Internet Party (New Zealand)

Last updated • 5 min readFrom Wikipedia, The Free Encyclopedia

Internet Party
Leader Vacant
PresidentSuzie Dawson [1]
Founder Kim Dotcom
Founded13 May 2014
Ideology Collaborative e-democracy
Internet freedom
Privacy
Copyright reform
Political position Syncretic
Colours  Purple
MPs in the House of Representatives
0 / 120
Website
internet.org.nz

The Internet Party was a registered political party in New Zealand that promoted Internet freedom and privacy. The party was founded in January 2014 with the financial support and promotion of internet entrepreneur Kim Dotcom, and was first led by former Alliance MP Laila Harré, then by citizen journalist Suzie Dawson.

Contents

The party contested the 2014 New Zealand election as part of an electoral alliance with the Mana Movement. It also contested the 2017 general election, independent of Mana. In both cases it did not win any seats in the New Zealand House of Representatives. [2] [3] The party was deregistered by the New Zealand Electoral Commission in June 2018 after its membership dropped below the 500 required for registration. [4]

The party has not contested local or general elections since the 2017 general election. The party applied for broadcasting funding for the 2020 general election, but did not contest the election.

History

Kim Dotcom founded the file-sharing website Megaupload in 2005. It was shut down in January 2012 by the US government and Dotcom was arrested by the New Zealand Police. In September 2013, Dotcom revealed an interest in setting up a political party [5] and on 15 January 2014, Dotcom announced the creation of the Internet Party, including its name and logo. [6] [7] He intended to hold a launch party on 20 January, two years after the raid on his house and the day before his 40th birthday. He distributed 25,000 tickets but was forced to cancel for fear of breaching electoral law. [8] [9]

The Internet Party started to sign up members on 27 March 2014, [10] and was the first New Zealand party to do so through the use of a phone app. [11] It became a registered political party on 13 May 2014. [12] Dotcom provided NZ$3.5 million in funding to the party, which was the largest personal contribution to a political party on record in New Zealand. [13] To select its first leader, the party ran an Idol-style candidate search and appointed Laila Harré, a former Alliance MP and cabinet minister.

2014 election

In May 2014, Internet Party chief executive Vikram Kumar and Mana Movement leader Hone Harawira announced a merger of the two parties, to be known as the Internet Party and Mana Movement, or the abbreviated Internet Mana. [14] The party and its logo were registered with the New Zealand Electoral Commission on 24 July 2014, allowing the coalition party to contest the party vote. [15] The Internet Party and Mana Movement contested the 2014 general election as a single entity. Mana already held an electoral seat in Parliament – Harawira held the Māori electorate of Te Tai Tokerau – and expected to retain this seat. Under New Zealand's electoral rules, a party without an electoral seat needed 5% of the party vote to enter Parliament, but if it won an electorate seat it would be entitled to enter Parliament and potentially bring in more MPs. The memorandum of understanding stated that the agreement would remain in force until at least six weeks after polling day. The two component parties agreed to review their arrangement within five weeks of the election. [14]

Multiple opinion polls prior to the election suggested Internet Mana could receive more than two per cent of the party vote, [16] [17] [18] [19] which would give Internet Mana multiple MPs if it could retain Te Tai Tokerau. The only poll of that electorate suggested a very close race; in that poll 38% said they would give Harawira their electoral vote, while 37% said they would vote for his main challenger, Labour's Kelvin Davis. [20]

On election night, Harawira lost Te Tai Tokerau, receiving 8,969 electorate votes to Davis's 9,712. [21] Internet Mana received 1.42% of the party votes. [2] Without an electorate seat or 5% of the party vote, the coalition failed to have any representation.

Dotcom said to reporters on election night that "I take full responsibility for this loss tonight, because the brand—the brand Kim Dotcom—was poison for what we were trying to achieve." [22] The parties later separated. After the election, Laila Harré resigned as leader of the Internet Party [23] and the party told its members that it was concentrating on efforts to build its internal structures to support its grassroots movement. [24] In December 2016, Kim Dotcom posted a poll on Twitter asking if his followers wanted the Internet Party to stand in the 2017 election. [25]

2017 election

The Internet Party remained leaderless until 8 February 2017, when it appointed Suzie Dawson, an activist and citizen journalist who had been seeking temporary asylum in Russia since 2016, as the party's new leader for the 2017 election. [26] The party ran eight list candidates. [27] During the 2017 general election, the Internet Party won 499 votes (0.02%) – the lowest party vote result for any registered party – and failed to win any seats in the New Zealand House of Representatives. [3]

