She has two adult daughters, two grandaughters and two grandsons, and numerous other whangai she has had a hand in rearing.
While well known as an Aucklander, she is also active in the affairs of her Poutini Ngai Tahu people of the West Coast in the South Island. She also has iwi ties with Ngati Toa, Rangatira and Ngati Kahungunu.
Sandra Lee began elected public life as a member of the Waiheke County Council in 1983, and when in 1989 she became Chairperson, she also became the first Maori woman to head a County Council anywhere in New Zealand. After the Waiheke Council merged with Auckland City, she was elected as an Auckland City Councillor for two terms, from 1989 until January 1994. She was elected to Parliament in November 1993 for the Alliance in the Auckland Central electorate.
While building a reputation as a hard-working local authority politician, she underlined her personal commitment to conservation as a founding member of the Hauraki Gulf Islands branch of the Forest and Bird Society, and then as a member of the Society's national executive. She also served on the Hauraki Gulf Maritime Park Board, the Ministry for the Environment Working Group on Climate Change and the Working Group on Waste Management.
She was also a member of the Auckland District Maori Council, the Board of the Auckland Domestic Violence Centre and the Council of the Auckland Institute and Museum.
A founding member of Mana Motuhake in 1979, Sandra Lee took over as party President in 1991. At the retirement of Hon Matiu Rata in March 1994, she was elected Leader of Mana Motuhake and retained this position until 2 June 2001
When the Alliance formed, she became Co-Deputy Leader. In her first attempt at national politics in 1993, she beat long-serving MP Richard Prebble to become the first Maori woman to win a general seat in Parliament, Auckland Central.
Sandra Lee was called upon to take over leadership of the Alliance after Jim Anderton stepped down in November 1994 on the death of his daughter, then relinquished it back to him in May 1995.
She has served continuously as an Alliance MP since 1993, and was appointed in December 1999 as the seventh ranking Cabinet Minister in the Labour-Alliance coalition government.
