41-year-old Claire Szabó, of dual New Zealand-Hungarian nationality, was elected President of the ruling Social Democratic (Labor) Party in New Zealand this past week-end.
As index.hu reports, Szabó's father fled Hungary at the age of 17 in 1956 and began a new life in New Zealand, where he worked as an engineer. Claire Szabó was born in New Zealand, but, at the age of 19, she came to Hungary for a few years, learned Hungarian and also acquired Hungarian citizenship. She has lived in Hungary for a total of five years.
According to her party’s website, Claire, who has been CEO of Habitat for Humanity New Zealand for a number of years, “was welcomed as a person who will surely bring strong Labour values, leadership and governance experience to the role.”
At the Party’s annual conference, she talked, among other things, about the difficulties faced by his father after escaping from Hungary, living in a municipal apartment for a long time after coming to the country, and that is why she has spent part of his life dealing with people in need of help, education or housing so that everyone gets the opportunities that helped her father integrate into New Zealand society.
Top 5 Articles
Duna House Profit Climbs Nearly 70% in Q3 November 24, 2025 
'Recharge' Campaign Launched to Boost Domestic Tourism January 21, 2026 
Richter Earnings Slip as Financial Loss Weighs November 6, 2025 
Genius Automotive Hungarian Subsidiary's CEE Expansion November 2, 2025 
Asiana Airlines to Launch Direct Seoul-Budapest Flight October 31, 2025
