Chinese MP feels weight of solo role

New Labour listMP Naisi Chen feels a heavy responsibility as the only representative who identifies as Chinese.

‘‘Of 5 per cent of the population who identifies as Chinese, I’mthe only one in Parliament,’’ said Chen, who contested the Botany electorate in the October general election.

‘‘I thought I would have a little bit more freedom in terms of sharing that workload with another colleague because I think when it comes to the Chinese community, what side of the House you stand on is not as important as working for the community, so I thought we could share that workload a little bit. But obviously that hasn’t happened, and so I feel huge responsibility.’’

Chen, who made it into Parliament as a listMP after coming second to Chris Luxon in the battle for Botany, got a taste of that responsibility soon after the election when Raymond Luo died in Auckland’s Albert Park, leaving behind a wife, a toddler, a baby and an immigration dilemma.

‘‘His wife has [a] work visa based on partnership so basically, she became illegal the moment he passed away,’’ Chen told Stuff during a visit to Nelson. ‘‘I still remember getting that call when I was inWellington.’’

She supported the family. ‘‘That really grounded me and I think I’ll always think back to that, and I hope I’ll be there for the family and watch the kids grow up as well,’’ Chen said.

‘‘I think it’s one of those things [that remind you of] why you are here and what difference you can make, even if it’s just to a particular family.’’

The immigration issue was still being sorted out and Chen said she intended to continue her support. As well as offering advocacy and support for members of the Chinese community, Chen said it was also important to be seen.

‘‘If we just talk about the Chinese community, an MP holds a lot of mana obviously for them, and just to be there at places they don’t expect you to, I think, sends a