Laila Harré

The Honourable Laila Harré
Laila Harre in 2006
3rd Leader of the Alliance
In office 2002–2003
Deputy	Willie Jackson
Preceded by	Jim Anderton
Succeeded by	Matt McCarten
Member of the New Zealand Parliament for Alliance list
In office 1996 – 2002
Personal details
Born	(1966-01-08) 8 January 1966 (age 51)
Citizenship	New Zealander
Political party	Labour (1982-89) (2016-)
Other political affiliations	Independent (2003-2012), (2014-2016) NewLabour Party (1989-91) Alliance (1991–2003) Green Party (2012-2014) Internet Party (2014)
Spouse(s)	Barry Gribben
Children	2
Alma mater	University of Auckland

Laila Jane Harré (born 8 January 1966) is a New Zealand politician and trade unionist. She was the first leader of the Internet Party, and stood for Parliament in the 2014 general election through the Helensville electorate. From 1996 to 2002 she was a Member of Parliament for the Alliance party, briefly leading that party after the group experienced a schism in 2002.

Harré's father was a social anthropologist, and the family spent a part of her childhood (including some years of primary school) living in Fiji while he studied urbanisation there. Her mother was an actress. After returning to New Zealand, she attended secondary school in Auckland at Auckland Girls' Grammar before gaining Bachelor of Arts and Bachelor of Laws degrees at the University of Auckland.

After leaving university she worked for some time as a lawyer specialising in industrial relations and employment law, and developing close links to the trade-union movement.

Harré joined the Labour Party in 1982, representing the youth wing on the party's New Zealand Council. Throughout her seven-year membership of the party she was a critic of the policies advanced by Roger Douglas, who became Minister of Finance when Labour won the 1984 election. Douglas, an advocate of free-market economics, introduced a programme of radical reforms (Rogernomics) which alienated many of Labour's traditional supporters, including Harré.