Mahuta served as a cabinet minister in the
Sixth Labour Government. In the government's first term, from 2017 to 2020, she held the portfolios for
Local Government and
Maori Development and also served as associate minister for the trade and export growth, the environment and housing portfolios. In the government's second term, beginning in 2020, she was appointed Minister of Foreign Affairs, Minister of Local Government and Associate Minister for Māori Development. In a 2023 reshuffle she dropped the local government portfolio and additionally became
Minister of Disarmament and Arms Control. Prime Minister
Chris Hipkins stated that the change was intended to allow Mahuta to focus on her foreign affairs portfolio and to travel overseas. He also denied that it was motivated by the response to the controversial
Three Waters reform programme and confirmed that the Government would continue with the programme.
Māori Development As Minister for Māori Development, in September 2019, Mahuta delivered a tearful and emotional speech as Parliament officially apologised for a police raid in 1916 on Māori leader
Rua Kenana's Iharaira faith's compound in
Maungapohatu in the
North Island's
Bay of Plenty Region.
Local Government Tauranga City Council On 4 December 2020, Mahuta, in her role as Minister of Local Government, informed the
Tauranga City Council of her intention to appoint commissioners following infighting within the city council that had led to the resignation of the
Mayor of Tauranga Tenby Powell on 19 November.
Local Government New Zealand supported the move to appoint commissioners in order to get the city's governance "back on track." On 18 December, Mahuta confirmed that the Government would be appointing commissioners to administer Tauranga since the City Council did not provide "sufficient evidence" about how it was addressing the city's governance issues. However, a review by law firm
Russell McVeagh found Mahuta's decision may have been "unlawful" because she failed to adequately consider lesser alternatives, such as the appointment of a crown manager. Then local Tauranga MP, Simon Bridges called the appointment of commissioners "dramatic and draconian." The commissioners' terms began in early 2021 and were scheduled to run until the
2022 New Zealand local elections in October 2022. In mid–March 2022, Mahuta confirmed that Tauranga would continue to be run by four commissioners until July 2024, citing the substantial infrastructure challenges in the city and the surrounding
Bay of Plenty Region. However, a legal review by Linda Clark from
Dentons Kensington Swan argued that relying on infrastructure challenges as a reason to postpone elections "sets the bar very low and would apply to a wide range of local authorities on an indefinite basis." Clark argued that Mahuta's decision was both unlawful and unreasonable; not meeting the statutory test for crown intervention under the
Local Government Act 2002.
Local Government New Zealand president Stuart Crosby labelled the extension of the commission's appointment "disgusting" while then Tauranga MP, Simon Bridges, cited “power, convenience and control” as the reasons behind Mahuta's decision, and questioned a lack of achievement since the four-person commission was put in place by Labour in February 2021.
Victoria University of Wellington public law expert, Dean Knight, said democracy had taken a hit and "should have been restored forthwith." On 22 April 2022, Mahuta reappointed the Tauranga Commission's chairwoman
Anne Tolley and fellow commissioners Bill Wasley, Stephen Selwood, and Shadrach Rolleston; with elected councillors expected to return in July 2024.
Māori wards and constituencies On 1 February 2021, Mahuta announced that the Government would pass legislation upholding local councils' decisions to establish
Māori wards and constituencies. This new law would also abolish an existing law allowing local referendums to veto decisions by councils to establish Māori wards. This law is intended to come into effect before the scheduled 2022 local body elections. On 25 February, Mahuta's
Local Electoral (Māori Wards and Māori Constituencies) Amendment Act 2021 passed its third reading in Parliament. This Bill eliminates mechanisms for holding public referendums on the establishment of Māori wards and constituencies on local bodies. Mahuta's Bill was supported by the Labour, Green and Māori parties but opposed by the opposition National and ACT parties. National unsuccessfully attempted to delay the bill by mounting a twelve hour filibuster challenging all of the Bill's ten clauses.
