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Francisco Hernandez (politician)

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Francisco Hernandez
MP
Hernandez in 2023
Member of the New Zealand Parliament
for Green party list
Incumbent
Assumed office
7 May 2024
Preceded byJames Shaw
Personal details
Born1990 or 1991 (age 32–33)
Manila, Philippines
Political partyGreen (2014–present)
Other political
affiliations		Labour (2008–2014)
Alma materUniversity of Otago
Hernandez's voice
recorded July 2024

Francisco Bagkus Hernandez (born 1990 or 1991)[1] is a New Zealand politician, representing the Green Party of Aotearoa New Zealand as a Member of Parliament since 7 May 2024.

Early life

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Hernandez was born in Manila, Philippines and moved to Wellington with his family when he was 12.[2][3][4] His father, Rossano Hernandez, had been a politician aligned with Joseph Estrada and left the Philippines with his family after the fall of the Estrada administration in 2001.[5] His family moved to Auckland after a brief stint in Wellington[6] and he attended Liston College.[7] Francisco Hernandez graduated from the University of Otago with a Bachelor of Arts in politics and a Master of Entrepreneurship.[8] During 2023, he was studying a master's degree in economics.[4]

Political career

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Hernandez enrolled with the Labour Party in 2008 when he began studying at Otago, before joining the Green Party in 2014.[4] Hernandez was president of the Otago University Students' Association (OUSA) in 2013,[5] and previously held positions on the OUSA executive in 2011 and 2012.[9]

In the 2013 local elections, he unsuccessfully ran for a councillor position at Dunedin City Council[10][11] and, subsequently, for head of the New Zealand Union of Students' Associations (NZUSA).[12] In the 2016 local elections, he unsuccessfully stood for a position on the Henderson-Massey Local Board.[13]

After leaving university in 2014, he began working as a Green Party parliamentary staffer and policy advisor, before joining the Climate Change Commission to work on sustainable waste usage.[5] He served as chief climate change advisor for the Otago Regional Council before entering parliament.[5]

Entry into Parliament

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New Zealand Parliament
Years Term Electorate List Party
2024–present 54th List 17 Green

Hernandez was announced as the Green Party's Dunedin candidate for the 2023 general election on 3 February 2023. His campaign helped build party support in his constituency, where the Green Party took second place in the party vote. However, his list placement was not sufficient to make it into parliament. In 2024 he entered parliament following the retirement of James Shaw.[14] Initially Lawrence Xu-Nan was set to be Shaw's replacement, however Xu-Nan entered parliament sooner than expected after the sudden death of Efeso Collins.[15][16] Following Shaw's resignation, Hernandez became a Member of Parliament on 6 May 2024.[17]

Parliamentary career

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Following his entry to Parliament, Hernandez was appointed to the petitions select committee as the Green member and designated as the party spokesperson for Public Services, Tertiary Education and Emergency Management and Recovery.[18]

Personal life

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Hernandez is Catholic.[19]

Views and positions

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Political views

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Hernandez identified himself as a "market-socialist" in his parliamentary maiden speech.[7]

References

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  1. ^ "Francisco Hernandez". policy.nz – via The Spinoff.
  2. ^ "Francisco Hernandez". Green Party of Aotearoa New Zealand.
  3. ^ "White supremacist Philip Arps attacks new Green Party candidate Francisco Hernandez". Newshub. 8 February 2023.
  4. ^ a b c Mathias, Shanti (3 October 2023). "The 'two-horse race' for deep red Dunedin". The Spinoff. Retrieved 2 October 2023.
  5. ^ a b c d "Ex-OUSA head to run for Greens". Otago Daily Times. 6 February 2023. Retrieved 1 May 2024.
  6. ^ MacManus, Joel (28 May 2024). "Introducing Francisco Hernandez, the Member for Posting who's logged off". The Spinoff. Retrieved 9 June 2024.
  7. ^ a b "Hernandez, Francisco Maiden Statements". Hansard. 23 May 2024.
  8. ^ "Graduate Search Results". University of Otago. Retrieved 6 May 2024.
  9. ^ Hewson, Laura (21 February 2013). "Political nous". Otago Magazine. University of Otago. Retrieved 2 October 2023.
  10. ^ Morris, Chris (17 August 2013). "Race for public office begins". Otago Daily Times. Retrieved 12 October 2023.
  11. ^ "2013 – Dunedin City Council Final Results". Dunedin City Council. 2 October 2019. Retrieved 12 October 2023.
  12. ^ Elder, Vaughan (5 November 2013). "Seeking a national role". Otago Daily Times. Retrieved 2 October 2023.
  13. ^ Smith, Simon; Pratt, Ciara (1 September 2016). "The issues in Henderson-Massey this election". Western Leader. Retrieved 21 February 2024.
  14. ^ Whyte, Anna (1 May 2024). "James Shaw on working with business, Ardern and what next". www.thepost.co.nz. Retrieved 4 May 2024.
  15. ^ "Fa'anānā Efeso Collins' death brings another new Green MP to Parliament". RNZ. 22 February 2024.
  16. ^ Peter Wilson (23 February 2024). "Week in Politics: Luxon stands out, benefit action under scrutiny and grief over Efeso Collins". RNZ. Retrieved 16 March 2024.
  17. ^ Le Quesne, Karl (6 May 2024). "Declaration by Electoral Commission That Francisco Bagkus Hernandez is Elected a Member of Parliament". New Zealand Gazette. 2024-au2073. Retrieved 6 May 2024.
  18. ^ "Hernandez, Francisco – New Zealand Parliament". www.parliament.nz. 21 May 2024. Retrieved 11 May 2024.
  19. ^ MacManus, Joel (28 May 2024). "Introducing Francisco Hernandez, the Member for Posting who's logged off". The Spinoff.
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