ACT’s Nicole McKee says gang members are thugs who should be ostracised. The new MP and pro-gun advocate told political editor Jo Moir she’s sick of her law-abiding friends who own firearms being compared to gang criminals.
First-time MP Nicole McKee has no time for gangs, who she says are on a “downward spiral and taking their families with them’’.
She got called a hypocrite when she met with Waikato Mongrel Mob spokesperson Lou Hutchinson after she attended select committee at Parliament earlier this year.
McKee says it was less a meeting for discussion and more about putting it on record that her member’s bill to seize assets and weapons would be coming after gangs.
“If they go about making life better for the gang families then good on them, but that’s not going to happen as long as they’ve got illegal guns.
“Quite frankly, I’m representing a community that is sick and tired of being referred to as being no better than the gangs and criminals,’’ she told Newsroom.
The ACT Party was highly critical of Māori Development Minister Willie Jackson meeting with gang leaders and helping with movement across borders to try and get vaccination and testing rates up during the most recent Covid-19 lockdown.
McKee accepts someone needs to talk to the gangs to encourage change and build a relationship, and that’s probably a role for the Government.
“You kind of want to encourage better behaviour and part of that is you have to sit down with them and communicate in some way. But, I don’t really want to do that.
“If I got into a role in government then you’d have to look at different ways to approach different issues...but, I do want to leper them to be honest, and the thug life they represent and the harm they cause in society,’’ she said.
“Quite frankly, I’m representing a community that is sick and tired of being referred to as being no better than the gangs and criminals.'' – Nicole McKee
Asked whether there were good people within gangs, McKee took her time before responding, “Well, there would have to be’’.
“I think everyone has a bit of good in them, I hate to think there are people out there who are inherently bad.
“But everyone has to take the opportunities given to them like I did coming into this place,’’ she said.
One year in the job
In October 2020 McKee learnt she was headed for Parliament, a job she had never imagined having.
“It’s a big job and I wondered if I’m up to it but it didn’t take long to realise yep I am and I can do this.’’
In April McKee was knitting in the House while listening to the tributes to the Duke of Edinburgh, which was captured by a media outlet and led to Cabinet Minister Stuart Nash calling her a “nutter’’ on live radio.
Nash later apologised but McKee said the incident taught her how easy it was for something that is a simple part of her life to become a talking point in the media.
“I found that intensity of everything I do really difficult, and I have to be mindful now of just those basic things.’’
She said the truth behind her knitting that day was that she was trying to help out a neighbour.
“I had been looking after a neighbour whose husband passed away and now she’s got dementia. She has no family and is from Australia.
“I was trying to knit her a hot water bottle cover because she’s in her early 80s and it was coming into winter and I thought it would help.’’
McKee said she dropped the finished cover and bottle off to her but was told by staff at the home that her dementia had declined to the point they didn’t think it was safe for her to have it because of the risk she might spill the hot water.
“If I had known that I would never have been knitting it in the House in the first place. But what surprised me was all the comments from people supporting the fact I was knitting.’’
Doing it tough
Raising four young children coincided with her husband, a builder, going back to university to study law.
There wasn’t much money to go around, and she had a friend who would drop off alpaca wool, and with her spinning wheel she would make clothes for the children.
“A lot of people wouldn’t know this, but my relaxing time is spinning wool.’’
She’s also a keen cross-stitcher and it was the pressure of having food on the table that also led her to hunt.
“We couldn’t afford to buy meat so I would go out and hunt at the weekend while my husband stayed with the kids. I’d do my best to get a deer, come home and hang it over the fence in Hataitai, skin it and honestly, George Foreman mincers are amazing.
“I didn’t know what I was doing, I’d just follow the muscle groups, but I managed to feed us in those years when he was studying and we had bugger all money coming in,’’ she said.
McKee represented New Zealand and wore the silver fern twice when she made the national team to compete in shooting.
She’s been speaking out on behalf of gun owners for years – prior to Parliament, McKee was spokesperson for the Council of Licensed Firearms Owners – and says those same good people are now being labelled criminals.
“It’s hurtful to be called a gun nutter …. I’ve represented my country twice and got the silver fern, but now I’m labelled as something else.
“It made me knuckle down and think that perception of gun owners needs to change – a lot of us just want to feed our families.’’
McKee says her skin has thickened a lot as a result.
“I’m married to a Northern Irish Protestant man, I’m Catholic, we’re debating continuously at home.’’ – Nicole McKee
“Back in 2019 I got home one weekend and one of our vehicles had its tyres slashed, and I get sent hate mail. I never understood why, I understood the country was hurting (in the aftermath of the March 15 terror attacks) but I couldn’t understand why someone would target an individual who is just trying to be a reasoned voice for the other side.
“My husband says it’s changed me, but in a good way, and he says my debating skills have got really good,’’ she laughs.
Trying new things
In amongst the chaos of becoming an MP, McKee has been convinced to start studying as well.
Along with her caucus colleague Toni Severin and 13 MPs from Labour and National, McKee is doing a post-graduate governance course learning about writing and implementing policy and obligations under the Treaty of Waitangi.
She didn’t think she had time but her leader, David Seymour, suggested it and said time would be made. All 15 MPs now get leave from the House once a month to attend a five-hour lecture.
Having never done an undergraduate course, McKee had to get an exemption to take post-graduate level papers.
“I thought if I want to write a new Firearms Act or come up with policy on my own I need to know how to write and implement it.’’
Parliament was a “daunting’’ place when she first arrived, not knowing anything about standing orders or how it all worked.
“I’ve learnt a heck of a lot and I feel confident to have a go now. I know I’m going to make mistakes, nobody’s perfect, but I feel I’m learning from those mistakes,’’ she said.
Her debating skills are often complimented and McKee says she’s had plenty of practice in the lead-up.
“I’m married to a Northern Irish Protestant man, I’m Catholic, we’re debating continuously at home.’’
While she hasn’t found an MP on the Government side she is inspired to learn from, McKee has a favourite in National.
“It’s Louise Upston, but she doesn’t know that.
“I think she’s a real powerhouse and I’ve been looking up to her since I got here and working with her in select committees.’’
At the end of the day when McKee leaves her office she heads for her safe place, home.
“My husband has built a big secure fence around our property and when I walk in and close the gate I feel like it’s my world and my safe place.’’
They also have a small launch at Evans Bay and McKee spends a lot of time on the boat catching up on sleep when she can.
“Nobody can knock on the door, I can just totally relax and sleep.’’
The boat is getting some work done over summer but McKee isn’t bothered, she has other plans.
There’s an ACT Party fisheries policy to write and her firearms legislation to be tidied – and there’s an opportunity to do it over summer without any interruptions.
