Gordon Copeland
Encyclopedia
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 Future list MP Larry Baldock
in May 2007. Copeland is standing for the Conservative Party
in the 2011 general election
. Prior to entering Parliament he held a number of corporate positions before working as the financial administrator for the Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Wellington
.
degree from Victoria University of Wellington
and is qualified as a Chartered Accountant
.
.
Copeland chaired the Inter-Church Working Party on Taxation (1987–2002) and became a member of the Working Party on Registration, Reporting and Monitoring of Charities that led to setting up the New Zealand Charities Commission.
He participated in a wide range of ecumenical activities, and in 2000 convened "Celebrate Jesus 2000", which saw 28,000 Christian
s come together at Wellington
's Westpac Stadium
to celebrate the 2000th birthday of Jesus
.
and he won election to Parliament with seven other United Future candidates. In the 2005 general election
, he was third on the party list and was one of three United Future MPs.
's Marriage Amendment (Gender Clarification) Bill, which failed to win support. (Emulating Australian federal and US federal and state legislation, it sought to define marriage in New Zealand as heterosexual.) Opponents argued that after the Court of Appeal of New Zealand
had decided Quilter v Attorney General in the mid-nineties, same-sex marriage had become a moot issue in common law, and marriage itself continued as a heterosexual-only institution.
Opponents of the Bill also charged Copeland with targeting New Zealand's Civil Union Act 2004
, given that Copeland's unsuccessful legislation sought to amend the Human Rights Act 1993 through removing family and marital status from its anti-discrimination sections. New Zealand's Attorney-General, Michael Cullen, a Labour
MP, rejected the Marriage Amendment (Gender Clarification) Bill on that basis.
-activist Philip Nitschke
's Exit International
organisation, and approached the New Zealand Ministers of Immigration and Information Technology, as well as the New Zealand Police
, seeking to frustrate Nitschke's attempts to resettle in that country. Some critics speculated that Copeland would try to introduce a Private Member's Bill
equivalent to Australia's federal Criminal Code Amendment (Suicide Related Material Offences) Act 2005, but this never eventuated.
Copeland wanted to introduce a private member's ballot bill designed to require women seeking abortion to undergo mandatory counselling covering both proceeding with the pregnancy
and abortion
prior to making a decision. This bill, the Contraception, Sterilisation and Abortion (Informed Consent) Bill, resembled Australian Capital Territory
legislation repealed several years ago. Women do not have to consult optional counselling services under the Contraception, Sterilisation, and Abortion Act 1977
. As a devout Catholic, Copeland espoused pro-life views in debates about abortion, and believed that women do "not" receive "relevant information" related to abortion procedures, hence the title to the Bill, which was never drawn from the ballot for private members bills.
However the advocacy group
s Family Planning Association
and Abortion Law Reform Association of New Zealand
questioned the accuracy of the purported evidential basis for "informed consent" from the "pro-life" perspective. Copeland argued against the appointment of a member to the Abortion Supervisory Committee on the grounds of a conflict of interest
: the member concerned acted as a certifying consultant for abortions and at the same time performed abortions as an operating surgeon. Instead, he attempted to have a pro-life Pacific Island female doctor appointed to the Committee, but failed, 81 votes to 36.
's private member's Child Discipline Bill
(introduced in 2005) to make a smack or time out for the purposes of correction a criminal act, and had previously obtained a Queen's Counsel
opinion confirming that legal position. Sue Bradford said that the fact that Copeland did not disclose that his Queen's Counsel, Peter McKenzie, had previously represented Christian
organisations like Right to Life New Zealand
and the Society for Promotion of Community Standards
undermined the opinion. (McKenzie represented the Society for the Promotion of Community Standards in its campaign against the film Baise-Moi
and in its attempts to get anti-homosexuality videos into schools, and other groups like the pro-life campaigners Right to Life.) Bradford said that she preferred to listen to New Zealand Law Commission president, law professor, and former Labour Party
Prime Minister
Sir Geoffrey Palmer's legal advice:
"I prefer the expert legal consideration given to my bill during the select committee process by the Law Commission experts, that included Sir Geoffrey Palmer."
However this turned out to be only part of the story when Sir Geoffrey confirmed the Peter McKenzie opinion was correct, even saying that he was delighted with it because that is exactly what the Law Commission had been asked to do. However, others argued that McKenzie's previous clients had nothing to do with the quality of his legal opinion or with the correctness (or not) of that legal opinion and Sue Bradford subsequently apologised to him for attacking the messenger rather than the message.
