| This article is part of a series on |
| Conservatism in New Zealand |
|---|
 |
 Conservatismportal |
Bob McCoskrie is the National Director of the New Zealand conservative Christian non-profit NGO Family First New Zealand. [1]
| This article is part of a series on |
| Conservatism in New Zealand |
|---|
| |
| Conservatismportal |
Bob McCoskrie is the National Director of the New Zealand conservative Christian non-profit NGO Family First New Zealand. [1]
McCoskrie has a Masters of Commerce with Honours from the University of Auckland and a Diploma of Teaching from the Auckland College of Education. [2]
McCoskrie initially worked as a tertiary lecturer in accounting, commercial law and tax law at Manukau Polytechnic for four years (1986–1990) and then as the Director of Youth for Christ South Auckland in Ōtara (1990–1994) before he founded and co-ordinated the Papatoetoe Adolescent Christian Trust (1994–2002) working with at-risk youth and their families. In 1996 he was appointed a Justice of the Peace (JP). In 2002 he joined the Christian New Zealand radio station Radio Rhema as a talkback radio host and current affairs presenter on Sky TV's Shine TV. [3] [2]
In 2006, as a 42-year old church leader, McCoskrie founded Family First New Zealand to lobby for strong families and safe communities in New Zealand, and has been that organisation's National Director and main spokesperson since that time. [4] [5] In 2009 Victoria University religious studies professor Paul Morris said Family First was "successfully broadening the Christian agenda in New Zealand politics in a way never seen before". [4] In 2020 Family First was described as "New Zealand's most formidable conservative campaigners". [6]
McCoskrie and his wife Tina, who he married in a Methodist church in about 1989, have three children and live in South Auckland. [2] [7]
McCoskrie has publicly spoken out against the legalisation of same-sex marriage. [8] [9] He has said that New Zealand's decision to legalise same-sex marriage is, "an arrogant act of cultural vandalism" and "Makes a mockery of marriage". [10] After New Zealand legalised same-sex marriage in 2013 McCoskrie resigned as a marriage celebrant in opposition to gay marriage. [11] His anti-same-sex marriage views are consistent with Family First New Zealand. [10]
When voters rejected the legalisation of recreational cannabis in 2020, McCoskrie said that he was "pretty stoked" with the cannabis referendum results and that New Zealanders "understood the perceived benefits of legalisation were not greater than the harms that were going to come on society." [12]
McCoskrie publicly stated that Roe v. Wade – which gave the legal right to an abortion in the United States – being repealed in 2022 was a "great day". [13]
This article discusses Christian politics in New Zealand.
The Anglican Church in Aotearoa, New Zealand and Polynesia, formerly the Church of the Province of New Zealand, is a province of the Anglican Communion serving New Zealand, Fiji, Tonga, Samoa, and the Cook Islands. Since 1992 the church has consisted of three tikanga or cultural streams: Aotearoa, New Zealand, and Polynesia. The church's constitution says that, among other things, it is required to "maintain the right of every person to choose any particular cultural expression of the faith". As a result, the church's General Synod has agreed upon the development of the three-person primacy based on this three tikanga system. It has three primates (leaders), each representing a tikanga, who share authority.
Same-sex marriage has been legal in New Zealand since 19 August 2013. Legislation to allow it, the Marriage Amendment Act 2013 was passed by the House of Representatives on 17 April 2013 by 77 votes to 44 and received royal assent on 19 April. It entered into force on 19 August, to allow time for the Department of Internal Affairs to make the necessary changes for marriage licensing and related documentation. New Zealand became the first country in Oceania, the fourth in the Southern Hemisphere, and the fifteenth overall to allow same-sex couples to marry. Civil unions have also been available for both same-sex and opposite-sex couples since 2005.
Right to Life New Zealand is a nationwide but Christchurch-based anti-abortion group. It broke away from the New Zealand Society for Protection of the Unborn Child in 2000 following disagreements between the Christchurch branch spokesperson Ken Orr and the national leadership over lobbying tactics. Besides opposing abortion, Right to Life NZ opposes euthanasia, sex education, and specific policies around LGBT issues.
