Eyes alliance, she condemned the disqualification of pro-democracy Hong Kong legislators as a breach of Hong Kong's autonomy and rights under the Sino-British Joint Declaration. Domestically, she has been a proponent of the Three Waters reform programme and co-governance. In October 2022, Mahuta became the Mother of the House, having served continuously in the House of Representatives since the 1996 general election. Early life and family Mahuta was born in Auckland in 1970 to Eliza Raiha Edmonds, and (later Sir) Robert Mahuta. She was educated at Kura Kaupapa Rakaumanga school in Huntly and later at Waikato Diocesan School for Girls as a boarder. Firstly she studied law at the University of Waikato, but failed four of her seven papers and had to drop out. She then studied social anthropology and Māori business development at the University of Auckland, graduating with an MA (Hons). The title of her 1995 master's thesis was Te poukai o Waahi : an historical background to the Waahi poukai. She also worked at the university as a researcher/archivist. She has strong links to the Māori King Movement; her father was the adopted son of King Korokī and the elder brother of Māori Queen Te Atairangikaahu. She is related to the Māori monarch, Kingi Tuheitia. Mahuta's sister, Tipa Mahuta, is the co-chair of the Māori Health Authority. Mahuta is married to William Gannin Ormsby, her first cousin. The couple have had three children together (the first died shortly after birth), plus four children from Ormsby's previous relationship. In 2016, she acquired a Māori facial tattoo () and became the first female MP to wear one in the New Zealand parliament. Other Māori women in parliament—Metiria Turei of the Green Party and Marama Fox of the Māori Party—spoke of their support. Political career Mahuta joined the Labour Party at the request of retiring Western Maori MP Koro Wētere and after hearing Helen Clark speak in Auckland. She contested Te Tai Hauāuru (the replacement seat for Western Maori) in the 1996 elections but lost to New Zealand First's Tuku Morgan. However, with a list ranking of 8, Mahuta was elected as one of the first New Zealand list MPs. Mahuta was aged 26 years and 52 days when she was elected (twelve days younger than Deborah Morris) and was the youngest member of the New Zealand House of Representatives until the election of Darren Hughes in 2002. In the