Future New Zealand
Encyclopedia
The Kiwi Party is a New Zealand
political party
formed in 2007. Briefly known as Future New Zealand, it is a breakaway from the United Future New Zealand party and seeks to carry on the tradition of Future New Zealand
. The party was formed when MP Gordon Copeland
left United Future after a dispute over support for the Crimes (Substituted Section 59) Amendment Act 2007. At the 2008 general election
, the Kiwi Party was unsuccessful, and was not re-elected to Parliament. It did not contest the 2011 general election
under its own banner, but the leaders and other members are standing for the Conservative Party
.
The party advocates more direct democracy
through referenda and a return to the "Judeo-Christian ethic in democracy".
resigned from the United Future party, citing differences with party leader Peter Dunne
over the latter's support of the child-discipline bill. Copeland announced his intention to re-form an independent Future New Zealand party with former United Future list MP Larry Baldock
as co-leader. Copeland and Baldock acknowledged that the new party would face difficulties over issues like legal ownership of the party name, but were hopeful that they would be able to attract United Future's former conservative Christian voters. An inaugural meeting was held in Baldock's city of residence, Tauranga
, and former United Future list MP Bernie Ogilvy
became party secretary. Meanwhile, Brian Tamaki
and his Destiny New Zealand
party announced that it would contest the New Zealand conservative Christian vote at the next New Zealand general election in 2008.
On 14 June 2007 Copeland announced that Future New Zealand would "not work with, or be part of, a Labour-led government following the 2008 elections". Copeland also gave his proxy vote in Parliament to the National Party (except on matters of confidence and supply).
In June 2007, Copeland announced in his monthly "Copeland's Chronicle" newsletter that Future New Zealand had attracted the necessary five hundred members required for registration under the Electoral Act 1993. Baldock and Copeland were working on establishing a Board of Management and Board of Reference for their new party, still tentatively named "Future New Zealand." He also asserted his right to continue sitting in New Zealand's Parliament as a list MP.
conference in Christchurch
the party outlined a number of policy ideas:
The party won just 12,755 party votes, or 0.54% of the votes cast, well short of the 5% required to gain list-only representation without winning an electorate. Baldock stood in Tauranga
, winning 1893 votes, well behind National's Simon Bridges
and his New Zealand First and Labour challengers. Copeland was similarly unsuccessful in Rongotai
, winning just 515 votes. Despite this result, the party stated that they would contest the next general election, in 2011.
, selecting Simmone Dyer as their candidate. Dyer came seventh with 91 votes. The party did not contest the subsequent Mana
, Botany
or Te Tai Tokerau
by-elections.
Larry Baldock was one of the chief protagonists behind the 2009 referendum
which attempted to repeal the Crimes (Substituted Section 59) Amendment Act 2007. The referendum passed with the support of 87.4% of voters, but was non-binding, and the government responded by promising a review of the law. In response, Baldock circulated a second citizens initiated referendum, calling for binding citizens initiated referenda in future debates. The proposed referendum petition fell well short of the required number of signatures to trigger such a referendum and lapsed on 10 December 2010.
The demise of the Family Party and New Zealand Pacific Party
in 2010 left the Kiwi Party as the only conservative Christian-based political party within New Zealand politics. This was changed by the arrival of Colin Craig
's Conservative Party of New Zealand
in August 2011.
On 14 October 2011 the Kiwi Party announced that it would not be standing any candidates in the election, and that several members had joined the Conservative Party and would be standing for it. Party leader Baldock was number 3 on the Conservative Party list and stood again in Tauranga
. Deputy leader Dyer was number 7 on the list and stood in East Coast Bays
. Party president Copeland stood in Hutt South
. No candidate was successful. Other members also stood for the Conservatives on their party list.
New Zealand
New Zealand is an island country in the south-western Pacific Ocean comprising two main landmasses and numerous smaller islands. The country is situated some east of Australia across the Tasman Sea, and roughly south of the Pacific island nations of New Caledonia, Fiji, and Tonga...
political party
Political party
A political party is a political organization that typically seeks to influence government policy, usually by nominating their own candidates and trying to seat them in political office. Parties participate in electoral campaigns, educational outreach or protest actions...
formed in 2007. Briefly known as Future New Zealand, it is a breakaway from the United Future New Zealand party and seeks to carry on the tradition of Future New Zealand
Future New Zealand
The Kiwi Party is a New Zealand political party formed in 2007. Briefly known as Future New Zealand, it is a breakaway from the United Future New Zealand party and seeks to carry on the tradition of Future New Zealand. The party was formed when MP Gordon Copeland left United Future after a dispute...