Three Waters reform programme As Minister of Local Government, Mahuta has played an important role in promoting and implementing the Government's contentious
Three Waters reform programme, which proposes taking control of
water utility services away from local councils and centralising them in four new entities. Mahuta has argued that the Three Water reforms will give Māori a greater say in the administration of water resources, stating the status of water as
Taonga in Māori culture. In early October 2021, five
Christchurch City councillors demanded that she resign her local government portfolio over the Three Waters reforms. Mahuta rejected their demand, accusing the councillors of "political campaigning." On 27 October, Mahuta formally launched the Three Waters reforms, which attracted criticism from several local leaders including
Mayor of Auckland Phil Goff,
Mayor of Christchurch Lianne Dalziel,
Mayor of Wellington Andy Foster, and the opposition National and ACT parties. In response to criticism, Mahuta acknowledged that the Three Waters reforms policy was not popular but accused opponents of spreading misinformation. In March 2022, Mahuta acknowledged underestimating the level of public opposition to the Three Waters reforms and problems with the associated promotional advertising campaign. Mahuta introduced the
Water Services Entities Bill in early June 2022. As part of the Three Waters reform programme, this proposed bill would establish the four regional water services entities that would take over management of water infrastructure from local councils. Under the proposed law, councils would retain ownership of their water assets through a "community share" arrangement but the new water service entities would retain effective control over these assets. Mahuta also confirmed that further legislation would also be introduced to facilitate the transfer of assets and liabilities from local authorities to the new water services entities, integrate entities into other regulatory systems, and to ensure economic regulation and consumer protection over the new entities. The National Party, ACT Party, and Communities 4 Local Democracy leader and Manawatū District Mayor Helen Worboy opposed the Water Services Entities Bill, claiming that it would transfer control of water assets from local communities into a new centralised bureaucracy.
Local government review On 23 April 2021, Mahuta announced a review into the future of
local government in the country. Following the release of the independent draft report on 28 October 2022, she said that the New Zealand government was "focused on ways to keep a lid on rate rises...[and would]...continue to support the sector in its efforts to engage with local communities in order to get the buy-in needed for any change." The draft document acknowledged that the "pace of change" risked growing distrust of, and engagement with, democratic institutions and signalled five shift that needed to be made to address this: "strengthened local democracy; authentic relationships with
hapū/
iwi and
Māori; a focus on wellbeing; genuine partnership between central and local government; and more equitable funding." The final report was released in July 2023. In response to a recommendation that the "67 city and district councils and 11 regional councils be reorganised into 15 regional groupings,"
Mayor of Carterton Ron Mark said that "every council in the country is vulnerable" to amalgamation and expressed concern that the
Wairarapa area could lose some of its asset base and autonomy if things move "to a more centralised
socialist viewpoint, disempowering our people."
Environment and Housing portfolios: alleged conflicts of interest In late May 2022,
The New Zealand Herald reported that the
Ministry for the Environment had awarded Mahuta's husband William Gannin Ormsby and several family members contracts worth above NZ$90,000, commencing late October 2020. Ormbsy owned a waste management consultancy service called Ka Awatea Services. In addition, the social housing provider
Kāinga Ora paid Ormbsy's company NZ$73,000 for organising hui (social gatherings) and workshops. At the time, Mahuta held the portfolio of Associate Minister of Housing. The opposition National Party accused Mahuta of unfairly awarding contracts to relatives. On 21 June 2022,
Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern defended Mahuta, claiming that she had abided by Cabinet policies and protocol. In response to a parliamentary question submitted by National MP
Simeon Brown, Environment Minister
David Parker confirmed that the Ministry of Environment was investigating the process through which William Ormsby, his nephew Tamoko Ormsby and wife Waimirirangi Ormsby were appointed to a five-member advisory working group researching the application of indigenous Māori knowledge to waste management practices. The Ministry claimed that the Ormsbys had been selected for their role because of their expertise and that cabinet ministers were not involved in the selection process. The Ministry also emphasised that the Mahuta family connection had been disclosed from the beginning and that it had sought external advice on the appointments. On 21 September 2022, the
Public Service Commissioner Peter Hughes launched an investigation into four contracts that Ormsby's Ka Awatea Services had made with four government departments: Kāinga Ora, the Ministry for the Environment, the
Department of Conservation and
Te Puni Kōkiri (the Ministry for Māori Development). Hughes had commenced the investigation at the request of both National MP Simeon Brown and Mahuta herself. Mahuta emphasised that she had declared any potential conflicts of interest, abided by the Cabinet manual and supported the Public Service Commissioner's investigation. On 13 November 2022, the Public Service Commission released its report into Ka Wa Atea's government contracts. The report found that Te Puni Kōkiri, the Environment Ministry, and Kāinga Ora failed to manage conflicts of interests by following their own policies and processes while the Department of Conservation had poor contract management practices. However, the Commission's report concluded that it found "no evidence of favouritism, bias, or undue influence over agency decisions" in relation to Ka Awatea Services. In response, Mahuta welcomed the report as a vindication of her assertion that she had no role in approving these contracts. In addition, National MP Brown stated that the Commission's report exposed a "culture of carelessness" in how the public service procured services and managed conflicts of interest.