, had consistently voted for Bradford's Child Discipline Bill, which removed the defence of "reasonable force" related to parental corporal punishment
of children. Copeland has since said that after the 2005 elections, which saw the United Future caucus reduce from eight to three, Dunne had wanted to return to his liberal roots and to see an end to the Christian influence in the Party. Dunne also told Copeland that he regreted having voted against the legalisation of prostitution and the Civil Unions Act. In a televised interview on 3 July 2007, Dunne said that Copeland's decision to quit came after a failed leadership bid in January 2007. This is strongly denied by Copeland who says that he had never thought of, let alone made, such a bid.
After resigning, Copeland missed the vote against the Bill that he had quit his party over, when the debate ended well ahead of its scheduled two hours. He had his vote against the Bill recorded retrospectively by leave of the House. As an independent MP, Copeland gave a proxy vote to the Opposition National Party
to cast on his behalf while absent from the House, for any matters apart from confidence and supply
.
party with ex-United Future List MP Larry Baldock
. According to Copeland, Future New Zealand already had 16 to 20 members, and Baldock said that 45 former Future New Zealand party members had attended an inaugural meeting in Tauranga
. Former United Future list MP Bernie Ogilvy
became Future New Zealand party secretary, according to the website. In June 2007, Copeland announced in his monthly "Copeland's Chronicle" newsletter that Future New Zealand had attracted the necessary 500 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". Copeland also asserted his right to continue sitting in New Zealand's Parliament as a list MP.
On 17 September 2007, Copeland publicly confirmed an intention to co-lead a new political party with Richard Lewis, after Bishop Brian Tamaki
, founder of the Destiny New Zealand
party, had announced it at a press conference without Copeland's knowledge.
However, that announcement, coupled with Tamaki's statements that the Destiny New Zealand party would de-register and that he would not rule out being a candidate in the 2008 elections, gave the media the impression the new party, which had no name, would be just a reformed Destiny party. The immediate reaction to that from the rank and file members of Future New Zealand was hostile, so Copeland announced on 20 September 2007 that he "could not work" with Lewis, and would remain co-leader of Future New Zealand with Baldock.
In October 2007 Copeland distanced himself from The Family Party, led by Lewis, which formed out of Destiny New Zealand, and said he would contest the 2008 election under the Future New Zealand banner.
On 28 January 2008, Future New Zealand changed its name to The Kiwi Party and Copeland relinquished joint leadership to Larry Baldock, announcing that he would henceforth concentrate on parliamentary matters. In the 2008 general election
Copeland stood for The Kiwi Party in the Rongotai electorate
.
He fared poorly, receiving only 515 electorate votes, and the Kiwi Party did not cross the 5% threshold to enter Parliament. In March 2009, the Kiwi Party elected Copeland as their national president. In the 2011 general election
Kiwi Party members are standing for the Conservative Party of New Zealand
, with Copeland standing in the Hutt South
electorate.
in building a strong nation
. To that end he was a strong advocate for marriage preparation and marriage enrichment programmes and parenting programmes, at every level from pre-natal through to the teenage years.
Copeland wanted
to develop policy giving greater encouragement to charities and not-for-profit organisations; and a taxation-system minimising distortions, ensuring that — through a mix of private savings and government support — New Zealanders had adequate retirement incomes.
Copeland leant towards the left in some other policy areas. For example, he gave strong support to the Working for Families
package which, according to some estimates, will deliver refundable tax credits to some 360,000 families with children. He also championed "income splitting
" for families with children and regular adjustments to tax thresholds
.
Copeland introduced bills adding private-property rights to the New Zealand Bill of Rights Act
and removing GST from rates. Both were defeated. He advocated for lower taxes for both individuals and companies.
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 who was a Member of Parliament
Member of Parliament
A Member of Parliament is a representative of the voters to a :parliament. In many countries with bicameral parliaments, the term applies specifically to members of the lower house, as upper houses often have a different title, such as senate, and thus also have different titles for its members,...
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 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...
in May 2007. Copeland is 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...
in 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...
. Prior to entering Parliament he held a number of corporate positions before working as the financial administrator for the Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Wellington
Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Wellington
The Latin Rite Catholic Archdiocese of Wellington is the Metropolitan Archdiocese of New Zealand. Catholics number about 83,214 . Parishes number 47 parishes and the archdiocese extends over central New Zealand between Levin and Masterton in the north to Kaikoura to Westport in the...
