26 Facts About Gordon Copeland

Gordon Frank Copeland was a New Zealand politician who served as a Member of Parliament from 2002 to 2008.

Gordon Copeland entered the House of Representatives as a list MP for the United Future New Zealand Party from 2002 but he resigned from the party in 2007.

In March 2009, Copeland became Party President of The Kiwi Party, which he had co-founded with another former United Future list MP, Larry Baldock, in May 2007.

Gordon Copeland stood for the Conservative Party in the 2011 New Zealand general election.

Gordon Copeland was married to Anne and they had five children.

Gordon Copeland graduated with a Bachelor of Commerce degree from Victoria University of Wellington and was qualified as a Chartered Accountant.

Gordon Copeland chaired the Inter-Church Working Party on Taxation 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.

Gordon Copeland participated in a wide range of ecumenical activities, and in 2000 convened "Celebrate Jesus 2000", which saw 28,000 Christians come together at Wellington's Westpac Stadium to celebrate the presumed 2000th birthday of Jesus.

Subsequently, Gordon Copeland protested against the establishment of a hosted website for Australian euthanasia-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.

Gordon 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.

Gordon Copeland criticised Sue Bradford's private member's Child Discipline Bill, an amendment to New Zealand's Crimes Act 1961 which removed the legal defence of "reasonable force" for parents prosecuted for assault on their children, and had previously obtained a Queen's Counsel opinion confirming that legal position.

On 16 May 2007, Gordon Copeland resigned from the United Future party after its leader, Peter Dunne, had consistently voted for Bradford's Child Discipline Bill, which removed the defence of "reasonable force" related to parental corporal punishment of children.

Gordon 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.

Gordon Copeland had his vote against the Bill recorded retrospectively by leave of the House.

Gordon Copeland announced that he would form a separate Future New Zealand party with ex-United Future List MP Larry Baldock.

In June 2007, Gordon Copeland announced in his monthly "Gordon Copeland's Chronicle" newsletter that Future New Zealand had attracted the necessary 500 members required for registration under the Electoral Act 1993.

Baldock and Gordon Copeland were working on establishing a board of management and board of reference for their new party, still tentatively named "Future New Zealand".

Gordon Copeland asserted his right to continue sitting in New Zealand's Parliament as a list MP.

On 17 September 2007, Gordon 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 Gordon Copeland's knowledge.

Rank-and-file members of Future New Zealand immediately reacted negatively to that perception, so Gordon 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 Gordon 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 Gordon Copeland relinquished his joint leadership to Larry Baldock, announcing that he would henceforth concentrate on parliamentary matters.

In November 2012 Gordon Copeland made headlines when he compared same-sex marriage to apartheid.

Gordon Copeland died in a Wellington hospice on 24 November 2018.

Gordon Copeland introduced bills adding private-property rights to the New Zealand Bill of Rights Act and removing GST from rates.

Gordon Copeland advocated for lower taxes for both individuals and companies.