New Zealand PM Jacinda Ardern's new cabinet includes a Himachal-origin parliamentarian

A 33-year-old Indian-origin man was elected as a member of parliament (MP) in New Zealand on October 17. Gaurav Sharma, who is a doctor working as a General Practitioner in Nawton, Hamilton, belongs to Hamirpur district in Himachal Pradesh. He immigrated to New Zealand around 20 years ago and has now won the election from Hamilton West electorate as a Labour Party candidate. 

On the party’s official website, Sharma said, “As a local doctor, I hear first-hand the concerns of our community every day. My work in healthcare and experience in management will help me be a strong voice for Hamilton in this post-pandemic recovery phase”. 

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Himachal Pradesh Chief Minister Jairam Thakur congratulated Sharma and said that he has earned a name for the state and the country. Thakur said that the 33-year-old’s achievement has made people of Himachal Pradesh ‘proud’. 

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Who is Gaurav Sharma? 

According to New Zealand’s Labour Party, Sharma has previously been involved in public health, policy and consulting in several countries. He has a master’s degree in business administration from the George Washington University, US where he was a Fullbright Scholar. He has advocated for the rights of refugee and helped rebuild villages in Nepal after the 2015 earthquake.

Sharma’s father was an executive engineer in the electricity board of Himachal Pradesh before migrating to New Zealand with his family. Sharma was in class IX then and his family had struggled in a new environment. The Labour Party said that it took six years for Sharma’s father to find a job and during the time, he experienced ‘homelessness—sleeping on park benches and eating at the Auckland City Mission and Hare Krishna’. 

Back in 2017, in a TV interview, Gaurav Sharma had said that he has not lost connection with his place of birth and likes to speak Pahari when in Himachal. He had also mentioned that no other food gives him greater pleasure than Himachali food. The Labour Party said that Sharma will be a strong voice and he will bring his ‘robust background’ in healthcare, along with experience in management to the post-pandemic recovery phase. 

(Image: Gaurav Sharma/Facebook) 

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