Sarah Pallett
{{Short description|New Zealand politician}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=September 2020}}
{{Infobox officeholder
| honorific-prefix =
| name = Sarah Pallett
| honorific-suffix =
| image = Profile--sarahpallett-390x2-UNC.jpg
| imagesize =
| caption = Pallett in 2023
| constituency_MP3 = {{NZ electorate link|Ilam}}
| term_start3 = 17 October 2020
| term_end3 = 14 October 2023
| parliament3 = New Zealand
| predecessor3 = Gerry Brownlee | successor3 = Hamish Campbell
| birth_date =
| birth_place = Jersey, Channel Islands
| death_date =
| death_place =
| party = Labour
| otherparty =
| religion =
| profession = Midwife
| spouse =
| children = 2
| website =
| alma_mater =
}}
Sarah Jean Pallett{{Cite web|url=https://www.parliament.nz/en/pb/hansard-debates/rhr/document/HansS_20201125_039660000/event|title=Event – New Zealand Parliament|website=www.parliament.nz}} is a New Zealand midwife and politician who was the Member of Parliament for Ilam in the House of Representatives for the Labour Party from 2020 to 2023.
Early life and career
Pallett was born in Jersey, Channel Islands, and spent her early years in the United Kingdom.{{cite news |url=https://www.stuff.co.nz/national/politics/300225806/new-ilam-mp-sarah-palletts-long-journey-to-parliament |author=Coughlan, Thomas |title=New Ilam MP Sarah Pallett's long journey to Parliament |website=Stuff.co.nz |date=9 February 2021 |access-date=9 February 2021 }} Her mother died of breast cancer when Pallett was 21.{{Cite web|date=2020-10-30|title=Canterbury politicians consider own experiences, criminality issue for referendums|url=https://www.stuff.co.nz/national/politics/123258878/canterbury-politicians-consider-own-experiences-criminality-issue-for-referendums|access-date=2022-01-31|website=Stuff|language=en}} She moved to New Zealand with her husband and two daughters, and later divorced. She was a midwife for 10 years, working as a rural midwife and then at Christchurch Women's Hospital.{{cite news |last1=Harris |first1=Dominic |title=Election 2020: Sarah Pallett promises 'more inclusive' style after defeating Gerry Brownlee in Ilam |url= https://www.stuff.co.nz/national/politics/123128975/election-2020-sarah-pallett-promises-more-inclusive-style-after-defeating-gerry-brownlee-in-ilam |access-date=19 October 2020 |work=Stuff |date=18 October 2020|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20201023110451/https://www.stuff.co.nz/national/politics/123128975/election-2020-sarah-pallett-promises-more-inclusive-style-after-defeating-gerry-brownlee-in-ilam|archive-date=23 October 2020|url-status=live}} She became a midwifery lecturer at Ara Institute of Canterbury, and served as president of the majority union of academic staff at Ara.{{cite news |url= https://www.stuff.co.nz/the-press/news/120109370/army-officer-and-midwifery-lecturer-to-contest-two-canterbury-seats-for-labour |title=Army officer and midwifery lecturer to contest two Canterbury seats for Labour |work=The Press |date=9 March 2020 |access-date=17 October 2020 }}
Political career
{{NZ parlbox header|align=left}}
{{NZ parlbox
|term=53rd
|start={{NZ election link year|2020}}
|end=2023
|list=62
|electorate={{NZ electorate link|Ilam}}
|party=New Zealand Labour Party
}}
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Pallett founded and later chaired the Canterbury Women's Branch of the Labour Party.{{cite web|url= https://www.labour.org.nz/sarahpallett |title=Sarah Pallett|access-date=17 October 2020}}
In the {{NZ election link|2020}}, Pallett won the seat of {{NZ electorate link|Ilam}} by a margin of 3,463 votes, ousting incumbent National Party Member of Parliament Gerry Brownlee.{{cite web |title=Ilam – Official Result |url=https://www.electionresults.govt.nz/electionresults_2020/electorate-details-15.html |publisher=Electoral Commission |access-date=9 November 2020 }} Dominic Harris of news website Stuff called it "perhaps the most unlikely of election night coups" which resulted in Labor taking every seat in Christchurch.
Pallett voted for cannabis reform in the 2020 New Zealand cannabis referendum and for the End of Life Choice Act 2019 to come into force in the 2020 New Zealand euthanasia referendum. Pallett said after her election that she felt it was “really time to move forward” on cannabis leglisation and that the law disproportionately affected Māori and Pasifika.{{Cite web|date=2020-10-30|title=Canterbury politicians consider own experiences, criminality issue for referendums|url=https://www.stuff.co.nz/national/politics/123258878/canterbury-politicians-consider-own-experiences-criminality-issue-for-referendums|access-date=2022-01-31|website=Stuff|language=en}} In 2021 she expressed support for a student-led campaign for discounted bus fares in Canterbury.{{Cite web|date=2021-09-20|title=Campaign for discounted student bus fares in Christchurch gathers pace|url=https://www.stuff.co.nz/the-press/news/126436610/campaign-for-discounted-student-bus-fares-in-christchurch-gathers-pace|access-date=2022-01-31|website=Stuff|language=en}}
Pallett was a member of the Health Select Committee and deputy chairperson of the Petitions Select Committee.{{Cite web|title=Pallett, Sarah – New Zealand Parliament|url=https://www.parliament.nz/en/mps-and-electorates/members-of-parliament/pallett-sarah/|access-date=2022-01-31|website=www.parliament.nz|language=en}}
In the 2023 New Zealand general election, Pallett was unseated by National Party candidate Hamish Campbell. With 9,010 votes, she came third place behind Campbell and The Opportunities Party leader Raf Manji.{{cite web |title=Ilam - Official Result |url=https://archive.electionresults.govt.nz/electionresults_2023/electorate-details-15.html |publisher=Electoral Commission |access-date=4 December 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20231123104115/https://archive.electionresults.govt.nz/electionresults_2023/electorate-details-15.html |archive-date=23 November 2023 |date=3 November 2023 |url-status=live}}
Personal life
Pallett was diagnosed with breast cancer at the age of 36, but being diagnosed early, she survived it, saying she is "one of the lucky ones". Pallett lives in Ilam with her husband Andy, whom she married on 9 July 2021 at Parliament in Wellington.{{cite news |url=https://www.newshub.co.nz/home/politics/2021/07/labour-mp-sarah-pallet-s-wedding-coincides-with-hipkins-covid-19-update.html |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210709055400/https://www.newshub.co.nz/home/politics/2021/07/labour-mp-sarah-pallet-s-wedding-coincides-with-hipkins-covid-19-update.html |url-status=dead |archive-date=9 July 2021 |title=Labour MP Sarah Pallet's wedding coincides with Hipkins COVID-19 update |date=9 July 2021 |work=Newshub |first=Vita |last=Molyneux}} Her son-in-law, Matthew Grace, was her campaign manager.
References
{{Reflist}}
External links
{{subject bar|auto=y|d=y|Politics|New Zealand}}
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{{s-par|nz}}
{{s-bef|before=Gerry Brownlee}}
{{s-ttl|title=Member of Parliament for Ilam|years=2020–2023}}
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{{DEFAULTSORT:Pallett, Sarah}}
Category:Members of the New Zealand House of Representatives
Category:Women members of the New Zealand House of Representatives
Category:New Zealand MPs for Christchurch electorates
Category:21st-century New Zealand women politicians
Category:Jersey emigrants to New Zealand
Category:Candidates in the 2020 New Zealand general election
Category:Unsuccessful candidates in the 2023 New Zealand general election