WELLINGTON – In practice debates before previous New Zealand elections, Ms Nicola Willis used to play the role of formidable female politicians.
“I’ve been someone who’s come up through the National Party and has been very proud of our track record,” she said in an interview. “We are known for managing the books well, for being disciplined, for being conservative.” Ms Willis grew up in the affluent suburb of Point Howard, across the harbour from New Zealand’s capital city, Wellington. She studied English literature at Victoria University and was an active member of the debating club, where she met husband Duncan Small.After university, Ms Willis took a job with the National Party as a researcher.
“My great-great-grandfather voted yes to women getting the vote,” she said in her maiden speech to Parliament. “Today, I follow in his feminist footsteps.”