DemocracyNZ

DemocracyNZ is a registered political party in New Zealand. The party was established and is led by former National Party MP Matt King following the anti-vaccination occupation at parliament.[2][3] The party claims to be centrist[4] and stand for democracy, equality, and unity for New Zealanders.[5] Its public statements have been focused on opposition to New Zealand's pandemic response and to climate change regulations.[6]

DemocracyNZ
LeaderMatt King
FoundersMatt King
FoundedMarch 2022 (2022-03)
Registered13 October 2022
Split fromNational Party
IdeologyAnti-vaccine mandate[1]
Nationalism
Right-wing populism
Climate change denial
MPs in the House of Representatives
0 / 120
Website
democracynz.org

On 12 October 2022, the party's registration was approved by the Electoral Commission.[7][4] It contested the 2023 New Zealand general election; preliminary results indicate that the party received 0.24% of the party vote and will not enter parliament.

History

Background
Matt King speaking at anti-vaccine mandate occupation in Wellington

Matt King first sought to be a candidate for the National Party in 2011,[8] and was first selected by National as a candidate in the 2017 general election, to contest the Northland electorate.[9] He won the electorate seat in that election and became a member of Parliament,[8] serving as National's spokesperson in several roles and as a member of multiple Select Committees.[10] He left Parliament in 2020 having lost the electorate seat[11] and being too low on National's party list to get a list seat.

In February 2022, King announced that he would join Convoy 2022, a protest against COVID-19 vaccination mandates on Parliament's grounds. King said that his main concern was the vaccine mandates, and that the anti-vaccination component of the protest was "very small". The National Party distanced themselves from King's remarks, saying that "Matt King is no longer an MP for the National Party" and that the party "does not support the actions or the anti-vaccination messages of those involved in Convoy 2022". King said in an interview that he knew that his position could end hopes of re-selection as a National Party candidate but that he needed to stand on his principles.[12] He later resigned from the National Party due to this position.[13]

In May 2022, King was trespassed from Parliament grounds for two years after attending the 2022 anti-vaccine mandate protest outside Parliament.[14] The Spinoff editor Toby Manhire criticised the Speaker of the House Trevor Mallard and the Parliament security manager Bridget Lord's decision to trespass King; opining that it violated the freedom to protest and played into the hands of anti-vaccine protesters.[15] The trespass notice was subsequently withdrawn by the Speaker.[16]

Creation, gain and loss of members

In March 2022, following the Parliament protests, King launched DemocracyNZ as a new political party.[17][18] King said that he, Samantha-Jane Miranda, "and a handful of others got together and came up with a plan".[19] According to King, about 2000 people signed up to become members within 48 hours of the party's launch.[20] By October 2022, it had at least 500 members and was registered as a political party.[4]

In June 2023, five of DemocracyNZ's announced candidates left the party. Steve Cranston, who is also a prominent member of Groundswell NZ, had discontent with the actions of senior party members, specifically with Samantha-Jane Miranda. According to Cranston, Miranda seemed in practice in charge of the party, casting out those who challenged her leadership. Following Cranston's discontent, he was de-selected as the party's Waikato candidate. Four other candidates quit in protest and released a statement saying that they did not believe the party's culture showed it could successfully make change if elected. Party president Danny Simms said that the candidates left because they were "not capable of working as team members".[6][19]

According to reporter Tony Wall, DemocracyNZ "had been seen as the leading light for the so-called freedom movement' until the exodus, and many candidates, volunteers, and donors left for New Zealand First.[19]

Electoral history and polling

The party's first opportunity to stand was in the 2022 Tauranga by-election, but King announced the party would not be contending as it was only recently formed.[21]

The party ran 13 candidates in the 2023 general election, all of whom also contested an electorate.[19] King said that while the party would aim to reach the 5% threshold at the next general election, he saw the most realistic option as winning his former electorate of Northland.[4] A poll of September 2023 estimated support for King in Northland at 4 percent, making him the fourth-most popular candidate.[22] As of June 2023, polls had shown DemocracyNZ's support to be around 1–2%.[6]

Preliminary results from the 2023 New Zealand general election indicate that DemocracyNZ received 0.24% of the party vote and did not win any electorate seats, meaning it will not enter parliament. Matt King came fourth in the Northland electorate.[23]