. The party was formed when MP Gordon Copeland
Gordon Copeland
Gordon Copeland is a New Zealand politician who was a Member of Parliament from 2002 to 2008. He was a list MP for the United Future New Zealand party from 2002 until he resigned from the party in 2007. He is now Party President of The Kiwi Party, which he co-founded with another former United...
left United Future after a dispute over support for the Crimes (Substituted Section 59) Amendment Act 2007. At the 2008 general election
New Zealand general election, 2008
The 2008 New Zealand general election was held on 8 November 2008 to determine the composition of the 49th New Zealand parliament. The conservative National Party, headed by its Parliamentary leader John Key, won a plurality of votes and seats, ending 9 years of government dominated by the social...
, the Kiwi Party was unsuccessful, and was not re-elected to Parliament. It did not contest the 2011 general election
New Zealand general election, 2011
The 2011 New Zealand general election on Saturday 26 November 2011 determined the membership of the 50th New Zealand Parliament.One hundred and twenty-one MPs were elected to the New Zealand House of Representatives, 70 from single-member electorates, including one overhang seat, and 51 from party...
under its own banner, but the leaders and other members are standing for the Conservative Party
Conservative Party of New Zealand
The Conservative Party of New Zealand is a political party founded in New Zealand in August 2011. It advocates social conservatism, the repeal of the New Zealand Emissions Trading Scheme and the child discipline law, and the use of binding referenda...
.
The party advocates more direct democracy
Direct democracy
Direct democracy is a form of government in which people vote on policy initiatives directly, as opposed to a representative democracy in which people vote for representatives who then vote on policy initiatives. Direct democracy is classically termed "pure democracy"...
through referenda and a return to the "Judeo-Christian ethic in democracy".
Future New Zealand Party reformed
On 16 May 2007, list MP Gordon CopelandGordon Copeland
Gordon Copeland is a New Zealand politician who was a Member of Parliament from 2002 to 2008. He was a list MP for the United Future New Zealand party from 2002 until he resigned from the party in 2007. He is now Party President of The Kiwi Party, which he co-founded with another former United...
resigned from the United Future party, citing differences with party leader Peter Dunne
Peter Dunne
Peter Dunne is a New Zealand politician and Member of Parliament who leads the United Future political party. He has served as a Cabinet minister in governments dominated by the centre-left Labour Party as well as by the centre-right National Party...
over the latter's support of the child-discipline bill. Copeland announced his intention to re-form an independent Future New Zealand party with former United Future list MP Larry Baldock
Larry Baldock
Larry Baldock is a New Zealand politician. He was a member of Parliament for the United Future New Zealand party from 2002 to 2005...
as co-leader. Copeland and Baldock acknowledged that the new party would face difficulties over issues like legal ownership of the party name, but were hopeful that they would be able to attract United Future's former conservative Christian voters. An inaugural meeting was held in Baldock's city of residence, Tauranga
Tauranga
Tauranga is the most populous city in the Bay of Plenty region, in the North Island of New Zealand.It was settled by Europeans in the early 19th century and was constituted as a city in 1963...
, and former United Future list MP Bernie Ogilvy
Bernie Ogilvy
Bernard James Ogilvy is a New Zealand educator and politician. He was a list member of Parliament for the United Future New Zealand party from 2002 to 2005...
became party secretary. Meanwhile, Brian Tamaki
Brian Tamaki
Brian Raymond Tamaki heads Destiny Church, a Pentecostal Christian organisation in New Zealand which advocates strict adherence to fundamentalist biblical morality, and is notable for its position against homosexuality, its patriarchal views and for its calls for a return to biblical conservative...
and his Destiny New Zealand
Destiny New Zealand
Destiny New Zealand was a Christian political party in New Zealand centred on the charismatic/pentecostal Destiny Church. The party described itself as "centre-right". It placed a strong focus on socially conservative values and argued that the breakdown of the traditional family was a primary...
party announced that it would contest the New Zealand conservative Christian vote at the next New Zealand general election in 2008.