.
Early life and family
Copeland married Anne and has five adult children and nine grandchildren. He holds a Bachelor of CommerceBachelor of Commerce
A Bachelor of Commerce is an undergraduate degree in commerce and related subjects. The degree is also known as the Bachelor of Commerce and Administration, or BCA...
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...
and is qualified as a Chartered Accountant
Chartered Accountant
Chartered Accountants were the first accountants to form a professional body, initially established in Britain in 1854. The Edinburgh Society of Accountants , the Glasgow Institute of Accountants and Actuaries and the Aberdeen Society of Accountants were each granted a royal charter almost from...
.
Pre-Parliamentary career
Prior to entering parliament, Copeland worked for fourteen years in the oil industry, becoming the Chief Financial Officer of BP in New Zealand. Later, he worked as a self-employed business consultant with corporate and government clients. From 1984 to 2002 he served as the Financial Administrator of the Roman Catholic Archdiocese of WellingtonRoman Catholic Archdiocese of Wellington
The Latin Rite Catholic Archdiocese of Wellington is the Metropolitan Archdiocese of New Zealand. Catholics number about 83,214 . Parishes number 47 parishes and the archdiocese extends over central New Zealand between Levin and Masterton in the north to Kaikoura to Westport in the...
.
Copeland chaired the Inter-Church Working Party on Taxation (1987–2002) and became a member of the Working Party on Registration, Reporting and Monitoring of Charities that led to setting up the New Zealand Charities Commission.
He participated in a wide range of ecumenical activities, and in 2000 convened "Celebrate Jesus 2000", which saw 28,000 Christian
Christianity
Christianity is a monotheistic religion based on the life and teachings of Jesus as presented in canonical gospels and other New Testament writings...
s come together at Wellington
Wellington
Wellington is the capital city and third most populous urban area of New Zealand, although it is likely to have surpassed Christchurch due to the exodus following the Canterbury Earthquake. It is at the southwestern tip of the North Island, between Cook Strait and the Rimutaka Range...
's Westpac Stadium
Westpac Stadium
Westpac Stadium, is a major sporting venue in Wellington, New Zealand. Due to its shape and silver coloured external walls, it is colloquially known as The Cake-Tin to the locals and other New Zealanders...
to celebrate the 2000th birthday of Jesus
Jesus
Jesus of Nazareth , commonly referred to as Jesus Christ or simply as Jesus or Christ, is the central figure of Christianity...
.
Member of Parliament
The United Future party ranked Copeland second on their party list for the 2002 general electionNew 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...
and he won election to Parliament with seven other United Future candidates. In the 2005 general 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...
, he was third on the party list and was one of three United Future MPs.
Opposition to same-sex marriage
Following his 2005 re-election he gained the support of other social conservatives for his socially conservative political views. In early December 2005 he introduced his colleague Larry BaldockLarry 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...
's Marriage Amendment (Gender Clarification) Bill, which failed to win support. (Emulating Australian federal and US federal and state legislation, it sought to define marriage in New Zealand as heterosexual.) Opponents argued that after the Court of Appeal of New Zealand
Court of Appeal of New Zealand
The Court of Appeal of New Zealand, located in Wellington, is New Zealand’s principal intermediate appellate court. In practice, most appeals are resolved at this intermediate appellate level, rather than in the Supreme Court...
had decided Quilter v Attorney General in the mid-nineties, same-sex marriage had become a moot issue in common law, and marriage itself continued as a heterosexual-only institution.
Opponents of the Bill also charged Copeland with targeting New Zealand's Civil Union Act 2004
Civil unions in New Zealand
Civil union has been legal in New Zealand since 26 April 2005. The Civil Union Act to establish the institution of civil union for same-sex and opposite-sex couples was passed by the Parliament on 9 December 2004. The Act has been described as very similar to the Marriage Act with references to...
, given that Copeland's unsuccessful legislation sought to amend the Human Rights Act 1993 through removing family and marital status from its anti-discrimination sections. New Zealand's Attorney-General, Michael Cullen, a Labour
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....
MP, rejected the Marriage Amendment (Gender Clarification) Bill on that basis.
Opposition to abortion and to voluntary euthanasia
Subsequently, Copeland protested against the establishment of a hosted website for Australian euthanasiaEuthanasia
Euthanasia refers to the practice of intentionally ending a life in order to relieve pain and suffering....
