David Seymour (New Zealand politician)
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David Breen Seymour (born 24 June 1983) is a New Zealand politician serving as the
Member of Parliament A member of parliament (MP) is the representative in parliament of the people who live in their electoral district. In many countries with bicameral parliaments, this term refers only to members of the lower house since upper house members o ...
(MP) for
Epsom Epsom is the principal town of the Borough of Epsom and Ewell in Surrey, England, about south of central London. The town is first recorded as ''Ebesham'' in the 10th century and its name probably derives from that of a Saxon landowner. The ...
and Leader of
ACT New Zealand ACT New Zealand, known simply as ACT (), is a right-wing, classical-liberal political party in New Zealand. According to former party leader Rodney Hide, ACT's values are "individual freedom, personal responsibility, doing the best for our natur ...
since 2014. A graduate of the
University of Auckland , mottoeng = By natural ability and hard work , established = 1883; years ago , endowment = NZD $293 million (31 December 2021) , budget = NZD $1.281 billion (31 December 2021) , chancellor = Cecilia Tarrant , vice_chancellor = Dawn F ...
, Seymour worked in
public policy Public policy is an institutionalized proposal or a decided set of elements like laws, regulations, guidelines, and actions to solve or address relevant and real-world problems, guided by a conception and often implemented by programs. Public p ...
in Canada, before returning to New Zealand and contesting for election to Parliament. He entered the
House of Representatives House of Representatives is the name of legislative bodies in many countries and sub-national entitles. In many countries, the House of Representatives is the lower house of a bicameral legislature, with the corresponding upper house often c ...
in as ACT's sole MP, after which he was elected as party leader, replacing
Jamie Whyte Jamie Whyte is a New Zealand classical-liberal academic and politician who was the Leader of ACT New Zealand in 2014. He unsuccessfully contested the Pakuranga electorate in the 2014 general election. At the election, Whyte held the first po ...
. He was re-elected in . He led ACT to its best-ever result in the , winning ten seats. Seymour has embraced libertarian social policies since becoming party leader, such as supporting the legalisation of euthanasia, and introduced a bill on this issue. Seymour has appeared extensively on television (including a dance contest, '' Dancing With the Stars'') during his leadership.


Early life

Seymour went to the
Auckland Grammar School Auckland (pronounced ) ( mi, Tāmaki Makaurau) is a large metropolitan city in the North Island of New Zealand. The most populous urban area in the country and the fifth largest city in Oceania, Auckland has an urban population of about I ...
, and the
University of Auckland , mottoeng = By natural ability and hard work , established = 1883; years ago , endowment = NZD $293 million (31 December 2021) , budget = NZD $1.281 billion (31 December 2021) , chancellor = Cecilia Tarrant , vice_chancellor = Dawn F ...
where he graduated with a Bachelor of Engineering (Electrical & Electronic) and a Bachelor of Arts (Philosophy). Seymour is of
Ngāpuhi Ngāpuhi (or Ngā Puhi) is a Māori iwi associated with the Northland region of New Zealand and centred in the Hokianga, the Bay of Islands, and Whangārei. According to the 2018 New Zealand census, the estimated population of Ngāpuhi is 16 ...
Māori Māori or Maori can refer to: Relating to the Māori people * Māori people of New Zealand, or members of that group * Māori language, the language of the Māori people of New Zealand * Māori culture * Cook Islanders, the Māori people of the C ...
descent on his mother's side, with his Māori ancestors coming from the Tauwhara marae of the Ngāti Rēhia
hapū In Māori and New Zealand English, a ' ("subtribe", or " clan") functions as "the basic political unit within Māori society". A Māori person can belong to or have links to many hapū. Historically, each hapū had its own chief and normally op ...
near
Waimate North Waimate North is a small settlement in Northland, New Zealand. It is situated between Kerikeri and Lake Ōmāpere, west of the Bay of Islands. It was one of the earliest centres of European settlement and features the second-oldest surviving E ...
.


