Golden girl Golriz makes parliamentary history

Golriz Ghahraman’s parents just wanted a safe place for their daughter to grow up and “never would have dreamed” their daughter would one day be a member of Parliament.

Ghahraman has become the first refugee to be elected to Parliament in New Zealand after the Green Party picked up an extra seat thanks to the results from the special votes which were announced yesterday.

Born in Iran, she came to New Zealand from Iran with her parents as a refugee when she was 9 years old.

“[My parents] just wanted to get me out of a situation where there might be more war and where women were second-class citizens,” she said yesterday after learning of her new post.

Greens leader James Shaw said the party was “delighted” Ghahraman would be part of its caucus. “This is actually an historic moment for the Parliament of New Zealand.”

Ghahraman, a human rights lawyer, has worked as a prosecutor at United Nations tribunals for Rwanda and the former Yugoslavia, where heads of state were on trial for mass atrocities, and also worked on the Khmer Rouge tribunal in Cambodia.

Labour also gained another MP thanks to the special votes with Tauranga Women’s

Refuge manager Angie Warren-Clarke now heading to Parliament.

National lost two seats at the expense of

Nicola Willis and

Maureen Pugh.