In a tweet of April 2018, Suzie Dawson said that she was no longer eligible to run for Parliament as she had lived outside New Zealand for more than three years, and so was resigning as party leader. She said that she had been elected party president instead. [28]

The party was deregistered on 12 June 2018 because its membership had dropped below the 500 required for registration. [4]

Current status

As of August 2022, the Internet Party has not announced that it has dissolved. However, the party has not contested local or general elections since the 2017 general election. The party remains unregistered. [29] As of August 2022, its website is live and lists Suzie Dawson as its leader, but all links on the page redirect to an archived version of the site from 2018, stored on the Internet Archive. [30] The party applied for broadcasting funding in May 2020 for the 2020 general election. It received $41,457 of funding conditional on achieving party registration, [31] but it did not register. In August 2022, party founder Kim Dotcom tweeted that the party would be "in the Beehive" in 2024. [32]

Policies

The party used a consultative process to form policies with its membership using online platforms with policy writers following the forum in the background. [33]

During its launch in 2014, the party set an agenda which included the following broad aims: [8] [34]

Electoral results

ElectionCandidates nominatedSeats wonVotesVote share %Government
ElectorateList
2014 15 [35] 32 [35]
0 / 121
34,0951.42%Not in parliament
2017 08 [36]
0 / 120
4990.02%Not in parliament

See also

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Georgina Beyer</span> New Zealand politician (1957–2023)

Georgina Beyer was a New Zealand Labour Party politician who represented Wairarapa in the Parliament of New Zealand from 1999 to 2005, after serving as mayor of Carterton from 1995 to 1999. Beyer was the world's first openly transgender mayor, and the world's first openly transgender member of parliament. As a member of the Labour Party Beyer supported progressive policies including prostitution law reform, civil unions, anti-discrimination laws, and the promotion of Māori rights. She resigned in 2007, and, in 2014, unsuccessfully stood for election on behalf of the Mana Party.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Laila Harré</span> New Zealand politician

Laila Jane Harré is a New Zealand former politician and trade unionist. Joining the Labour Party at 15, she left in 1989 to join the left-wing splinter party NewLabour, later the Alliance. She was elected to the New Zealand Parliament in 1996 and re-elected in 1999. In her second term, she served as Minister for Women in the Fifth Labour Government, overseeing the introduction of paid parental leave. After long-time leader Jim Anderton split from the Alliance in 2002, Harré replaced him as leader. With the party's fortunes in steep decline, it failed to win any seats in that year's election.

Te Pāti Māori, also known as the Māori Party, is a political party in New Zealand advocating Māori rights. With the exception of a handful of general electorates, Te Pāti Māori contests the reserved Māori electorates, in which its main rival is the Labour Party.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Māori electorates</span> Electoral districts for Māori voters in New Zealand

In New Zealand politics, Māori electorates, colloquially known as the Māori seats, are a special category of electorate that give reserved positions to representatives of Māori in the New Zealand Parliament. Every area in New Zealand is covered by both a general and a Māori electorate; as of 2020, there are seven Māori electorates. Since 1967, candidates in Māori electorates have not needed to be Māori themselves, but to register as a voter in the Māori electorates people need to declare that they are of Māori descent.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Māori politics</span> Politics of the Māori people

Māori politics is the politics of the Māori people, who were the original inhabitants of New Zealand and who are now the country's largest minority.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Kim Dotcom</span> German-Finnish Internet entrepreneur

Kim Dotcom, also known as Kimble and Kim Tim Jim Vestor, is a Finnish-German Internet entrepreneur and political activist who lives in Glenorchy, New Zealand.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Hone Harawira</span> New Zealand Māori activist and politician

Hone Pani Tamati Waka Nene Harawira is a New Zealand Māori activist and former parliamentarian. He was elected to parliament as the member for the Māori electorate of Te Tai Tokerau in 2005 as the Māori Party candidate.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Mana (New Zealand electorate)</span> Electoral district in Wellington, New Zealand

Mana is a New Zealand parliamentary electorate in the Wellington metropolitan area. It has been held by Barbara Edmonds of the Labour Party since the 2020 election.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Te Tai Tokerau</span> Māori electorate in Northland, New Zealand

