Larry Baldock

Larry Baldock (1954 - ) is a New Zealand politician. He was a member of the United Future New Zealand party caucus. He was originally elected to Parliament in 2002 elections. Before entering national politics, he served on the Tauranga City Council, and was also previously involved with the evangelical Youth With A Mission organisation. Like Murray Smith, Bernie Ogilvy,and Marc Alexander, Baldock failed to make it back to the 48th New Zealand Parliament, given United Future New Zealand's drop in electoral support to one-third the level at the previous general election. Like Smith, Ogilvy and Adams, Baldock is an evangelical Christian.

Baldock is currently national co-ordinator of a petition against Sue Bradford's Child Discipline Bill, which outlawed parental corporal punishment of children after it passed its third reading [http://www.greens.org.nz/searchdocs/other8639.html] . On May 16, 2007, his colleague Gordon Copeland, a former United Future List MP, announced that he would be forming a new Future New Zealand party after expressing widespread dissatisfaction with his former leader, Peter Dunne who has consistently supported the aforementioned private members bill. Baldock has joined the new party [http://www.stuff.co.nz/stuff/dominionpost/4061808a6000.html] .Since Copeland's announcement, Baldock held an inaugural party meeting in Tauranga, his city of residence, and stated that forty-five former members of the pre-merger Future New Zealand had attended, although the party had between sixteen to twenty members at that time [http://www.stuff.co.nz/4067727a6160.html] Former United Future List MP Bernie Ogilvy also joined Future New Zealand, as party secretary.

On July 17, 2007, the Future New Zealand website's "Copeland Chronicle" (June 2007) edition [http://www.futurenz.org.nz/Downloads_files/CopelandChronicleJUNE.pdf] announced that "Future New Zealand" had achieved its five hundred member goal required for registration under the New Zealand Electoral Act 1993 as a viable political party. The newsletter also stated that Copeland and Baldock would now work on establishing a Board of Management and Board of Reference for the party.

On January 28, 2008, Future New Zealand renamed itself The Kiwi Party. Baldock is now sole party leader, while Copeland concentrates primarily on parliamentary matters.

In 2008, Baldock is standing as the Kiwi Party candidate for Tauranga.

References

*Larry Baldock and Stephen Monsma: "Pursuing Justice in a Sinful World": Auckland: Lifeway Trust: 2005: ISBN 0476016673

External links

*http://www.thekiwiparty.org.nz