Family First New Zealand is a conservative Christian lobby group in New Zealand. It was founded in March 2006 by former Radio Rhema talkback radio host and South Auckland social-worker Bob McCoskrie who continues to be its National Director. Its 2006 stated objectives were to "seek to influence public policy affecting the rights and protection of families and promote a culture that values the family". In 2009 Victoria University religious studies professor Paul Morris said Family First was "successfully broadening the Christian agenda in New Zealand politics in a way never seen before". In 2020 Family First was described as "New Zealand's most formidable conservative campaigners". Family First was established by a trust deed under the Charitable Trusts Act 1957 in 2006, was registered as a charity in 2007 and deregistered in 2022.
The use of cannabis in New Zealand is regulated by the Misuse of Drugs Act 1975, which makes unauthorised possession of any amount of cannabis a crime. Cannabis is the fourth-most widely used recreational drug in New Zealand, after caffeine, alcohol and tobacco, and the most widely used illicit drug. In 2001 a household survey revealed that 13.4% of New Zealanders aged 15–64 used cannabis. This ranked as the ninth-highest cannabis consumption level in the world.
Martin John Vickers is a British Conservative Party politician. He was elected as the Member of Parliament (MP) for Cleethorpes at the 2010 general election.
New Conservatives is a conservative political party in New Zealand. Some opponents and observers have described the party's policies as far-right, though the party now states it has moved to a "more centrist" position under new leadership. It advocates for lower taxation, anti-abortion measures and austerity cuts.
Colin Craig is a New Zealand businessman and perennial candidate who was the founding leader of the Conservative Party of New Zealand.
Paul Jonathan Goldsmith is a New Zealand historian and politician. The biographer of several leading right-wing political and business figures, he was first elected a list member of the New Zealand House of Representatives for the National Party at the 2011 election.
Ian Robert Flockhart McKelvie is a New Zealand politician. He represented the National Party in the New Zealand House of Representatives from 2011 to 2023.
Simon David O'Connor is a New Zealand politician and a former member of the New Zealand House of Representatives for the National Party. He represented the Tāmaki electorate from 2011 to 2023.
Tracey Anne Martin is a New Zealand former politician. She was a member of the New Zealand House of Representatives between 2011 and 2020, representing the New Zealand First Party.
|belowstyle = background-color:#AAF0D1; |below = Status: Current legislation }}
David Breen Seymour is a New Zealand politician. He is the leader of ACT New Zealand and the Member of Parliament (MP) for Epsom. He currently serves as the 1st minister for regulation.
The history of same-sex marriage in Australia includes its express prohibition by the Howard government in 2004 and its eventual legalisation by the Parliament in December 2017. Although a same-sex marriage law was passed by the Australian Capital Territory in 2013, it was struck down by the High Court on the basis of inconsistency with federal law. The Court's decision closed the possibility of concurrent state or territory laws that would allow same-sex marriage where federal law did not. A law legalising same-sex marriage passed the Parliament on 7 December 2017 and received royal assent the following day.
Fa'anānā Efeso Collins is a New Zealand politician serving as a Green Party Member of Parliament since 2023. He was previously a Manukau ward councillor on Auckland Council from 2016 to 2022, when he stood down and unsuccessfully contested the 2022 Auckland mayoral election. He is of Samoan and Tokelauan descent.
The 2020 New Zealand cannabis referendum was a non-binding referendum held on 17 October 2020 in conjunction with the 2020 general election and a euthanasia referendum, on the question of whether to legalise the sale, use, possession and production of recreational cannabis. It was rejected by New Zealand voters. The form of the referendum was a vote for or against the proposed "Cannabis Legalisation and Control Bill". Official results were released by the Electoral Commission on 6 November 2020 with 50.7% of voters opposing the legalisation and 48.4% in support.
Brooke Olivia van Velden is a New Zealand politician who has been a Member of Parliament since the 2020 general election for ACT New Zealand. She has been the party's deputy leader since June 2020. She currently serves as the 38th Minister of Internal Affairs and 6th Minister for Workplace Relations and Safety.
Matthew Bruce McLean is a New Zealand journalist and television presenter. He is a presenter on Breakfast, and was previously a 1 News reporter. He has also worked on the television programmes Seven Sharp, 20/20 and Close Up.