Te Tai Tokerau is a New Zealand parliamentary Māori electorate that was created out of the Northern Maori electorate ahead of the first Mixed Member Proportional (MMP) election in 1996. It was held first by Tau Henare representing New Zealand First for one term, and then Dover Samuels of the Labour Party for two terms. From 2005 to 2014, it was held by MP Hone Harawira. Initially a member of the Māori Party, Harawira resigned from both the party and then Parliament, causing the 2011 by-election. He was returned under the Mana Party banner in July 2011 and confirmed at the November 2011 general election. In the 2014 election, he was beaten by Labour's Kelvin Davis, ending the representation of the Mana Party in Parliament.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Te Tai Tonga</span> Māori electorate in New Zealand

Te Tai Tonga is a New Zealand parliamentary Māori electorate, returning one Member of Parliament to the New Zealand House of Representatives. It was established for the 1996 general election, replacing Southern Maori. It covers all of the South Island, Stewart Island, the Chatham Islands, and parts of both Wellington City and the Hutt Valley. The current MP for Te Tai Tonga is Tākuta Ferris of Te Pāti Māori.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Waiariki (New Zealand electorate)</span> Māori electorate in New Zealand

Waiariki is a New Zealand parliamentary Māori electorate that was established for the 1999 election, replacing the Te Tai Rawhiti electorate. It is currently held by Te Pāti Māori co-leader Rawiri Waititi, who won it in the 2020 and 2023 general elections.

The Hapu Party was a Māori political party in New Zealand that was formed in August 2008 and contested the Te Tai Tokerau seat in the 2008 general election. The party was led by David Rankin, a leader of the Matarahurahu hapū of Northland.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">2011 New Zealand general election</span> General election in New Zealand

The 2011 New Zealand general election took place on Saturday 26 November 2011 to determine the membership of the 50th New Zealand Parliament.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Kelvin Davis (politician)</span> New Zealand politician (born 1967)

Kelvin Glen Davis is a New Zealand politician. He was a member of the House of Representatives, and was a senior minister in the Sixth Labour Government and the deputy leader of the New Zealand Labour Party from 2017 to 2023.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">2014 New Zealand general election</span> General election in New Zealand

The 2014 New Zealand general election took place on Saturday 20 September 2014 to determine the membership of the 51st New Zealand Parliament.

The Mana Movement, originally known as the Mana Party, was a political party in New Zealand. The party was led by Hone Harawira who formed it in April 2011 following his resignation from the Māori Party. Harawira won the by-election in Te Tai Tokerau of 25 June 2011 for the Mana Party and retained the seat during the 2011 general election in November.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">2011 Te Tai Tokerau by-election</span> New Zealand by-election

The 2011 Te Tai Tokerau by-election was a by-election in the New Zealand electorate of Te Tai Tokerau that was caused by Hone Harawira's resignation from the seat. Prior to resigning his seat, Harawira had resigned from the Māori Party and formed his own Mana Party.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Internet Party and Mana Movement</span> Coalition party during the 2014 New Zealand general election

The Internet Party and Mana Movement, also stylised as Internet Party and MANA Movement or simply Internet MANA, was a coalition of the Internet Party and the Mana Movement formed to contest the party vote in the 2014 New Zealand general election.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Results of the 2017 New Zealand general election</span>

The following is a detailed results break down of the 2017 New Zealand general election, which was held on 23 September 2017.

NewZeal is a socially conservative political party in New Zealand, currently led by Alfred Ngaro.