Foreign Affairs 2020 Mahuta was announced as the next
Minister of Foreign Affairs on 2 November 2020. She received international recognition as the first woman (and first Māori woman) to hold the Foreign Affairs portfolio. In addition, she retained her portfolio of Minister for Local Government while becoming Associate Minister of Māori Development. On 3 November, former Prime Minister
Helen Clark and the
Māori Council criticised the international media's description of Mahuta as a "tattooed Māori woman" for focusing on her physical appearance and race. On 4 November, right-wing blogger and author Olivia Pierson drew criticism and media coverage for posting a tweet stating that "Facial tattoos, especially on a female diplomat, is the height of ugly, uncivilised
wokedom." In response,
Race Relations Commissioner Meng Foon criticised Pierson's actions and said that "Mahuta's kauae moko was special to Māori and should be celebrated." Mahuta declined to comment on the issue. Following criticism of Pierson's post on social media, online retailer
Mighty Ape delisted Pierson's book
Western Values Defended: A Primer. Pierson described the delisting of her book as "
cancel culture" and claimed she had received death threats. On 18 November, Mahuta joined her Australian, Canadian, British and American counterparts in condemning the
disqualification of pro-democracy Hong Kong legislators as a breach of Hong Kong's autonomy and rights under the
Sino-British Joint Declaration. In response, the
Chinese Foreign Ministry's spokesperson
Zhao Lijian warned the
Five Eyes countries, stating that "No matter if they have five eyes or 10 eyes, if they dare to harm China's sovereignty, security and development interests, they should beware of their eyes being poked and blinded." In response, Mahuta defended New Zealand's commitment to free speech, free media, and democracy. In response,
Global Times columnist Qian Feng claimed that New Zealand was not suited for the role of mediator since it was part of the same Western camp as Australia.
2021 in 2021 On 9 February 2021, Mahuta announced that New Zealand had suspended high-level bilateral relations with
Myanmar in response to the
2021 Myanmar coup d'état. The New Zealand Government joined other Western governments in refusing to recognise the new military-led government and called for the restoration of civilian-led rule. In addition, aid projects were diverted away from the
Myanmar military and a travel ban was imposed on Myanmar's military leaders. On 19 April, Mahuta stated that New Zealand would not let the United States-led
Five Eyes dictate New Zealand's
bilateral relationship with China and that New Zealand was uncomfortable with expanding the remit of the intelligence grouping. Mahuta's statements came amid rising disagreements between the New Zealand and Australian governments on how to manage relations with Beijing. In March 2021, the Australian and New Zealand governments issued a joint statement condemning the
treatment of Uyghur minorities in
Xinjiang. The Australian Government has since expressed concern about what it perceives as New Zealand Government efforts to undermine Five Eyes attempts to push back on what the Australian Government regards as "increasingly aggressive behaviour from Beijing." In response to Mahuta's remarks, Prime Minister Ardern stated that New Zealand was still committed to the Five Eyes alliance but would not use the group as its first point for messaging on non-security matters. While British media criticised New Zealand for allegedly leaving the Five Eyes club, the Chinese
Global Times praised New Zealand for putting its own national interests over the Five Eyes. During a visit by
Australian Foreign Minister Marise Payne on 22 April 2021, Mahuta discussed the issue of New Zealand deportees from Australia, the
ISIL bride
Suhayra Aden and the two government's differing approaches towards China. On 11 May 2021, Mahuta called on
Israel to stop
evictions of Palestinian families from their homes in Israeli-occupied
East Jerusalem and for "both sides to halt steps which undermine prospects for a two state solution". Following the
2021 Hong Kong legislative election held on 19 December 2021, Foreign Minister Mahuta joined other Five Eyes foreign ministers issuing a joint statement criticising the exclusion of opposition candidates and urging China to respect human rights and freedoms in Hong Kong in accordance with the Sino-British Joint Declaration. In response, the Chinese Embassy in Wellington issued a statement claiming the election was "politically inclusive and fair" and urged the Five Eyes alliance to respect Chinese sovereignty over Hong Kong.