On 14 June 2007 Copeland announced that Future New Zealand would "not work with, or be part of, a Labour-led government following the 2008 elections". Copeland also gave his proxy vote in Parliament to the National Party (except on matters of confidence and supply).
In June 2007, Copeland announced in his monthly "Copeland's Chronicle" newsletter that Future New Zealand had attracted the necessary five hundred members required for registration under the Electoral Act 1993. Baldock and Copeland were working on establishing a Board of Management and Board of Reference for their new party, still tentatively named "Future New Zealand." He also asserted his right to continue sitting in New Zealand's Parliament as a list MP.
Name change to The Kiwi Party
On 25 January 2008, it was announced that Future New Zealand was to be known as the Kiwi Party. Copeland stepped down as co-leader to focus on his Parliamentary responsibilities, leaving Baldock as the sole leader. The party applied to the Electoral Commission to register its new name, and was formally registered on 15 February 2008.Policies
At the party's South IslandSouth Island
The South Island is the larger of the two major islands of New Zealand, the other being the more populous North Island. It is bordered to the north by Cook Strait, to the west by the Tasman Sea, to the south and east by the Pacific Ocean...
conference in Christchurch
Christchurch
Christchurch is the largest city in the South Island of New Zealand, and the country's second-largest urban area after Auckland. It lies one third of the way down the South Island's east coast, just north of Banks Peninsula which itself, since 2006, lies within the formal limits of...
the party outlined a number of policy ideas:
- people should be able to direct $100 of their income taxIncome taxAn income tax is a tax levied on the income of individuals or businesses . Various income tax systems exist, with varying degrees of tax incidence. Income taxation can be progressive, proportional, or regressive. When the tax is levied on the income of companies, it is often called a corporate...
to a charity of their choice each year - lift the adult minimum wageMinimum wageA minimum wage is the lowest hourly, daily or monthly remuneration that employers may legally pay to workers. Equivalently, it is the lowest wage at which workers may sell their labour. Although minimum wage laws are in effect in a great many jurisdictions, there are differences of opinion about...
from the expected $12 an hour to $15 an hour - provide employers with a 100% tax rebate to cover the minimum wage increase
- establish a Royal CommissionRoyal CommissionIn Commonwealth realms and other monarchies a Royal Commission is a major ad-hoc formal public inquiry into a defined issue. They have been held in various countries such as the United Kingdom, Australia, Canada, New Zealand, and Saudi Arabia...
to investigate the causes of family breakdown, family violence, and child abuse.
2008 election
Going into the 2008 elections, the party had only one list MP, and no electorate MPs, in Parliament, and did not register significant support in national polls. Acting secretary Bernie Ogilvy apologised for not applying for free election broadcasting in time; Larry Baldock said "This does make our task just that much harder." The party fielded 25 electorate candidates out of a possible 70.The party won just 12,755 party votes, or 0.54% of the votes cast, well short of the 5% required to gain list-only representation without winning an electorate. Baldock stood in Tauranga
Tauranga (New Zealand electorate)
Tauranga is a New Zealand Parliamentary electorate, returning one Member of Parliament to the New Zealand House of Representatives. The current MP for Tauranga is Simon Bridges of the National Party, who won the seat in the 2008 New Zealand general election, after the previous MP, Bob Clarkson of...
, winning 1893 votes, well behind National's Simon Bridges
Simon Bridges
Simon Bridges is a New Zealand politician and former District and High Court Crown prosecutor. Bridges is currently the representative for the electorate of Tauranga in the 49th New Zealand Parliament, as a member of the National Party.Bridges currently lives in Mount Maunganui with his wife,...
and his New Zealand First and Labour challengers. Copeland was similarly unsuccessful in Rongotai
Rongotai (New Zealand electorate)
Rongotai is a New Zealand electorate, returning a single member to the New Zealand House of Representatitves. The current MP for Rongotai is Annette King, of the Labour Party. She has held this position since 1996.-Description:...
, winning just 515 votes. Despite this result, the party stated that they would contest the next general election, in 2011.
Post-2008
Gordon Copeland was elected as Party President in March 2009. The party contested the 2009 Mount Albert by-electionMount Albert by-election, 2009
A by-election was held in the New Zealand electorate of Mount Albert on 13 June 2009. There were fifteen candidates in the election. David Shearer of the Labour Party won the election with 63% of the vote...