-activist Philip Nitschke
Philip Nitschke
Dr. Philip Nitschke is an Australian medical doctor, humanist, author and founder and director of the pro-euthanasia group Exit International. He campaigned successfully to have a legal euthanasia law passed in Australia's Northern Territory and assisted four people in ending their lives before...
's Exit International
EXIT (Australia)
Exit International, is a pro-euthanasia group founded by Dr. Philip Nitschke. It was previously known as the Voluntary Euthanasia Research Foundation...
organisation, and approached the New Zealand Ministers of Immigration and Information Technology, as well as the New Zealand Police
New Zealand Police
The New Zealand Police is the national police force of New Zealand, responsible for enforcing criminal law, enhancing public safety, maintaining order and keeping the peace throughout New Zealand...
, seeking to frustrate Nitschke's attempts to resettle in that country. Some critics speculated that Copeland would try to introduce a Private Member's Bill
Private Member's Bill
A member of parliament’s legislative motion, called a private member's bill or a member's bill in some parliaments, is a proposed law introduced by a member of a legislature. In most countries with a parliamentary system, most bills are proposed by the government, not by individual members of the...
equivalent to Australia's federal Criminal Code Amendment (Suicide Related Material Offences) Act 2005, but this never eventuated.
Copeland wanted to introduce a private member's ballot bill designed to require women seeking abortion to undergo mandatory counselling covering both proceeding with the pregnancy
Pregnancy
Pregnancy refers to the fertilization and development of one or more offspring, known as a fetus or embryo, in a woman's uterus. In a pregnancy, there can be multiple gestations, as in the case of twins or triplets...
and abortion
Abortion
Abortion is defined as the termination of pregnancy by the removal or expulsion from the uterus of a fetus or embryo prior to viability. An abortion can occur spontaneously, in which case it is usually called a miscarriage, or it can be purposely induced...
prior to making a decision. This bill, the Contraception, Sterilisation and Abortion (Informed Consent) Bill, resembled Australian Capital Territory
Australian Capital Territory
The Australian Capital Territory, often abbreviated ACT, is the capital territory of the Commonwealth of Australia and is the smallest self-governing internal territory...
legislation repealed several years ago. Women do not have to consult optional counselling services under the Contraception, Sterilisation, and Abortion Act 1977
Contraception, Sterilisation, and Abortion Act 1977
Contraception, Sterilisation, and Abortion Act 1977 is an Act of Parliament in New Zealand.-External links:*...
. As a devout Catholic, Copeland espoused pro-life views in debates about abortion, and believed that women do "not" receive "relevant information" related to abortion procedures, hence the title to the Bill, which was never drawn from the ballot for private members bills.
However the advocacy group
Advocacy group
Advocacy groups use various forms of advocacy to influence public opinion and/or policy; they have played and continue to play an important part in the development of political and social systems...
s Family Planning Association
Family Planning Association
FPA is a UK registered charity working to enable people to make informed choices about sex and to enjoy sexual health. It is the national affiliate for the International Planned Parenthood Federation in the United Kingdom. It celebrated its 80th anniversary in 2010...
and Abortion Law Reform Association of New Zealand
Abortion Law Reform Association of New Zealand
The Abortion Law Reform Association of New Zealand is New Zealand's national pro-choice advocacy group. It has existed since 1971. One of its early members was family planning doctor and pediatrician, Dr. Alice Bush . For most of the last thirty years, its President has been Dr...
questioned the accuracy of the purported evidential basis for "informed consent" from the "pro-life" perspective. Copeland argued against the appointment of a member to the Abortion Supervisory Committee on the grounds of a conflict of interest
Conflict of interest
A conflict of interest occurs when an individual or organization is involved in multiple interests, one of which could possibly corrupt the motivation for an act in the other....
: the member concerned acted as a certifying consultant for abortions and at the same time performed abortions as an operating surgeon. Instead, he attempted to have a pro-life Pacific Island female doctor appointed to the Committee, but failed, 81 votes to 36.
Opposition to prohibiting parental corporal punishment
Copeland criticised Sue BradfordSue Bradford
Sue Bradford is a New Zealand politician who served as a list Member of Parliament representing the Green Party from 1999 to 2009.- Early life :...
's private member's Child Discipline Bill
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...
