不到一個月前，新西蘭現任總理、工黨黨魁杰辛達•阿德恩以壓倒性的優勢獲得連任，執政黨工黨贏得政府組閣權。但那時，沒有人想到長期擔任國會議員的毛利人納納婭•馬胡塔會成為新任外交事務部長。

即使是最有經驗的政治觀察人士也對這項任命感到意外，對于新西蘭的土著居民來說馬胡塔的上任具有重大意義。

作為首位擔任這一職務的毛利女性，馬胡塔說她感到“非常榮幸”。

Less than a month ago， when New Zealand‘s Prime Minister Jacinda Ardernjust won a landslide election victory， nobodyhad thought Nanaia Mahuta， a longtime Maori parliamentarian， was going to be herpick for the foreign affairs portfolio。 That appointment caught even the most seasoned political watchersby surprise and also carries great significance for the indigenous population in New Zealand。

Being the first female Maori to assume that role， Mahuta said she was “hugely honored。”

“I follow in the line of a long legacy of firsts for women， and I hope that many other women ofMaori descent， mixed descent， across New Zealand will see this as lifting the ceiling once again on areas that have been very much closed to us in terms of professional opportunities，” she said as she stepped into the office。

The quest for cultural preservation

新上任的女外長引起了國際媒體的關注：不僅是因為她毛利女性的身份，還有她嘴唇下方的毛利傳統文身。為了紀念去世的父親，2016年馬胡塔在下頜紋上了這個圖樣，卻因此引發了大量爭議。

毛利人理事會執行主席馬修·塔卡基將這些新聞稱為“恥辱”，稱它們“在社交媒體上引發了仇恨浪潮”。

塔卡基的觀點將一個影響毛利人群體的周期性問題推到了臺前——許多毛利人因紋有傳統文身在公共場合受到歧視。

Mahuta‘s appointment attracted internationalmediaattention。 But a prevailing headline focus on her moko kauae， a traditional Maori female chintattooshe has had since 2016， has drawn denunciation from prominent representatives ofthe Maori community。

Calling the headlines a “disgrace，” Maori Council executive chairman Matthew Tukakisaid they have “triggered a wave of hate across social media， referencing the articles and the headlines to then pour hate on someone else。”

“The headlines are both offensive and have now been weaponized by racists and keyboard warriors，” he added。

Putting aside the controversy sparked by the headlines， Tukaki‘s remarks did underline a periodic problem that has affected New Zealand’s Maori population， for which reportsof discrimination againstpeople wearing traditional tattoos in public venues and work places areone of themanifestations。

A Maori woman in traditional clothing with a facial tattoo in Rotorua。 /Getty

馬胡塔不僅是國際政壇上極為罕見的擁有面部文身的政府官員，更是第一位把毛利傳統面部文身帶進國家議會的人。但身處輿論中心，馬胡塔多次強調，這文身意味著身份的認同和文化自豪。

現在，馬胡塔已成為新西蘭在國際舞臺上的新面孔，已準備好將其信息傳達給更廣泛的受眾。

Mahuta， however， is not only among the very few of those carrying facial moko in national politics but alsothe first to takeit toparliament。 Stressing numerous times the merits of enabling cultural expression and pride， she has also been a part of the recent resurgence in Maori women receiving the traditional ink， a practice that brings their ancestry， history and status out to the surface。

In taking these steps， Mahuta has encouraged women to display their ancestral heritage while sending a strong message towider society。

Now serving as New Zealand‘s new face on the international stage， Mahuta is poised to convey her message to an even broader audience。 “The first face that people see at an international level is someone who speaks， looks and sounds like a Maori，” Rukuwai Tipene-Allen， a political journalist for Maori Television，told CNN。 “Wearing the markings of her ancestors shows people that there are no boundaries to Maori and where they can go。”

Who isMahuta?