, selecting Simmone Dyer as their candidate. Dyer came seventh with 91 votes. The party did not contest the subsequent Mana
Mana by-election, 2010
A by-election was held in the New Zealand electorate of Mana on 20 November 2010. The seat was vacated by former Labour Pacific Island Affairs Minister Winnie Laban, who announced her resignation from the New Zealand Parliament on 10 August 2010 following her appointment as Assistant Vice...
, Botany
Botany by-election, 2011
A by-election was held in the New Zealand electorate of Botany on 5 March 2011. The seat was vacated by former National Ethnic Affairs Minister Pansy Wong, who announced her resignation from the New Zealand Parliament on 14 December 2010 following allegations her husband Sammy has misused taxpayer...
or Te Tai Tokerau
Te Tai Tokerau by-election, 2011
The 2011 Te Tai Tokerau by-election was a by-election in the New Zealand electorate of Te Tai Tokerau that was caused by Hone Harawira's resignation from the seat. He chose to re-contest it with the Mana Party in order to seek a new mandate for his views...
by-elections.
Larry Baldock was one of the chief protagonists behind the 2009 referendum
New Zealand citizens-initiated referendum, 2009
The New Zealand corporal punishment referendum, 2009 was held in New Zealand from 31 July to 21 August, and was a citizens-initiated referendum on parental corporal punishment...
which attempted to repeal the Crimes (Substituted Section 59) Amendment Act 2007. The referendum passed with the support of 87.4% of voters, but was non-binding, and the government responded by promising a review of the law. In response, Baldock circulated a second citizens initiated referendum, calling for binding citizens initiated referenda in future debates. The proposed referendum petition fell well short of the required number of signatures to trigger such a referendum and lapsed on 10 December 2010.
The demise of the Family Party and New Zealand Pacific Party
New Zealand Pacific Party
The New Zealand Pacific Party was a Christian political party that existed in New Zealand from 2008 to 2010. The party was founded as a vehicle for former Labour MP Taito Phillip Field, who was subsequently convicted for bribery and corruption...
in 2010 left the Kiwi Party as the only conservative Christian-based political party within New Zealand politics. This was changed by the arrival of Colin Craig
Colin Craig
Colin Craig is a New Zealand businessman and the founding leader of the Conservative Party of New Zealand. Craig is currently a millionaire who owns companies which manage high-rise buildings. His current company manages about $1.3 billion of assets.-Personal life:Craig was born in Auckland and...
's Conservative Party of New Zealand
Conservative Party of New Zealand
The Conservative Party of New Zealand is a political party founded in New Zealand in August 2011. It advocates social conservatism, the repeal of the New Zealand Emissions Trading Scheme and the child discipline law, and the use of binding referenda...
in August 2011.
On 14 October 2011 the Kiwi Party announced that it would not be standing any candidates in the election, and that several members had joined the Conservative Party and would be standing for it. Party leader Baldock was number 3 on the Conservative Party list and stood again in Tauranga
Tauranga (New Zealand electorate)
Tauranga is a New Zealand Parliamentary electorate, returning one Member of Parliament to the New Zealand House of Representatives. The current MP for Tauranga is Simon Bridges of the National Party, who won the seat in the 2008 New Zealand general election, after the previous MP, Bob Clarkson of...
. Deputy leader Dyer was number 7 on the list and stood in East Coast Bays
East Coast Bays (New Zealand electorate)
East Coast Bays is a New Zealand parliamentary electorate. It was first formed in 1972 and has existed apart from a break lasting two parliamentary terms. The electorate is currently held by Murray McCully.-Population centres:...
. Party president Copeland stood in Hutt South
Hutt South
Hutt South is a parliamentary electorate in the lower Hutt Valley of New Zealand. It is currently held by Trevor Mallard of the Labour Party.-Population centres:...
. No candidate was successful. Other members also stood for the Conservatives on their party list.
See also
- Political parties in New ZealandPolitical parties in New ZealandNew Zealand national politics feature a pervasive party system. Usually, all members of Parliament's unicameral House of Representatives belong to a political party. Independent MPs occur relatively rarely...
- Christian politics in New ZealandChristian politics in New ZealandThis article discusses Christian politics in New Zealand, particularly socially conservative and evangelical Christian politics. Although slightly over half of New Zealand's population belong, at least nominally, to Christian denominations,...