Alfred Ngaro

Ngaro was raised in Te Atatū and attended the local schools of Edmonton Primary, Rangeview Intermediate and Henderson High School.[1] Both his parents came from the Cook Islands.[2] Ngaro's father Daniel Ngaro from Aitutaki[3] and Pukapuka was a union delegate, and the family has a long tradition of voting for the Labour Party.[4] His mother, Toko Kirianu, is from Mangaia.[3] His parents worked hard, his Mum a cleaner and Dad a labourer, to give Ngaro and his siblings schooling and training opportunities.[5]

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.[1][6] 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.[7][8][5] He later won a Sir Peter Blake Emerging Leader Award for his work on the Tamaki Transformation Project.[1][9]

Ngaro served as the Auckland District Health Board's Pacific committee chairman and as the Tamaki College board of trustees chairman.[4] He is a member of various advisory committees for the Ministry of Social Development.[10]

Ngaro was encouraged by his friend Sam Lotu-Iiga to become active in politics.[4] Ngaro was a candidate for Citizens & Ratepayers in the Maungakiekie-Tamaki ward at the 2010 elections for the Auckland Council. He finished second to Richard Northey and was not elected.[11]

Ngaro is a Christian and a self-described Christian Zionist.[34] Ngaro holds a theology degree and served as a community pastor.[35][36] In mid-May 2019, Ngaro attracted criticism from former National MP Jami-Lee Ross and the Abortion Law Reform Association of New Zealand when he shared a Facebook post on his page likening abortion to the Holocaust.[37][38][39][40] Ngaro later apologised and issued a statement saying "he did not read the full Facebook post before sharing and said the word "tragedy" should have been used instead of "holocaust".[37][38][41] In response, National Party leader Simon Bridges defended Ngaro's right to voice his opinion while stating that it was not something he would say.[42]

Ngaro is of Cook Island descent.[4] Ngaro's grandmother's father was of Polish Jewish descent.[35][36][34] His wife Mokauina is of Samoan-Niuean descent.[4][43] They have four children: three boys and one girl.[3][43]

In 2009, Alfred Ngaro allegedly punched former Tamaki College art teacher Christopher Scott Roy for not bowing his head during a prayer,[44] but the allegations were later dismissed in Court by Chief Judge Graeme Colgan who wrote in a report: "I am sceptical about the veracity of Mr Roy's accounts of relevant and crucial events in this case. He is not a consistently reliable witness of truth".[45] Tamaki College denied any assault occurred. In a judgment released mid November 2013, ERA member Tania Tetitaha found there were several issues with Roy's statements about the alleged accusations.[46] When Roy took the matter to police, they declined to investigate. The ERA also found a lack of evidence of bullying behaviour. The police and Employment Relations Authority did not investigate the incident.[47]