References

  1. ↑ "Internet Party of New Zealand". internet.org.nz. Archived from the original on 14 January 2020. Retrieved 12 January 2022.
  2. 1 2 "New Zealand 2014 General Election Official Results". New Zealand Electoral Commission. Archived from the original on 13 June 2018. Retrieved 7 October 2017.
  3. 1 2 "2017 General Election - Official Result". New Zealand Electoral Commission . Retrieved 24 September 2017.
  4. 1 2 "Cancellation of Party Registration". New Zealand Electoral Commission. Archived from the original on 14 June 2018.
  5. ↑ "Kim Dotcom to enter politics?". Fairfax New Zealand. 1 September 2013. Archived from the original on 9 November 2013.
  6. ↑ Patrice Dougan (15 January 2014). "Kim Dotcom reveals name of new political party". New Zealand Herald. Retrieved 15 January 2014.
  7. ↑ "Kim Dotcom unveils the Internet Party". 3 News. 15 January 2014. Archived from the original on 16 January 2014. Retrieved 15 January 2014.
  8. 1 2 Milne, Jonathan (23 March 2014). "Politicians of all stripes welcome at Kim's place". NZ Herald. Retrieved 23 March 2014.
  9. ↑ Davison, Isaac (16 January 2014). "Kim Dotcom cans Auckland party". NZ Herald. Retrieved 23 March 2014.
  10. ↑ Bennett, Adam (27 March 2014). "Kim Dotcom launches Internet Party". NZ Herald. Retrieved 27 March 2014.
  11. ↑ Bennett, Adam (24 March 2014). "Dotcom's Internet Party app approved". NZ Herald. Retrieved 24 March 2014.
  12. ↑ "Registration of Internet Party and Logo". New Zealand Electoral Commission. 13 May 2014. Retrieved 13 May 2014.
  13. ↑ Hutchison, Jonathan (18 September 2014). "Online Renegade, Wanted in U.S., Shakes Up New Zealand Election". NZ Herald. Retrieved 7 October 2017.
  14. 1 2 "Memorandum of Understanding between the MANA Movement and the Internet Party". 25 May 2014. Retrieved 10 August 2014.
  15. ↑ "Registration of Internet Party and MANA Movement logo". Electoral Commission. 24 July 2014. Retrieved 8 August 2014.
  16. ↑ "National (48%) down but still holds clear election winning lead over Labour/ Greens (40%) as Prime Minister John Key announces $212 million 'roading and construction' package for regional New Zealand". Roy Morgan. Retrieved 31 January 2021.
  17. ↑ "Digipoll: Minor parties surge as Labour sinks lower". NZ Herald. 28 August 2014. Retrieved 31 January 2021.
  18. ↑ "Election 2014: Political dirt doesn't stick to Nats in new Herald-Digipoll". NZ Herald. 4 September 2014. Retrieved 31 January 2021.
  19. ↑ "National unscathed by Dirty Politics - poll". TVNZ. Retrieved 31 January 2021.
  20. ↑ "Te Tai Tokerau poll results highlight voter concerns". Māori Television. Retrieved 31 January 2021.
  21. ↑ "Official Count Results -- Te Tai Tokerau".
  22. ↑ Hutchison, Jonathan (20 September 2014). "New Zealand's Ruling National Party Is Re-elected". New York Times. Retrieved 7 October 2017.
  23. ↑ "Harré has officially resigned from the Internet Party". Your NZ. 15 December 2014. Retrieved 2 April 2017.
  24. ↑ Executive Committee By-election called, Archived 4 February 2015 at the Wayback Machine Internet Party, 1 February 2015
  25. ↑ "Kim Dotcom hints at return of the Internet Party". Radio NZ. 26 December 2016. Retrieved 5 January 2017.
  26. ↑ Hurley, Sam (17 June 2017). "Kim Dotcom's Internet Party names exiled citizen journalist Suzie Dawson as leader". New Zealand Herald. Retrieved 7 October 2017.
  27. ↑ "2017 General Election Party Lists". Electoral Commission. 31 August 2017. Archived from the original on 20 April 2018. Retrieved 3 September 2017.
  28. ↑ Suzie Dawson [@Suzi3D] (27 April 2018). "Notice: I am no longer eligible to stand as a candidate for Parliament as I am now in excess of 3yrs outside of NZ. Accordingly I have today stepped down as Party Leader of @InternetPartyNZ & have been unanimously appointed to the role of Party President. Full statement to follow" (Tweet). Retrieved 9 January 2023– via Twitter.
  29. ↑ "Register of political parties". elections.nz. Retrieved 8 December 2020.
  30. ↑ "Internet Party" . Retrieved 31 August 2022.
  31. ↑ "2020 Broadcasting Allocation Decision" (PDF). Elections.nz.
  32. ↑ Sowman-Lund, Stewart (31 August 2022). "Kim Dotcom claims Internet Party will be 'in the Beehive' in 2024". The Spinoff. Retrieved 31 August 2022.
  33. ↑ "Internet Party". Archived from the original on 13 January 2015. Retrieved 23 February 2015.
  34. ↑ "Internet Party Action Agenda". Internet Party. Archived from the original on 27 March 2014. Retrieved 27 March 2014.
  35. 1 2 "Electoral Commission releases part and candidate list for 2014 election". New Zealand Electoral Commission . Retrieved 7 October 2017.
  36. ↑ "Party and Candidate Lists for 2017 Election". New Zealand Electoral Commission . Retrieved 7 October 2017.
This page is based on this Wikipedia article
Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply.
Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.