Before politics

Seymour worked in Canada as a policy analyst for five years for the
Frontier Centre for Public Policy The Frontier Centre for Public Policy (FCPP) is a Canadian public policy think tank, founded to undertake research and education projects in support of economic growth and social outcomes that enhance quality of life. 2012 Annual Report http://ww ...
and the
Manning Centre Ernest Preston Manning (born June 10, 1942) is a Canadian retired politician. He was the founder and the only leader of the Reform Party of Canada, a Canadian federal political party that evolved into the Canadian Alliance in 2000 which in tur ...
. Seymour is a long-time member of
ACT New Zealand ACT New Zealand, known simply as ACT (), is a right-wing, classical-liberal political party in New Zealand. According to former party leader Rodney Hide, ACT's values are "individual freedom, personal responsibility, doing the best for our natur ...
, initially becoming involved in the political party as a leader of
ACT on Campus Young ACT, formerly known as Prebble's Rebels, ACTivists and ACT on Campus, is a youth group affiliated with ACT New Zealand, a classical-liberal political party in New Zealand. It has supported the party for over two decades though has disag ...
. He first stood for ACT in in Mt Albert against
Helen Clark Helen Elizabeth Clark (born 26 February 1950) is a New Zealand politician who served as the 37th prime minister of New Zealand from 1999 to 2008, and was the administrator of the United Nations Development Programme from 2009 to 2017. She was ...
, who was Prime Minister at the time. At the 2011 election, he stood for ACT in the electorate, which was retained by
National National may refer to: Common uses * Nation or country ** Nationality – a ''national'' is a person who is subject to a nation, regardless of whether the person has full rights as a citizen Places in the United States * National, Maryland, c ...
's
Nikki Kaye Nicola Laura Kaye (born 11 February 1980) is a New Zealand politician who served as Deputy Leader of the New Zealand National Party and Deputy Leader of the Opposition from 22 May 2020 to 14 July 2020. Kaye served as the member of the New Ze ...
. After this election, Seymour worked as a ministerial adviser for ACT's successful candidate,
John Banks John Banks or Bankes may refer to: Politics and law *Sir John Banks, 1st Baronet (1627–1699), English merchant and Member of Parliament * John Banks (American politician) (1793–1864), U.S. Representative from Pennsylvania *John Gray Banks (188 ...
, who was appointed an Associate Minister of Education for the
John Key Sir John Phillip Key (born 9 August 1961) is a New Zealand retired politician who served as the 38th Prime Minister of New Zealand from 2008 to 2016 and as Leader of the New Zealand National Party from 2006 to 2016. After resigning from bo ...
-led National government. Seymour assisted with the development of the government's Partnership Schools legislation. In February 2014, Seymour contested and won the nomination to stand as the ACT Party candidate for Epsom in the 2014 general election. This electorate is seen as strategically important for both ACT and coalition partners National; an ACT victory in Epsom was essential to a National-led government after both the and elections. Seymour's selection, over former ACT New Zealand deputy leader
John Boscawen John Spencer Boscawen (born c.1957) is a former New Zealand politician. He is a member of the ACT New Zealand Party and served as a member of the New Zealand House of Representatives from 2008 to 2011. Boscawen briefly served as deputy leader ...
, was seen by political commentators as "clean slate" choice and a "fresh face", At an Epsom public meeting during this campaign he was seen as "the most popular with the crowd" and "the star of the night, intelligent, witty and articulate". He was the first confirmed candidate for the Epsom electorate. During the 2014 election campaign, Seymour released a campaign video online which the ACT Party described as going " viral" after it received around 35,000 views. Seymour said of the video: "I think it was just totally real, we didn't set out to make it funny or make it a viral video, it was just me being me, that combination with rather retro production values ... you wouldn't want to watch it standing up."


Member of Parliament

Seymour was endorsed in the Epsom electorate by Prime Minister John Key, despite Key's National colleague
Paul Goldsmith Paul Goldsmith (born October 2, 1925) is a former USAC and NASCAR driver. He is an inductee of the Motorcycle Hall of Fame, the Motorsports Hall of Fame of America, and the USAC Hall of Fame. Later in life Goldsmith became a pilot and, flying ...
also contesting the electorate. Seymour was elected to Parliament in the Epsom electorate in the 2014 general election with a majority of 4,500 votes based on preliminary results. He replaced
Jamie Whyte Jamie Whyte is a New Zealand classical-liberal academic and politician who was the Leader of ACT New Zealand in 2014. He unsuccessfully contested the Pakuranga electorate in the 2014 general election. At the election, Whyte held the first po ...
as the leader of ACT on 3 October 2014. Seymour was re-elected to Parliament, representing Epsom, in the 2017 general election.


