Asenati Taylor

Le'Aufa'amulia Asenati Lole-Taylor (born ) is a former New Zealand politician. She was a member of the House of Representatives for the New Zealand First party from 2011 to 2014.

Early life Born in Samoa, Taylor emigrated to New Zealand at the age of 17. She served as chairperson of the Auckland City Pacific Islands Board and as a member of the Pacific Health Advisory Committee of the Auckland District Health Board. Prior to election to Parliament, Taylor worked as the Regional Advisor Pacific Northern Region for Rehabilitation and Reintegration Services at the Department of Corrections.

She has three children and one stepson. She holds the chiefly title Le'Aufa'amulia from the Samoan village of Falese'ela.

Political career

Taylor ran for office on three occasions under the name Asenati Lole-Taylor. In 2007, she was an unsuccessful New Zealand Labour Party candidate in the Tamaki-Maungakiekie Ward in the Auckland City Council elections.

As a member of parliament, Taylor was a member of the law and order committee until March 2012 and thereafter sat on the social services committee. From March 2012 until the end of her term she was the New Zealand First party spokesperson on corrections, ethnic affairs, Pacific Island affairs and social welfare, and the associate spokesperson on housing.

In 2013, Taylor voted against the Marriage Amendment Bill, which aimed to permit same sex marriage in New Zealand, with all of her fellow New Zealand First MPs.

After being demoted to the sixteenth position on the New Zealand First party list, Lole-Taylor failed to return to Parliament at the 2014 general election.

After Parliament

Following her demotion and subsequent failure to get re-elect Taylor has kept a low profile. Taylor came to prominence when it was found both she and her husband, Dennis Taylor, had illicitly accessed private data during their time working for the Department of Corrections. The access was found to be in regards to an elected official of the New Zealand First Party. Records pertaining to drink driving offences committed by Marise Bishop, a former director on New Zealand First's board and Mana electorate chairwoman, were accessed from Corrections. Bishop believed Dennis Taylor's motivation was down to his wife's loyalty to fellow Samoan New Zealand First member Tim Manu who was active in the Mana electorate but with whom Bishop had fallen out with. Following the release of this information Taylor hinted she was contemplating a move to Australia and removed most of her social media presence, having been known for outspoken tweets during her time as an MP.

In May 2015 Taylor left New Zealand despite a probe into the activities of her and her husband. They were believed to have left New Zealand in March.