(introduced in 2005) to make a smack or time out for the purposes of correction a criminal act, and had previously obtained a Queen's Counsel
Queen's Counsel
Queen's Counsel , known as King's Counsel during the reign of a male sovereign, are lawyers appointed by letters patent to be one of Her [or His] Majesty's Counsel learned in the law...
opinion confirming that legal position. Sue Bradford said that the fact that Copeland did not disclose that his Queen's Counsel, Peter McKenzie, had previously represented Christian
Christian
A Christian is a person who adheres to Christianity, an Abrahamic, monotheistic religion based on the life and teachings of Jesus of Nazareth as recorded in the Canonical gospels and the letters of the New Testament...
organisations like Right to Life New Zealand
Right to Life New Zealand
Right to Life New Zealand is a Christchurch-based pro-life group. It was expelled from the New Zealand Society for Protection of the Unborn Child in December 1999....
and the Society for Promotion of Community Standards
undermined the opinion. (McKenzie represented the Society for the Promotion of Community Standards in its campaign against the film Baise-Moi
Baise-moi
Baise-moi is a French film co-directed by Virginie Despentes and Coralie Trinh Thi, released in 2000. It is based on the novel by Despentes, first published in 1999. The film received intense media coverage because of its graphic mix of violence and explicit sex scenes...
and in its attempts to get anti-homosexuality videos into schools, and other groups like the pro-life campaigners Right to Life.) Bradford said that she preferred to listen to New Zealand Law Commission president, law professor, and former 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....
Prime Minister
Prime minister
A prime minister is the most senior minister of cabinet in the executive branch of government in a parliamentary system. In many systems, the prime minister selects and may dismiss other members of the cabinet, and allocates posts to members within the government. In most systems, the prime...
Sir Geoffrey Palmer's legal advice:
"I prefer the expert legal consideration given to my bill during the select committee process by the Law Commission experts, that included Sir Geoffrey Palmer."
However this turned out to be only part of the story when Sir Geoffrey confirmed the Peter McKenzie opinion was correct, even saying that he was delighted with it because that is exactly what the Law Commission had been asked to do. However, others argued that McKenzie's previous clients had nothing to do with the quality of his legal opinion or with the correctness (or not) of that legal opinion and Sue Bradford subsequently apologised to him for attacking the messenger rather than the message.
Resignation from United Future
On 16 May 2007, Copeland resigned from the United Future party after its leader, Peter DunnePeter 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...
, had consistently voted for Bradford's Child Discipline Bill, which removed the defence of "reasonable force" related to parental corporal punishment
Corporal punishment
Corporal punishment is a form of physical punishment that involves the deliberate infliction of pain as retribution for an offence, or for the purpose of disciplining or reforming a wrongdoer, or to deter attitudes or behaviour deemed unacceptable...
of children. Copeland has since said that after the 2005 elections, which saw the United Future caucus reduce from eight to three, Dunne had wanted to return to his liberal roots and to see an end to the Christian influence in the Party. Dunne also told Copeland that he regreted having voted against the legalisation of prostitution and the Civil Unions Act. In a televised interview on 3 July 2007, Dunne said that Copeland's decision to quit came after a failed leadership bid in January 2007. This is strongly denied by Copeland who says that he had never thought of, let alone made, such a bid.
After resigning, Copeland missed the vote against the Bill that he had quit his party over, when the debate ended well ahead of its scheduled two hours. He had his vote against the Bill recorded retrospectively by leave of the House. As an independent MP, Copeland gave a proxy vote to the Opposition 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:...
to cast on his behalf while absent from the House, for any matters apart from confidence and supply
Confidence and supply
In a parliamentary democracy confidence and supply are required for a government to hold power. A confidence and supply agreement is an agreement that a minor party or independent member of parliament will support the government in motions of confidence and appropriation votes by voting in favour...
.
Future New Zealand party / The Kiwi Party
Copeland announced that he would form a separate Future New ZealandFuture 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...
party with ex-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...
. According to Copeland, Future New Zealand already had 16 to 20 members, and Baldock said that 45 former Future New Zealand party members had attended an inaugural meeting in 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...
. 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 Future New Zealand party secretary, according to the website. In June 2007, Copeland announced in his monthly "Copeland's Chronicle" newsletter that Future New Zealand had attracted the necessary 500 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". Copeland also asserted his right to continue sitting in New Zealand's Parliament as a list MP.
On 17 September 2007, Copeland publicly confirmed an intention to co-lead a new political party with Richard Lewis, after Bishop 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...
, founder of the 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, had announced it at a press conference without Copeland's knowledge.