馬胡塔的父親是第五世毛利王科羅基·馬胡塔的養子，姑姑則是已故的首位毛利女王提·阿泰。

在得知馬胡塔被任命時，許多毛利人活動家肯定了馬胡塔在毛利人社區中的地位和貢獻。作為一位資深的國會議員，她長期專注的工作也激勵著民眾。

On her appointment， an array of Maori activists praised Mahuta‘s highly respected and important role in the Maori community。 While not the first Maori to hold an officeof such high profile， Mahuta’s long and dedicated service in parliamentas well as previous governments isa source of inspiration for her people， a population that is overrepresented in the lower rung of New Zealand‘s workforce。

Hundreds of Maori protesters gather to demonstrate against what they say is the disproportionate number of Maori children taken by social service agencies from their families， outside parliament in Wellington， New Zealand， July 30， 2019。 /Reuters

Daughter of a prominent Maori politician， Mahuta was deeply engaged in and heavily influenced by her father‘s work。 She had the first hand privilege to witness some of the achievements her father secured。 Coupled with her strong links to the Maori King Movement， a fertile ground for her entry into politics was laid upon the young learner。

馬胡塔從政已有20余年，她于1996年當選國會議員，曾在新西蘭前總理海倫·克拉克執政期間擔任海關部長、青年發展部長、地方政府事務部長等職務。在阿德恩政府的第一個任期，馬胡塔擔任內閣部長一職，負責毛利發展事務和地方政府事務。

2018年，馬胡塔被BBC選為全球最具影響力的100名女性之一。

She was elected to parliament in 1996 and has since worked studiously to advocate for her Tainui electorate。She has also held portfolios including trade， customs， Maori affairs and youth development and was once named by the BBC as one of the top 100 most influential women。

Accompanying Mahuta‘s 24-year politicalcareer is a long list of accomplishments she has made in a rather humble， low-profile style。 “I’ve learnedwhat to worry about and what not to worry about – I don‘t want to be distracted，”she told the Guardian。

Ripe for the top diplomat post

即使作為毛利皇室的近親，馬胡塔的政治生涯也不是一帆風順的。

作為一名工黨成員，她曾一度陷入進退兩難的境地，因為她所在的政黨推動通過有爭議的海岸和海床法法案，但這一法案遭到了毛利人的抵制。起初，馬胡塔站在反對該法案的前沿，但當法案草案被兩次修改后，她改變了立場。

“對我來說，跨出這一步意味著面向泰努伊(一個毛利部落)選民的大門打開了……要與一個致力于把事情做好的政府合作，我們需要從某個地方開始。”馬胡塔表示。

盡管這一立場并不會取悅自己的支持者，但馬胡塔卻成為了一個能看到更大前景的實用主義者。

Mahuta‘s political career has not been devoid of challenges。

A member of the Labour Party， she was once caught in a dilemmaover her party‘s push to pass the controversial foreshore and seabed bill， an attempt that was met with fierceopposition by her people as a whole。 At first Mahuta stood at the forefront of those opposingthe bill， but when its draft was altered twice she then opted to support it。 “It seems to me by taking this step the door is open for the electorate of Tainui (one of the Maori tribalconfederations)。。。 to work with a government who is committed to trying to get things right。 We’ve all got to start somewhere，”she said after making that decision。

People gather to protest the foreshore and seabed bill。 /Getty

Though the stance upset her own base， Mahuta emerged as a pragmatist who can see thebigger picture。 “Even though that particular act didn‘t have the support of her iwi I think her iwi and her political place was able to see beyond that，” Shane Te Pou， a former Labour candidate， campaign manager and executive member， told RNZ， a New Zealand public-service radio broadcaster。

不僅如此，多年來馬胡塔一直恰當地處理著伊維族、毛利部落和工黨之間不斷變化的關系。

阿德恩在宣布對馬胡塔的任命時表示：“她能快速建立良好的關系，這是外交事務職位的關鍵職責之一。”

Mahuta has also navigated the changing relationships between iwi， Maori tribes and her party， which amasses Maori‘s generations-old support but in recent years has been seen by some to have shunned key issues affecting their community。 Nonetheless， Mahuta’s firm grip on the support of her electorate has not faded， and that is attributed largely to her role of bridging governments in both local and central levels， a great asset she possessed in promoting future opportunities for her people。

“She is someone who builds fantastic relationships very quickly and that is one of the key jobs in a foreign affairs role，”Ardern said when announcing Mahuta‘s appointment。

關鍵詞： 新西蘭首位女外長