Parliamentary Under-Secretary

Seymour was appointed
Parliamentary Under-Secretary Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State (or just Parliamentary Secretary, particularly in departments not led by a Secretary of State) is the lowest of three tiers of government minister in the UK government, immediately junior to a Minister o ...
to the Minister of Education and Minister of Regulatory Reform by Prime Minister
John Key Sir John Phillip Key (born 9 August 1961) is a New Zealand retired politician who served as the 38th Prime Minister of New Zealand from 2008 to 2016 and as Leader of the New Zealand National Party from 2006 to 2016. After resigning from bo ...
on 29 September 2014, as a result of National's confidence and supply agreement with ACT. Seymour was given responsibility for partnership schools, and reforms to the
Resource Management Act 1991 The Resource Management Act (RMA) passed in 1991 in New Zealand is a significant, and at times, controversial Act of Parliament. The RMA promotes the sustainable management of natural and physical resources such as land, air and water. New Zeal ...
and other regulation. In October 2015, a Labour Party
member's bill A private member's bill is a bill (proposed law) introduced into a legislature by a legislator who is not acting on behalf of the executive branch. The designation "private member's bill" is used in most Westminster system jurisdictions, in w ...
to make parliamentary under-secretaries subject to the Official Information Act passed its first reading in Parliament. Seymour accused the Bill of personally attacking him, and said it was not necessary because under-secretaries did not have decision-making powers. Contracts in the second round of applications for charter (partnership) schools were completed on 11 September 2014. In January 2016, the contract was terminated for a Northland charter school from the first round, Te Pūmanawa o te Wairua. Seymour continued to support the policy and push for more charter schools to be established.


End of Life Choice Act

On 6 June 2015, Seymour confirmed that he was preparing a member's bill that would legalise assisted dying after '' Seales v Attorney-General'' found that only parliament had the ability to address assisted dying laws. On 14 October 2015, Seymour lodged the
End of Life Choice Bill The End of Life Choice Act 2019 is an Act of Parliament in New Zealand that seeks to give people with a terminal illness the option of receiving assisted dying. The Ministry of Justice and Ministry of Health confirmed that, "The Bill uses “a ...
into the member's ballot, launched a website promoting his bill, and released an ACT-commissioned poll of 2800 people showing 66% public support in favour of legalising assisted dying. On 8 June 2017, Seymour's bill was selected from a member's ballot. The bill was debated at its first reading on 13 December 2017, and passed with 76 votes in favour and 44 against. It was then reviewed by the Justice Select Committee. It reappeared before the House for a second reading 26 June 2019 and passed, with 70 votes in favour, 50 opposed. An amendment to the bill, which included the requirement that it be approved by a binding referendum before it would take effect, passed prior to its third reading with 63 votes in favour and 57 opposed. The bill reappeared before the House and passed its third reading on 13 November 2019 with 69 votes in favour and 51 votes against. In an interview on the day of the third reading, Seymour said that he was confident that the public would vote to put the Act into law, noting that "there was overwhelming support and it should easily pass the referendum." The Act was approved in the
2020 New Zealand euthanasia referendum The New Zealand End of Life Choice referendum was a binding referendum held on 17 October 2020, with early voting taking place from 3 October, in conjunction with the 2020 general election and cannabis referendum, on the question of whether ...
, which was held in conjunction with the 2020 general election, with a majority of voters voting in favour of the Act.


Sale and Supply of Alcohol (Rugby World Cup 2015 Extended Trading Hours) legislation

In August 2015, Seymour introduced a member's bill to allow bars and rugby clubs to extend their bar trading hours when they are televising games from the
Rugby World Cup The Rugby World Cup is a men's rugby union tournament contested every four years between the top international teams. The tournament is administered by World Rugby, the sport's international governing body. The winners are awarded the Webb E ...
. Most games, due to the time difference between New Zealand and England, started between 4 am and 6 am New Zealand Time, meaning that alcohol would not usually have been allowed to be sold. Despite opposition from the
Green Party A green party is a formally organized political party based on the principles of green politics, such as social justice, environmentalism and nonviolence. Greens believe that these issues are inherently related to one another as a foundation f ...
and the
Māori Party Māori or Maori can refer to: Relating to the Māori people * Māori people of New Zealand, or members of that group * Māori language, the language of the Māori people of New Zealand * Māori culture * Cook Islanders, the Māori people of the Co ...
, Seymour's bill passed all three readings, meaning that bars and rugby clubs were allowed to open for Rugby World Cup games.


