Angela Susan Roberts is a New Zealand teacher, unionist and politician.

Early life and career

Roberts spent 20 years in the education sector teaching economics and drama, including at Stratford High School. She was president of the

Post Primary Teachers' Association The New Zealand Post-Primary Teachers' Association Incorporated (PPTA) is a trade union in New Zealand and professional association. It represents about 21,000 teachers employed in state and integrated secondary schools, area schools, technolo ...

(PPTA) union from 2013 to 2017. In that role, she was critical of then-

Minister of Education An education minister (sometimes minister of education) is a position in the governments of some countries responsible for dealing with educational matters. Where known, the government department, ministry, or agency that develops policy and deli ...

Hekia Parata Patricia Hekia Parata (born 1 November 1958) is a former New Zealand public servant, diplomat, and politician. After a career as a senior public servant, Parata was a member of the New Zealand House of Representatives, representing the Nationa ...

on teaching issues including

Novopay Novopay is a web-based payroll system for state and state integrated schools in New Zealand, processing the pay of 110,000 teaching and support staff at 2,457 schools. It was purchased by the New Zealand Ministry of Education for $182 million ove ...

and

charter schools A charter school is a school that receives government funding but operates independently of the established state school system in which it is located. It is independent in the sense that it operates according to the basic principle of autono ...

. When she returned to teaching in 2017, she became senior vice president of the PPTA. Roberts was involved in the Just Transition Summit conversations in

Taranaki Taranaki is a regions of New Zealand, region in the west of New Zealand's North Island. It is named after its main geographical feature, the stratovolcano Mount Taranaki, Taranaki Maunga, formerly known as Mount Egmont. The main centre is the ...

, following the Sixth Labour Government's 2018 decision to ban new offshore oil and gas exploration permits. She took a particular interest in the role of education and training in sustaining future businesses and workforce.

Member of Parliament

There was speculation Roberts would run as a Labour Party candidate in the 2017 election, a notion she did not rule out. However, at the last minute, she decided against running. Roberts entered Parliament in the . She ran for the electorate of , coming second behind the incumbent

National National may refer to: Common uses * Nation or country ** Nationality – a ''national'' is a person who is subject to a nation, regardless of whether the person has full rights as a citizen Places in the United States * National, Maryland, c ...

Barbara Kuriger Barbara Joan Kuriger (born 1961) is a New Zealand politician who has served as Deputy Speaker of the New Zealand House of Representatives since December 2023. A member of the National Party, Kuriger was first elected as the Member of Parliament ...

by a margin of 3,134 votes. The Labour Party performed strongly and Roberts was elected to Parliament as a list MP, ranked 50th on the

party list An electoral list is a grouping of candidates for election, usually found in proportional or mixed electoral systems, but also in some plurality electoral systems. An electoral list can be registered by a political party (a party list) or can c ...

. Roberts gave her maiden statement on 2 December 2020. She was a member of the education committee from 2 December 2020 until 8 September 2023, a member of the primary production committee from 4 May 2022 to 16 February 2023, and deputy chair of the primary production committee from 16 February to 8 September 2023. On 29 September 2023, Roberts was physically assaulted at a

surgery Surgery is a medical specialty that uses manual and instrumental techniques to diagnose or treat pathological conditions (e.g., trauma, disease, injury, malignancy), to alter bodily functions (e.g., malabsorption created by bariatric surgery s ...

at the

Rotary club Rotary International is one of the largest Service club, service organizations in the world. The self-declared mission of Rotary, as stated on its website, is to "provide service to others, promote integrity, and advance world understanding, go ...

Inglewood Inglewood may refer to: Places Australia *Inglewood, Queensland * Shire of Inglewood, Queensland, a former local government area *Inglewood, South Australia *Inglewood, Victoria *Inglewood, Western Australia Canada * Inglewood, Ontario *Inglewoo ...

, while canvassing for Taranaki-King Country. The man reportedly confronted Roberts before he “grabbed ershoulders" and shook her violently "in order to emphasise the point he was making" before slapping her across the face. Roberts later said to

Radio New Zealand Radio New Zealand (), commonly known as RNZ or Radio NZ, is a New Zealand public service broadcaster and Crown entity. Established under the Radio New Zealand Act 1995, it operates news and current affairs station, RNZ National, and a classi ...

"It feels like, incrementally, there is a growing acceptance of aggression in politics and our democratic processes. This must change." She thanked National MP Barbara Kuriger for reaching out to her after the incident. During the

2023 New Zealand general election The 2023 New Zealand general election was held on 14 October 2023 to determine the composition of the 54th New Zealand Parliament, 54th Parliament of New Zealand. Voters elected 122 members to the unicameral New Zealand House of Representatives ...

held on 14 October, Roberts contested Taranaki-King Country a second time. She lost to incumbent Kuriger by a margin of 14,355 votes.

Personal life

Roberts lives in Tariki with her husband Ian Anglesey, who is also a teacher, and their two children.

References

External links

{{DEFAULTSORT:Roberts, Angela 1960s births Living people New Zealand Labour Party MPs Members of the New Zealand House of Representatives New Zealand list MPs 21st-century New Zealand women politicians Women members of the New Zealand House of Representatives Candidates in the 2020 New Zealand general election Unsuccessful candidates in the 2023 New Zealand general election People from Taranaki