Neru Leavasa
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Anae Neru Leavasa | |
|---|---|
 Leavasa in 2023 | |
| Member of the New Zealand Parliament for Takanini | |
| In office 17 October 2020 – 14 October 2023 | |
| Preceded by | Electorate established |
| Succeeded by | Rima Nakhle |
| Personal details | |
| Born | 1983 or 1984 (age 41–42)[1] Auckland, New Zealand |
| Party | Labour |
| Children | 1 |
| Alma mater | University of Auckland |
| Profession | General practitioner |
Anae Neru Asi Tuiataga Leavasa[2] is a New Zealand politician of the Labour Party. He served as the Member of Parliament for Takanini from 2020 to 2023.
Leavasa's parents immigrated from Samoa in the 1980s. His mother is from Le'auva'a and Solosolo and his father is from Vaiala and Vaimoso.[3] He was born in Auckland and has four brothers and an older sister.[3] His mother's uncle was Minister of Education in Samoa and his paternal grandfather was Minister of Agriculture in Samoa. Tuimalealiʻifano Vaʻaletoʻa Sualauvi II, the O le Ao o le Malo (head of state of Samoa), is also an uncle.[3]
Leavasa received secondary education at Marcellin College and Auckland Grammar School.[3] As a teenager, Leavasa survived metastatic bone cancer. He has only one lung and has a metal joint in one knee, and walks with a slight limp.[4]
He earned his medical degree from the University of Auckland Medical School and was awarded fellowship of the Royal New Zealand College of General Practitioners in 2014.[5] Prior to entering Parliament, Leavasa worked for 12 years as a general practitioner and sports doctor in Māngere.[4][6]
He is married and has one child.[7]
