[17]
Independent councillor
Soon after Laufiso became an independent politician on the city council, Vandervis apologised for his comments after Laufiso's code of conduct action was upheld.[18] Laufiso spoke against a "wokeism" label used to oppose a projected rainbow crossing in the city.[19]
Political views
On The Spinoff's policy.nz website in 2022, Laufiso described her aims for a third term as participating the council's "seven generations" vision, speaking on Te Tiriti o Waitangi-based community development, prioritising "every child and young person" and ensuring "ethnically-diverse communities have greater involvement in council's work."[20]
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