Moana lives in Gisborne and is Labour's list MP based in the East Coast electorate which covers much of the Eastern Bay of Plenty, the East Coast and the Gisborne District. Moana splits her time at home between Tairawhiti and the Eastern Bay.

Moana, who is of Ngati Porou descent, grew up in Gisborne attending Mangapapa Primary, Ilminster Intermediate, and Lytton High Schools. In her sixth form year Moana spent a year as an AFS exchange student attending Lycee Balzac in Tours, France.

Moana left the coast to study at Victoria University in 1993 and graduated in 1997 with BSc(Hons) with first class honours in Biochemistry and Molecular Biology. Moana did her honours thesis on flystrike and the role of the mixed function oxidase system in insecticide resistance in the Australian sheep blowfly.

After leaving University Moana worked for Mobil Oil in their technical services laboratory before heading overseas. Moana came back to help out in the 1999 election campaign and was elected President of Young Labour for 1999-2000.

Moana went on to work at ESR and AgriQuality, ending up as Team Leader of a laboratory team specialising in persistent organic pollutants, in particular dioxins and furans.

Moana entered Parliament in 2003 when former MP Graham Kelly retired.

Moana is Labour's spokesperson for Housing, Research and Development, and Science and Technology.

Contact details:

Parliament
Address: Freepost PO Box 18 888, Parliament Buildings, Wellington 6160
Phone: 04 817 6654
Email: moana.mackey@parliament.govt.nz

Gisborne Office
Address: 56a Peel Street, PO Box 120, Gisborne
Phone: 06 868 6806 Fax: 06 8686 826
Email: m.mackeymp@xtra.co.nz