Political positions

The party's public statements have focused on opposition to New Zealand's response to the Covid-19 pandemic and to climate change regulations.[6][24]

See also

References
  1. Piper, Denise (18 March 2022). "'We stand for democracy': Ex-National MP Matt King launches anti-mandate party". Stuff. Retrieved 20 April 2022.
  2. Longley, Mark (19 March 2022). "Former National MP Matt King launches new political party". Newshub. Retrieved 16 April 2022.
  3. Piper, Denise (23 March 2022). "Covid-19: Why Matt King thinks his anti-mandate, pro-rights party is still needed". Stuff. Retrieved 16 April 2022.
  4. Neilson, Michael (13 October 2022). "Former National MP Matt King's new party Democracy NZ officially registered". New Zealand Herald. Retrieved 13 October 2022.
  5. Deena Coster (20 July 2022). "Democracy NZ not just a 'one-issue party' - leader". Stuff. Retrieved 13 October 2022.
  6. Mitchell, Charlie (19 June 2023). "Political party DemocracyNZ in turmoil after candidate exodus". Stuff. Retrieved 2023-06-18.
  7. "Registration of DemocracyNZ party and logo". New Zealand Electoral Commission. 13 October 2022. Retrieved 13 October 2022.
  8. de Graaf, Peter (24 September 2017). "King beats kingmaker in nail-biting race for Northland seat". The New Zealand Herald. Archived from the original on 24 July 2020. Retrieved 24 September 2017.
  9. Moir, Jo (28 August 2017). "Northland candidates go head-to-head as Winston Peters fights to retain the seat". Stuff. Archived from the original on 21 April 2019. Retrieved 24 September 2017.
  10. "King, Matt - New Zealand Parliament". New Zealand Parliament. Archived from the original on 21 March 2022. Retrieved 21 March 2022.
  11. "Northland – Official Result". Electoral Commission. Retrieved 6 November 2020.
  12. "Covid 19 Omicron outbreak: Matt King is set to join the protest outside Parliament". The New Zealand Herald. 11 February 2022. Archived from the original on 11 February 2022. Retrieved 11 February 2022.
  13. Neilson, Michael (12 February 2022). "Matt King joins Parliament protest, reveals he has resigned from National". The New Zealand Herald. Archived from the original on 12 February 2022.
  14. Mutch McKay, Jessica (2 May 2022). "Former National MP banned from Parliament grounds for 2 years". 1 News. TVNZ. Archived from the original on 3 May 2022.
  15. Manhire, Toby (3 May 2022). "Trespassing former MPs from parliament is a gift to the occupation crowd". The Spinoff. Archived from the original on 2 May 2022. Retrieved 4 May 2022.
  16. Ensor, Jamie (4 May 2022). "Speaker Trevor Mallard withdraws five trespass orders related to Parliament protest". Newshub. Retrieved 4 May 2022.
  17. Alexander, Mitchell (17 February 2022). "Former National MP Matt King plans to launch new political party". Newshub. Archived from the original on 21 April 2022.
  18. Piper, Denise (18 March 2022). "'We stand for democracy': Ex-National MP Matt King launches anti-mandate party". Stuff. Archived from the original on 3 May 2022. Retrieved 18 March 2022.
  19. Wall, Tony (9 October 2023). "Inside the break-up of Democracy NZ: Is a mysterious 'shadow leader' pulling the strings?". Stuff. Retrieved 2023-10-09.
  20. Piper, Denise (2022-03-23). "Covid-19: Why Matt King thinks his anti-mandate, pro-rights party is still needed". Stuff. Archived from the original on 3 May 2022. Retrieved 2022-03-26.
  21. Manhire, Toby (21 March 2022). "The people vying to build a political force out of the parliament occupation fury". The Spinoff. Retrieved 16 April 2022.
  22. "Northland electorate poll predicts clear defeat for Labour's Willow-Jean Prime". RNZ. 2023-09-12. Retrieved 2023-10-09.
  23. Stuff. "Election 2023: Final results". interactives.stuff.co.nz. Retrieved 2023-10-15.
  24. "DemocracyNZ". Policy.nz. Retrieved 2023-10-09.
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