LGBTI cross-party group

In 2015, Seymour was a member of a cross-party group initiated by
Jan Logie Heather Janet Logie (born 26 October 1969) is a New Zealand politician and a member of the New Zealand House of Representatives. She is a member of the Green Party of Aotearoa New Zealand. Early life and career Logie was born in Invercargill i ...
to look at and advocate for LGBTI rights. The group consisted of
Catherine Delahunty Catherine Delahunty (born 1953) is a New Zealand politician and environmentalist. From until 2017 she was a member of parliament in the House of Representatives representing the Green Party A green party is a formally organized political p ...
(Green),
Chris Bishop Christopher Bishop (born 4 September 1983) is a New Zealand National Party politician who was first elected to the New Zealand House of Representatives in 2014 as a list MP. Bishop won the Hutt South electorate in 2017 but lost the seat in 20 ...
(National), Seymour,
Denis O'Rourke Denis John O'Rourke (born 26 July 1946) is a former New Zealand politician. He served fifteen years as a councillor on Christchurch City Council, and served six years as a Member of Parliament representing New Zealand First. Early years Born ...
(NZ First), Denise Roche (Green), James Shaw (Green), Logie (Green),
Kevin Hague Kevin Grant Hague (born 18 March 1960) is a New Zealand activist and former chief executive and politician. He was a Member of Parliament for the Green Party from 2008 to 2016, and served as chief executive of Forest & Bird, an independent New ...
(Green),
Louisa Wall Louisa Hareruia Wall (born 17 February 1972) is a former New Zealand Labour Party politician who served as a Member of Parliament (MP) from 2011 to 2022. She has represented New Zealand in both netball as a Silver Fern and rugby union as a m ...
(Labour),
Nanaia Mahuta Nanaia Cybele Mahuta (born 21 August 1970) is a New Zealand politician who is the Member of Parliament (MP) for Hauraki-Waikato and serving as the Minister of Foreign Affairs in the Sixth Labour Government since 2020. She is also the Minister o ...
(Labour),
Paul Foster-Bell Paul Ayers Robert Foster-Bell (born March 1977) is a former New Zealand diplomat, a politician and was a list member of the House of Representatives between May 2013 and 2017. He is a member of the National Party and a monarchist. He failed to ...
(National), and
Trevor Mallard Trevor Colin Mallard (born 17 June 1954) is a New Zealand politician and member of the Labour Party. First elected to Parliament in 1984, he was Speaker of the New Zealand House of Representatives from 2017 until 2022. Mallard was a Cabinet m ...
(Labour).


Gun control, 2019

Seymour was the sole Member of Parliament to oppose the Labour-led coalition government's Arms (Prohibited Firearms, Magazines, and Parts) Amendment Act 2019, which bans all semi-automatic firearms used during the
Christchurch mosque shootings On 15 March 2019, two consecutive mass shootings occurred in a terrorist attack on two mosques in Christchurch, New Zealand. The attacks, carried out by a lone gunman who entered both mosques during Friday prayer, began at the Al Noor Mosque ...
that occurred on 15 March 2019. Although he missed an initial procedural vote on the bill, he still cast a No vote when voting on the actual bill took place with a final result of 119 to 1. Seymour criticised the urgency of the Government's gun control legislation.


Abortion Legislation Act 2020

Seymour has supported the Abortion Legislation Act 2020 but has argued that "safe zones" infringe upon freedom of expression. Prior to the third reading of the Bill on 10 March 2020, Seymour successfully included an amendment eliminating safe zones around abortion clinics. The bill passed its third reading on 18 March, receiving royal assent on 23 March.


Zero Carbon Act 2019

Despite announcing that the ACT party would vote against the 2019 Zero Carbon Amendment Seymour was conspicuously absent from the vote on the bill's third reading. This allowed it to pass into law with unanimous support, 119–0, drawing the attention of local media.


