Kerry James "Chester" Borrows (born 1957) is a New Zealand

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...

 politician.

Early years

Borrows initially worked as a police officer

Police officer

A police officer is a warranted employee of a police force...

, and later gained an LLB

Bachelor of Laws

The Bachelor of Laws is an undergraduate, or bachelor, degree in law originating in England and offered in most common law countries as the primary law degree...

 from Victoria University of Wellington

Victoria University of Wellington

Victoria University of Wellington was established in 1897 by Act of Parliament, and was a former constituent college of the University of New Zealand. It is particularly well known for its programmes in law, the humanities, and some scientific disciplines, but offers a broad range of other courses...

 in a record time of two years and 14 days. He was admitted to the bar in 2002, and worked as a corporate lawyer in Hawera

Hawera

Hawera is the second-largest town in the Taranaki region of New Zealand's North Island, with a population of . It is near the coast of the South Taranaki Bight, 75 kilometres south of New Plymouth on State Highway 3 and 20 minutes' drive from Mount Taranaki/Egmont.It is also on State Highway 45,...

.

Member of Parliament

In the 2005 election

New Zealand general election, 2005

The 2005 New Zealand general election held on 17 September 2005 determined the composition of the 48th New Zealand Parliament. No party won a majority in the unicameral House of Representatives, but the Labour Party of Prime Minister Helen Clark secured two more seats than nearest rival, the...

, Borrows stood as the National Party

New Zealand National Party

The New Zealand National Party is the largest party in the New Zealand House of Representatives and in November 2008 formed a minority government with support from three minor parties.-Policies:...

's candidate for seat of Whanganui

Whanganui (New Zealand electorate)

Whanganui is a New Zealand parliamentary electorate. It was first established in 1855 for the 2nd Parliament and has existed continuously since then.It is currently held by Chester Borrows MP.-Population centres:...

, and was successful, defeating the incumbent Jill Pettis

Jill Pettis

Marjorie Jill Pettis is a New Zealand politician, and a member of the Labour Party.Pettis became MP for Whanganui in the 1993 elections, but in 2005 she narrowly lost the seat to Chester Borrows. She was returned to Parliament however as a list MP...

 of the Labour Party

New Zealand Labour Party

The New Zealand Labour Party is a New Zealand political party. It describes itself as centre-left and socially progressive and has been one of the two primary parties of New Zealand politics since 1935....

. He had been unsuccessful in the 1999

New Zealand general election, 1999

The 1999 New Zealand general election was held on 27 November 1999 to determine the composition of the 46th New Zealand Parliament. The governing National Party, led by Prime Minister Jenny Shipley, was defeated, being replaced by a coalition of Helen Clark's Labour Party and the smaller Alliance...

 and 2002

New Zealand general election, 2002

The 2002 New Zealand general election was held on 27 July 2002 to determine the composition of the 47th New Zealand Parliament. It saw the reelection of Helen Clark's Labour Party government, as well as the worst-ever performance by the opposition National Party.Arguably the most controversial...

 elections, and had decided not to stand again.

Borrows had proposed an amendment to the Crimes (Abolition of Force as a Justification for Child Discipline) Amendment Bill (now passed into law as the Crimes (Substituted Section 59) Amendment Act 2007

Child Discipline Act

The Crimes Amendment Act 2007 is an amendment to the New Zealand's Crimes Act 1961 which removed the legal defence of "reasonable force" for parents prosecuted for assault on their children...

) that allowed for the use of force on children providing that is does not "cause or contribute materially to harm that is more than transitory and trifling".

Personal life

Borrows was born in Nelson on 20 June 1957. His parents were life-long socialists. He joined the police force after leaving school in the sixth form, and was "sole charge cop" at Patea from 1985 to 1988. He now lives in Hawera with his wife, Ella and have three children, Zac, Abi and Katy. He is a lay preacher in the Presbyterian Church. In 2007 he had a "stomach-stapling" operation to reduce weight.

External links

• Chester Borrows MP official site
• Profile at National party
• Chester's Patch: Interview with Steve Braunias, Sunday Star-Times, 17 June 2007, page A18