However, that announcement, coupled with Tamaki's statements that the Destiny New Zealand party would de-register and that he would not rule out being a candidate in the 2008 elections, gave the media the impression the new party, which had no name, would be just a reformed Destiny party. The immediate reaction to that from the rank and file members of Future New Zealand was hostile, so Copeland announced on 20 September 2007 that he "could not work" with Lewis, and would remain co-leader of Future New Zealand with Baldock.
In October 2007 Copeland distanced himself from The Family Party, led by Lewis, which formed out of Destiny New Zealand, and said he would contest the 2008 election under the Future New Zealand banner.
On 28 January 2008, Future New Zealand changed its name to The Kiwi Party and Copeland relinquished joint leadership to Larry Baldock, announcing that he would henceforth concentrate on parliamentary matters. In 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...
Copeland stood for The Kiwi Party in the Rongotai electorate
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:...
.
He fared poorly, receiving only 515 electorate votes, and the Kiwi Party did not cross the 5% threshold to enter Parliament. In March 2009, the Kiwi Party elected Copeland as their national president. In 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...
Kiwi Party members are standing for the 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...
, with Copeland standing in the 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:...
electorate.
Social policy
As a Member of Parliament Copeland said he wanted to give a central focus to the role and importance of the familyFamily
In human context, a family is a group of people affiliated by consanguinity, affinity, or co-residence. In most societies it is the principal institution for the socialization of children...
in building a strong nation
Nation
A nation may refer to a community of people who share a common language, culture, ethnicity, descent, and/or history. In this definition, a nation has no physical borders. However, it can also refer to people who share a common territory and government irrespective of their ethnic make-up...
. To that end he was a strong advocate for marriage preparation and marriage enrichment programmes and parenting programmes, at every level from pre-natal through to the teenage years.
Copeland wanted
to develop policy giving greater encouragement to charities and not-for-profit organisations; and a taxation-system minimising distortions, ensuring that — through a mix of private savings and government support — New Zealanders had adequate retirement incomes.
Copeland leant towards the left in some other policy areas. For example, he gave strong support to the Working for Families
Working for Families
In 2004 the New Zealand Labour government introduced the Working for Families package as part of the 2004 budget. The package, which effectively commenced operating on 1 April 2005, had three primary aims: to make work pay; to ensure income adequacy; and to support people "into work".The main...
package which, according to some estimates, will deliver refundable tax credits to some 360,000 families with children. He also championed "income splitting
Income splitting
Income splitting is the legal concept of fusing a married couple into a single economic entity for purposes of tax filing status. It would treat married people preferentially, in the same sense they are treated preferentially in many areas of American state law as well as federal inheritance...
" for families with children and regular adjustments to tax thresholds
Fiscal drag
Fiscal drag happens when the government's net fiscal position fails to cover the net savings desires of the private economy, also called the private economy's spending gap...
.
Copeland introduced bills adding private-property rights to the New Zealand Bill of Rights Act
New Zealand Bill of Rights Act
The New Zealand Bill of Rights Act 1990 is a statute of the New Zealand Parliament setting out the rights and fundamental freedoms of the citizens of New Zealand as a Bill of rights...
and removing GST from rates. Both were defeated. He advocated for lower taxes for both individuals and companies.
Former political positions
Former policy positions as part of United Future New Zealand include:- a national control strategy for deer, chamois and pigs
- walking access for recreational use
- a review of the Prostitution Reform Act 2003
- promoting investigating adopting either an Australian currency or combined ANZAC dollar.
Former political offices
- Former Party Whip, United Future
- Former United Future New Zealand Spokesman on:
- Economics and Business: Finance; Revenue; Customs; Public Trust; Economic Development; Industry & Regional Development; Industry & Regional Development; Small Business; Commerce; State Owned Enterprise; Labour & Immigration;
- Primary Industry: Agriculture; Forestry; Fisheries; Horticulture;
- Infrastructure: Energy; Transport; Transport Safety; Land Information; Statistics; Communications;
- Outdoors: Tourism; Conservation; Sport and Recreation
- Member and Deputy Chair of the Finance and Expenditure Select Committee
- Member and Deputy Chair of the Commerce Select Committee
Further reading
- Gordon Copeland, Faith That Works: Lower Hutt: Barnabas Christian Trust: 1988.
External links
- The Kiwi Party
- http://www.righttolife.org.nz
- http://www.spcs.org.nz