NewZeal
New Zealand political party From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
NewZeal (formerly known as ONE Party)[1] is a socially conservative political party in New Zealand, currently led by Alfred Ngaro.[2]
NewZeal | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Leader | Alfred Ngaro |
| General Secretary | Dollarina O'Sullivan |
| Founded | September 2019 |
| Ideology | Social conservatism |
| Colours | |
| Slogan | Working together for the good of the country |
| MPs in the House of Representatives | 0 / 122 |
| Website | |
| https://newzeal.org.nz/ | |
Former co-leader Stephanie Harawira incorporated One Party Limited as a New Zealand limited company in September 2019.[3] The party was renamed to NewZeal in July 2023, and Alfred Ngaro assumed leadership at the same time.[4]
It has contested the 2020 general election, a by-election in 2022, and the 2023 general election, all without success.
Current ideology
Under the leadership of Alfred Ngaro the party has stated that it is a party that stands for all New Zealanders.[5]
Past ideology
In 2020, the party stated that God should be above politicians. It envisaged its MPs entering Parliament if elected but being answerable to an Apostolic Council of religious leaders from various faiths and cultural backgrounds.[6] At the time the party generally leaned towards the pentecostal and evangelical wing of Christianity,[7] though founder Stephanie Harawira said, "We didn't come together as Baptists, as Anglicans or Methodists. We came together just as people, who love the Lord."[8] Prophecy has been important to the party; candidates spoke of being given a sign or message that it is their destiny to become politicians,[9] and Harawira stated that God has spoken directly to her.[10]
The party launched at Marsden Cross in Rangihoua Bay (site of the first Christian service in New Zealand, in 1814) in June 2020.[11][12] It said that it would run 20 candidates in both general and Māori electorates.[13]
ONE Party became registered with the Electoral Commission in July 2020.[14] It received a broadcasting allocation of $41,457 for the 2020 election.[15]
The party reached an arrangement with Vision NZ, another Christian-based party. ONE Party did not stand a candidate in the Waiariki electorate, where Vision's leader Hannah Tamaki ran. In return, Vision NZ promised to not stand a candidate in Te Tai Tokerau. ONE Party was approached about joining an alliance of parties that included the New Zealand Public Party, led by Billy Te Kahika, who is also a Christian. However, Harawira said that their respective parties' kaupapa do not align.[16] ONE Party encouraged supporters in electorates where it was not running a candidate to abstain from the electorate vote.[16]
At the election, held on 17 October, ONE Party received 8,121 party votes (0.3%) and did not win any electorate seats. This result was not enough to enter Parliament, which would have required 5% of the party vote or one electorate seat.[17]
The party announced a leadership change on 18 October 2021, when founding leaders Stephanie Harawira and Edward Shanly stood down and were replaced with a tripartite leadership of Ian Johnson, Allan Cawood and Kariana Black.[18][19]
For the 2022 Hamilton West by-election, ONE Party announced that it joined with the New Conservative Party to stand a single candidate: Rudi du Plooy, a New Conservative Party member.[20] Du Plooy came seventh with 118 votes.[21]
In July 2023 the party filed an application to change their name and logo to NewZeal.[22] This became official in August 2023.[23] Both RNZ and the New Zealand Herald described NewZeal as a "new political party" launched by Alfred Ngaro, who left the National Party to form it.[24][25] Ngaro is a former National Party member and member of Parliament from 2011 to 2020. In 2019, rumours spread that Ngaro intended to leave National and form a new Christian party, which at the time he denied.[26] In 2020, he lost his seat in Parliament after a poor result for National generally. Ngaro became disappointed with the National Party's opposition to gay conversion therapy and support for gender identity, and this led to his involvement with NewZeal. Ngaro is Christian but has insisted this didn't make NewZeal a Christian party.[24] The party's current website makes no reference to any religious affiliation and does not contain any reference to its history as the ONE Party.[27][non-primary source needed]
Across nine polls conducted for 1 News between July 2022 and September 2023, the ONE Party or NewZeal registered between 0% and 0.5% support.[28][29]
NewZeal received 0.56% of the party vote and did not win any electorate seats, so it did not enter parliament.[30]
House of Representatives
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