2022 In late January 2022, Mahuta reaffirmed the New Zealand Government's support for Ukraine in response to the
Russian military build-up on the Russo-Ukrainian border and urged Russian to reduce tensions in accordance with international law. Following the
2022 Russian invasion of Ukraine in mid February 2022, Mahuta and Ardern joined New Zealand's Western allies in condemning Russian actions against Ukraine. As Foreign Minister, Mahuta introduced the
Russia Sanctions Act 2022, which imposed various sanctions targeting Russian elites and assets deemed to be complicit in the Russian invasion of Ukraine. The bill passed into law on 9 March 2022 with unanimous support from all members of the New Zealand Parliament. In mid-June 2022, Mahuta hosted
Australian Foreign Minister Penny Wong during her first state visit to New Zealand. The two Foreign Ministers reaffirmed bilateral cooperation in the areas of climate change, indigenous, and
Indo-Pacific issues. The opposition
ACT Party's foreign affairs spokesperson
Brooke Van Velden criticised Mahuta's few international trips during her tenure as Foreign Minister, suggesting that Mahuta was preoccupied with the
Three Waters reform programme. By comparison, her Australian counterpart Wong had undertaken a "grand tour" of the Pacific Islands following the election of the
Albanese government in late May 2022 to counter recent Chinese diplomatic engagement in the region including a bilateral security agreement with the Solomon Islands. In early August 2022, Mahuta met with
Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi at the East Asia and
ASEAN summits in Cambodia. In addition to acknowledging 50 years of diplomatic relations between New Zealand and the People's Republic of China, she reiterated New Zealand's concerns about human rights in
Xinjiang and
Hong Kong, the
2021 Myanmar coup d'état, North Korean missile tests, Sino-Taiwanese tensions following
United States Speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi's visit, and urged Beijing not to support Russia's invasion of Ukraine. Mahuta also accepted an invitation from Wang Yi to visit China.
2023 , Wellington, 27 July 2023 In response to the
2023 Turkey–Syria earthquake, Mahuta announced that New Zealand would be contributing NZ$1.5 million to assisting the
International Red Cross and Red Crescent Movement's (IFRC) responses in Turkey and Syria. On 5 February 2023, Mahuta visited India and conducted bilateral talks with Indian
Foreign Minister S. Jaishankar. The talks centred around taking the bilateral relationship to the next level, including exploring future economic relationship, cooperation in the
International Solar Alliance, improved air connectivity and private sector collaboration. She also promoted New Zealand's education, trade and tourism sector. In late March, Mahuta met with
Chinese Foreign Minister Qin Gang in Beijing. The two foreign ministers discussed issues of concern to
China-New Zealand relations including Chinese military aid to Russia during the ongoing Russian invasion of Ukraine,
AUKUS, Chinese influence in the Pacific, and New Zealand concerns about the
South China Sea dispute, human rights in
Hong Kong and
Xinjiang, and increasing tensions with
Taiwan. In late June,
The New Zealand Herald reported that
The Australian newspaper claimed that Qin had harangued Mahuta during an hour-long meeting, citing two anonymous sources. One of the sources also claimed that Mahuta had pushed back against Qin's
wolf warrior diplomacy. In response to the report, Prime Minister Hipkins confirmed that Mahuta had a "constructive" conversation with Qin but said that Mahuta had not described the meeting as a "dressing down," adding "it was important to be able to have frank conversations." In early April, Mahuta along with foreign ministers of three other "Indo-Pacific partner countries" Australia, Japan, and South Korea attended the 2023
NATO summit to discuss several global issues including the Russian invasion of Ukraine, Chinese assertiveness in the Asia-Pacific, cybercrime and climate change. On 8 October 2023, Mahuta expressed deep concern at the outbreak of violence during the
Gaza war. She called for the immediate halt to violence, the protection of all civilians, and the upholding of international humanitarian law. ACT leader
David Seymour criticised Mahuta for not condemning
Hamas for its terror attacks against Israeli civilians. In response, Prime Minister Hipkins unequivocally condemned Hamas' terror attacks, stating that the target of civilians and hostage taking violated fundamental international humanitarian principles. He also stated Israel had the right to defend itself. Hipkins also denied that Mahuta was out of step with New Zealand foreign policy and stated it was a matter of timing. In mid November 2023,
TVNZ reported that she had rejected advice by the
Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Trade to use stronger language condemning Hamas' actions on 7 October. During an interview with TVNZ journalist
Jack Tame, Mahuta attributed her Tweet to information she had received from an unidentified party and the developing situation.
2023 general election During the
2023 New Zealand general election, Mahuta contested the
Hauraki-Waikato electorate for the Labour Party, which she had retained since 2008. On 4 October,
1News reported that a Whakaata Māori poll showed that Mahuta was being challenged by
Te Pāti Māori's candidate
Hana-Rawhiti Maipi-Clarke. While the poll found that Mahuta had a narrow lead of 36% over Maipi-Clark's 32%, 43% of those under 40 years preferred Maipi-Clark while 30% preferred Mahuta. However, 43% of those aged 60 years and above preferred Mahuta compared with 12% of the same demographic for Maipi-Clarke. Mahuta was
unseated by Maipi-Clarke by 2,911 votes, with Maipi-Clarke set to be the youngest member of Parliament in New Zealand in 170 years. On 11 November, Mahuta formally resigned from her ministerial portfolios. Due to the extension of the Labour caretaker government until the conclusion of coalition talks for the incoming
National-led government,
Grant Robertson assumed Mahuta's foreign affairs portfolio while
Willie Jackson assumed the associate Māori development portfolio. ==Views and positions==