2020 general election

During the
2020 New Zealand general election The 2020 New Zealand general election was held on Saturday 17 October 2020 to determine the composition of the 53rd parliament. Voters elected 120 members to the House of Representatives, 72 from single-member electorates and 48 from closed ...
, Seymour contested the Epsom electorate and was re-elected by a margin of 9,224 votes. In addition, ACT won eight percent of the popular vote, winning ten seats in Parliament (with nine on the party list). In the much expanded caucus, Seymour now has the specific portfolios of Finance and COVID-19 Response, while remaining leader.


Coronavirus pandemic

Since 25 March 2020, Seymour has been a member of the Epidemic Response Committee, a select committee that considers the government's response to the
COVID-19 pandemic The COVID-19 pandemic, also known as the coronavirus pandemic, is an ongoing global pandemic of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) caused by severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2). The novel virus was first identi ...
. Following the
Delta variant The Delta variant (B.1.617.2) was a variant of SARS-CoV-2, the virus that causes COVID-19. It was first detected in India in late 2020. The Delta variant was named on 31 May 2021 and had spread to over 179 countries by 22 November 2021. The ...
outbreak that began in August 2021, Seymour released ACT's COVID 3.0 strategy, which advocated replacing the Government's elimination strategy with a "harm minimisation" strategy that focused on isolating infected individuals and easing border restrictions for travellers from low risk countries. In November 2021, Seymour advocated a regular testing regime for unvaccinated workers instead of the Government's vaccine mandate for education, health and hospitality workers.


Public release of Māori vaccination code

In September 2021, Seymour caused a controversy after releasing a special
COVID-19 Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) is a contagious disease caused by a virus, the severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2). The first known case was identified in Wuhan, China, in December 2019. The disease quickly ...
vaccination appointment access code meant exclusively for
Māori people The Māori (, ) are the indigenous Polynesian people of mainland New Zealand (). Māori originated with settlers from East Polynesia, who arrived in New Zealand in several waves of canoe voyages between roughly 1320 and 1350. Over several c ...
in Auckland to his followers on
Twitter Twitter is an online social media and social networking service owned and operated by American company Twitter, Inc., on which users post and interact with 280-character-long messages known as "tweets". Registered users can post, like, and ...
. The code was intended for the population that is the least vaccinated and most at-risk for COVID-19 demographic in New Zealand. The code offered priority access for Māori who wished to be vaccinated by Whānau Waipareira (a Māori social services agency) at the
Trusts Arena The Trusts Arena is an indoor arena located in Henderson, Auckland, New Zealand. It is a multi-purpose stadium that primarily holds sports events and music concerts. The Arena was opened by then Prime Minister of New Zealand Helen Clark on 11 ...
in West Auckland. While the move was supported by right-wing groups, it was criticised by Whānau Waipareira CEO
John Tamihere John Henry Tamihere (born 8 February 1959) is a New Zealand politician, media personality, and political commentator. He was member of Parliament from 1999 to 2005, including serving as a Cabinet minister in the Labour Party from August 2002 to ...
and Seymour was faced with allegations of racism towards Māori despite his own Māori heritage. Seymour defended his actions, stating that "access to vaccination has been the same for people of all ethnic backgrounds." He alleged that the code was a move by the Government that suggested "Māori people have trouble making a booking". He told media that "the virus doesn’t discriminate on race, so neither should the roll out."


