Alfred Ngaro

Alfred Ngaro

Sun 7 Mar 2021

Description
Alfred Ngaro is a New Zealand politician. He was a member of the New Zealand House of Representatives from 2011 to 2020. He is a member of the National Party and the first Cook Islander who was elected to Parliament in New Zealand.

Ngaro was raised in Te Atatū and attended the local schools of Edmonton Primary, Rangeview Intermediate and Henderson High School. Both his parents came from the Cook Islands. Ngaro's father Daniel Ngaro from Aitutaki and Pukapuka was a union delegate, and the family has a long tradition of voting for the Labour Party. His mother, Toko Kirianu, is from Mangaia. His parents worked hard, his Mum a cleaner and Dad a labourer, to give Ngaro and his siblings schooling and training opportunities.

He trained and qualified as an electrician out west and also completed his theological degree at the Henderson campus of the Bible College of New Zealand (now Laidlaw College). Prior to entering Parliament, Ngaro was a consultant in community led development and governance with expertise in New Zealand, Cook Islands and Canada. He co-pioneered several community initiatives such as the Tamaki Achievement Pathway, Healthy Village Action Zone (HVAZ) Project, and the Inspiring Communities Exchange Network sponsored by the Tindall Foundation.

Ngaro's governance experience includes key roles on the National Family Violence Taskforce, Auckland District Health Board and Pacific Advisory Committee Auckland City Council. He is also an Ambassador for the White Ribbon campaign. He later won a Sir Peter Blake Emerging Leader Award for his work on the Tamaki Transformation Project.

Ngaro served as the Auckland District Health Board's Pacific committee chairman and as the Tamaki College board of trustees chairman. He is a member of various advisory committees for the Ministry of Social Development.