Venkat Raman
Auckland, June 2, 2023
About 19 years ago (in our October 1, 2004 issue), we wrote that she is a woman of resolve and has what it takes to be a successful broadcaster, researcher, a great friend and an excellent homemaker-sometimes the order can be mixed.
In that report, we congratulated Dr Parmjeet Parmar as she earned her Doctorate (PhD) for her thesis on Molecular Neuroendocrinology from the University of Auckland.
Now, we have another reason to congratulate her on her selection as a List MP by the ACT Party, potentially on a ranking high enough to ensure her return to Parliament.
ACT Party Leader David Seymour told this Reporter today that he was confident that Dr Parmar will make it to the Debating Chamber after the general election on October 14, 2023 and that she will contest at the Pakuranga Constituency.
The Pakuranga Constituency has been a stronghold of the National Party, and its current MP Simeon Brown is popular. As such, winning the seat will be difficult and hence Dr Parmar would depend on a high ranking on the ACT Party List to make it to Parliament.
ACT Leader excited
“Parmjeet is a Scientist, and it would be great to have her in our team. I look forward to working with her and promoting the interests of all New Zealanders. She comes to the ACT Party also rich with experience as a businessperson and as a person with high principles and values,” he said.
Mr Seymour said that he would recommend the ACT Party Board to also consider Dr Parmar’s previous experience as a Member of Parliament.
“She will be a great asset to us,” he said.
Dr Parmar, as we know, is a good example of the equal opportunities that New Zealanders enjoy. As well as her doctorate, she brings to the ACT Party, her role as a successful businesswoman, a former media person and a former Families Commissioner.
In a press statement on Wednesday, Mr Seymour said that the ACT Party is always on the lookout for great talent to take New Zealand forward.
Science and Innovation
“Parmjeet is a woman of principles, a scholar and a successful businesswoman. She will be a great addition to the ACT team, and I look forward to working with her to make New Zealand a better place. She will take on the Science and Innovation portfolio,” he said.
Dr Parmar said that as a scientist, she has always taken an evidence-based approach and sees such an approach in the ACT Party.
“ACT is often the only party asking hard questions and thinking long-term about the changes that are needed in New Zealand to lift us as a country. And we do need Real Change in New Zealand,” she said.
Dr Parmar said that since she left Parliament in 2020, the government has gotten bigger and is spending more, but problems such as crime, cost of living, and the health system crisis keep getting worse.
“It has been said that the definition of insanity is doing the same thing over and over and expecting different results. We need to do something different. We need a fresh new approach. I am grateful for the opportunity that ACT has given me to help to make real change and to contribute new ideas, and new policies, which will make a difference to New Zealand’s future. I cannot wait to get started,” she said.
