Sarah Pallett (53) left the Island in her early 20s, and eventually moved to New Zealand in 2004. She became involved in politics by volunteering for a Labour campaign in 2017.
During the October elections, she claimed a parliamentary seat as MP for Ilam, following a landslide victory for the New Zealand Labour Party. The somewhat ‘surprising’ result saw Ms Pallett take the position from the National Party’s Gerry Brownlee, who had held the Ilam seat since 1996.
Ms Pallett, a former Beaulieu student, last visited the Island in 2019, when she returned to Jersey with her partner to visit her father.
‘I’m so glad I did,’ she said.
‘Jersey was the most incredible place to grow up, and asking “is it better than Jersey?” is still my standard.’
Ms Pallett, who is a midwifery lecturer at Ara Institute of Technology, has also worked as a community midwife and hopes to bring a ‘different style of leadership’ to the role.
Senator Sam Mézec congratulated Ms Pallett over social media, praising her ‘really impressive victory’ and sending ‘best wishes from the Labour movement in Jersey’.
Ms Pallett replied: ‘Thank you, Sam. I am indeed a [Jersey] bean.’
