Kari Nessa Nordtun (born 7 June 1986) is a Norwegian lawyer and politician for the Labour Party. She currently serves as minister of education since 2023 and mayor of Stavanger from 2019 to 2023.
Political career
Local politics and mayoralty
Nordtun was elected to the Stavanger Municipal Council in 2011. She became mayor following the 2019 local elections, in which the Labour Party secured a majority with the Socialist Left Party, Centre Party, Red Party, Green Party and People's Action No to More Road Tolls. Alongside Nordtun, the Centre Party's Dagny Sunnanå Hausken became deputy mayor. Both formally stepped into their roles on 21 October 2019. Nordtun sought re-election in the 2023 local elections, but ultimately her coalition lost to the Conservative one, led by Sissel Knutsen Hegdal. Despite this, the Labour Party in Stavanger achieved their best result in over 40 years and became the municipality's largest party. Hegdal succeeded her when the municipal council was constituted on 23 October.
Party politics
In 2022, Nordtun was appointed chair of the Labour Party's energy commission.
Ahead of the 2023 Labour Party convention, Nessa Nordtun was nominated to become a member of the party's central board. She formally stepped into the role in May.
Following the 2023 local elections and her imminent departure as mayor of Stavanger, Nordtun was seen as a strong candidate for a ministerial job in Jonas Gahr Støre's cabinet at the next reshuffle. Nordtun herself has been hesitant to outright confirm if she would accept a ministerial appointment, citing she would rather spend time with her family. However, the weekend before the reshuffle, media sources confirmed that Nordtun had underwent a vetting process with the Office of the Prime Minister, implying she likely would enter government after all.
Minister of Education
Nordtun was appointed minister of education on 16 October 2023, following a cabinet reshuffle.
2023
Early into her tenure, Nordtun announced that the government would be changing the rules and terms for private owned kindergartens. She argued that this was to secure higher quality and more equal economic terms as public kindergartens.
Civic career
After her formal education to become a lawyer, Nordtun worked for the law firm Sjødin, Meling & Co. and then for Elden DA. She notably served as an assistant attorney for victims and survivors of the 22 July attack. She is on leave from her profession as a lawyer to focus on political work.
Personal life and education
Nordtun is the daughter of former Stavanger mayor and member of parliament Tore Nordtun and Solveig Nessa. She also has a sister, Eli Nessa. She is married to Espen Ertzeid, with whom she has three sons.
Nordtun attended Stavanger Cathedral School and went on to become a lawyer through studying at the University of Bergen.