Pita Paraone

Rewiti Pomare Kingi "Pita" Paraone (30 November 1945 – 26 August 2019) was a New Zealand politician and chairman of the Waitangi National Trust Board. He was a member of the New Zealand First party.

Early life and family Paraone was born at Kawakawa on 30 November 1945, the son of Kathleen and Tamati Paraone. He received his education at Motatau District High School and Bay of Islands College. He earned a Diploma in Business Development at the University of Auckland, and a Diploma in Social Work at Victoria University of Wellington. He lived in Pakuranga during his first period in parliament.

Political career

Before entering parliament, Paraone was a board member of New Zealand First (1999–2000) and a member of the Board of Directors (2000–2002). He was ranked 19th on the New Zealand First party list, which was too low to be elected from the list. He was first elected to Parliament as a list MP in the 2002 election. In the 2008 general election Paraone was sixth on the New Zealand First list, but the party lost all its parliamentary seats, winning no electorates and polling below the 5% threshold.

In 2014, Paraone was re-elected as a New Zealand First list MP and was his party spokesperson on Māori Affairs, Treaty of Waitangi Issues, Pacific Island Affairs, and the Office of Treaty Settlements. At the 2017 election however, Paraone was ranked 11th on the New Zealand First list and was not returned to Parliament. Paraone publicly encouraged his party to support the formation of Sixth Labour Government of New Zealand. He had undergone cardiac surgery just three weeks prior, but had failed to recover. The incumbent Deputy Prime Minister of New Zealand and Minister of Foreign Affairs, Winston Peters, offered his condolences, stating that he was "deeply saddened" by the death.