Efeso Collins: Shock in New Zealand as Green party MP dies aged 49 after charity run

Fa’anānā Efeso Collins was a New Zealand politician serving as a Green Party Member of Parliament from October 2023 to February 2024. He was a Manukau ward councilor on Auckland Council from 2016 to 2022 when he stood down and unsuccessfully contested the 2022 Auckland mayoral election.

At the 2013 Auckland elections, Collins was elected to the Ōtara-Papatoetoe Local Board and became its chairperson. An original campaign song was created by two former members of a church youth group Collins had previously led.

During the 2020 New Zealand cannabis referendum, Collins opposed the legalization of cannabis; however, he supported its decriminalization.

While attending a ChildFund charity event in central Auckland in February 2024, Collins collapsed and was pronounced dead. He was 49.

Efeso Collins: Shock in New Zealand as Green party MP dies aged 49 after charity run

Shock in New Zealand as Green party MP Efeso Collins dies after charity run. New Zealanders, including leaders from across the political spectrum, have expressed shock and devastation at the sudden death of Green MP Efeso Collins, who collapsed after a charity run in Auckland on Wednesday.