New Zealand left-wing MP suddenly collapses and dies at 49 after backing Covid mandates

New Zealand Green MP Fa'anana Efeso Collins suddenly collapsed and died at a charity run Tuesday. He was 49 years old and leaves behind a wife and 2 children.

NZ Herald reports that emergency services immediately responded to the incident at ChildFund Water Run and worked on Collins with CPR and defibrillators for an hour before pronouncing him dead at the scene.

Collins was a vocal proponent of Covid vaccinations and mandates and advertised for a "Vaxathon" held in Aotearoa in October of 2021, calling it a "call to action" to get people to take Covid-19 shots.

He afterward posted that the "next step is to let trusted community leaders & providers go hundy on the remaining half million unvaccinated population."

“Aotearoa (New Zealand) and the Green Party have lost one of the kindest, most dedicated champions of fairness and equality,” Green Party co-leaders James Shaw and Marama Davidson said in a statement.

“Efeso devoted his life to serving and making a difference to the lives of those he met, including his constituents, colleagues, friends, and family. He held the deepest respect of the members of all political parties and communities,” they said.

His cause of death has not yet been revealed.