Former finance minister Grant Robertson is now New Zealandās first openly gay deputy prime minister after he was appointed by Jacinda Ardern; he is due to be officially sworn in on Friday. The new cabinet unveiling is a victory for the LGBTQ+ community and also consists of eight women and five of MÄori (the indigenous community of New Zealand) descent.
According to The Guardian, Robertson was responsible for handling the countryās Covid-19 funding, and the government have been widely praised for their efficient response to the pandemic. When discussing his appointment as deputy, Robertson said: āI still get a lot of emails and messages from young gay, lesbian, bisexual and transgender people who look towards us to provide that kind of role-modelling. Iāll keep doing my job the way that Iāve been doing it, but Iām very proud to have the role.ā
Following the October elections, New Zealand has the most LGBTQ+ inclusive parliament in the world. Out of 120 parliamentary positions, 12 seats ā up from 7 ā are now held by openly LGBTQ+ members, meaning 9.6% of the cabinet is made up of queer politicians; this is over 2% more than the UK Parliament. Labour prime minister Ardern, who won in a landslide victory, also promised to increase protections for the LGBTQ+ community, saying: āPeople should not be discriminated against, bullied or hurt for being who they are. We need to rally around that simple premise.ā
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