People's Choice Party
People's Choice Party | |
|---|---|
| Leader | Rusty Kane |
| Founded | 1999 by Doug Wilson and Rusty Kane |
| Dissolved | 2002 (deregistered but remained active) |
The People's Choice Party (also Peoples Choice Party or PCP) was a New Zealand political party. It was a registered party from 1999 to 2002[citation needed], and its members have contested mayoral, local, and national elections since 1998.[1]
History
The People's Choice Party was formed in 1999 by Rusty Kane[2] and Doug Wilson.[1] Wilson had previously held a protest walk from New Plymouth to Wellington, during which he collected 52,000 signatures for a petition.[2] Wilson stood for the 1998 Taranaki-King Country by-election as a candidate for People's Choice.[1] The People's Choice Party was officially registered before the 1999 election,[3] which required at least 500 paid members. The party contested the 1999 general election[4] to show opposition to the MMP voting system[citation needed] and received 387 party votes and a total of 154 electorate votes in two electorates.[4] This included Kane standing in the Te Tai Hauāuru Maori electorate, the first non-Maori to stand in that seat.[2] Kane has described the party as a "ginger group, set up to advocate a political voice on behalf of small groups and individuals".[5] Kane has stated that the party seeks to highlight issues, not to win seats.[5] For example, the party stood in the 2009 Mt Albert by-election[6] to support the binding of Citizens Initiated Referenda.[citation needed]
Other uses of the name
In 2016, The People's Choice began to contest local body elections and won three counselor seats on the Canterbury Regional Council (Environment Canterbury).[7] However, the group's website[8] does not mention Kane, Wilson, or a history of past action and the group appears unconnected to Kane's party.
References
- ↑ 1.0 1.1 1.2 Foy, Sarah (21 December 2012). "Lively Doug on the job". Taranaki Daily News. Retrieved 16 January 2017.
- ↑ 2.0 2.1 2.2 Palmer, Harriet (20 May 2009). "Kane to ensure Mt Albert gets message". Taranaki Daily News. Stuff.co.nz. Retrieved 16 January 2017.
- ↑ The party was eligible for party votes in the 1999 election which requires registration.
- ↑ 4.0 4.1 "1999 General Election – Summary of Overall Results". electionresults.govt.nz. Retrieved 16 January 2017.
- ↑ 5.0 5.1 Kane, Rusty (27 August 2013). "Not a rogue, rebel or rascal". Taranaki Daily News. Retrieved 16 January 2017.
- ↑ "Official Count Results – Mt Albert". electionresults.org.nz. Archived from the original on 20 May 2010. Retrieved 16 January 2017.
- ↑ "Environment Canterbury: Two-thirds did not vote". Stuff. 8 October 2016. Retrieved 17 January 2017.
- ↑ "Christchurch City". The People's Choice. Archived from the original on 2 December 2016. Retrieved 17 January 2017.