Northland checkpoints

Seymour has opposed the proposed joint Police and Māori iwi (tribal) checkpoints that would be used to screen travellers from Auckland heading into the Northland region from 15 December, arguing they would restrict people's freedom of movement. These checkpoints will be located State Highway 1 in Uretiti and State Highway 12 near
Maungaturoto Maungaturoto is a small town in the Northland Region of New Zealand. The township is located close to the Otamatea River, an estuarial arm of the Kaipara Harbour 25 kilometres north of Wellsford and 45 kilometres south of Whangārei. The New ...
through the initiative of former
Mana Movement The Mana Movement, formerly known as the Mana Party, is a former 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 T ...
leader
Hone Harawira 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. In 2011, following ...
's Tai Tokerau Border Control. Seymour's criticisms were echoed by National Party leader
Christopher Luxon Christopher Mark Luxon (born 19 July 1970) is a New Zealand politician and former business executive who is currently serving as leader of the New Zealand National Party and the Leader of the Opposition. He has been the Member of Parliament (M ...
and New Zealand First politicians
Winston Peters Winston Raymond Peters (born 11 April 1945) is a New Zealand politician serving as the leader of New Zealand First since its foundation in 1993. Peters served as the 13th deputy prime minister of New Zealand from 1996 to 1998 and 2017 to 2020, ...
and
Shane Jones Shane Geoffrey Jones (born 3 September 1959) is a New Zealand politician. He served as a New Zealand First list MP from 2017 to 2020 and was previously a Labour list MP from 2005 to 2014. Jones was a cabinet minister in the Fifth Labour Gove ...
. In response, Labour's deputy leader and
Te Tai Tokerau 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 Ze ...
Member of Parliament Kelvin Davis alleged that criticism of the iwi-led checkpoints was motivated by anti-Māori racism.


Co-governance

Since 2021, Seymour has been a vocal opponent of co-governance initiatives. In Parliament, he has opposed Three Waters, He Puapua, the
Māori Health Authority Te Aka Whai Ora – the Māori Health Authority (MHA) is an independent New Zealand government statutory entity tasked with managing Māori people, Māori health policies, services, and outcomes. The Health Authority will work alongside the Minis ...
and the
Rotorua District Council Rotorua Lakes District or Rotorua District is a territorial authority district in the North Island of New Zealand. It has one urban area of significant size, the city of Rotorua. The district is governed by Rotorua Lakes Council, which is headq ...
(Representation Arrangements) Bill. He said: "The net result f co-governanceis that someone who's not accountable to the wider community gets the right to say 'no' because of their birth. It's a recipe for frustration at best and resentment and division at worst." After Seymour proposed to abolish the Ministry of Maori development, Labour MP Willie Jackson labelled Seymour a "useless Maori" and "that ewould 'do anything' for votes." Seymour advocates for a referendum on co-governance. He has argued, "I think there is a real need for us to have a genuine, high-quality conversation around co-governance." His opinions were supported by
Christopher Luxon Christopher Mark Luxon (born 19 July 1970) is a New Zealand politician and former business executive who is currently serving as leader of the New Zealand National Party and the Leader of the Opposition. He has been the Member of Parliament (M ...
, who said that New Zealanders should be able to raise concerns without being shut down, but that National did not believe a referendum was necessary.


2022 "arrogant prick" incident

In mid December 2022, Seymour questioned
Prime Minister A prime minister, premier or chief of cabinet is the head of the cabinet and the leader of the ministers in the executive branch of government, often in a parliamentary or semi-presidential system. Under those systems, a prime minister i ...
Jacinda Ardern Jacinda Kate Laurell Ardern ( ; born 26 July 1980) is a New Zealand politician who has been serving as the 40th prime minister of New Zealand and leader of the Labour Party since 2017. A member of the Labour Party, she has been the member of ...
during the Parliamentary
Question Time A question time in a parliament occurs when members of the parliament ask questions of government ministers (including the prime minister), which they are obliged to answer. It usually occurs daily while parliament is sitting, though it can be ca ...
about various issues including hate speech and the
Three Waters reform programme The Water Services Reform Programme (formerly known as Three Waters) is a public infrastructure restructuring programme launched by the Sixth Labour Government to centralise the management of water supply and sanitation in New Zealand. It orig ...
. Following the session, Ardern was recorded on a
hot mic A hot mic, sometimes referred to as an open microphone or (in aviation) a stuck mic, is in general an apparent error in which a microphone is switched on or remains on, especially without the speaker's realizing. As used in online gaming, the t ...
calling Seymour an "arrogant prick". Since New Zealand parliamentary debates are televised, the comment was aired on television during Question Time. Ardern later issued a personal apology to Seymour for her remark. The two politicians subsequently reconciled and joined forces to raise NZ$60,000 for the Prostate Cancer Foundation by auctioning a signed and framed copy of the Prime Minister's remark.


Personal life and views


''Dancing With the Stars''

Seymour appeared on the seventh series of '' Dancing with the Stars''. He competed to raise funds for Kidsline, a youth telephone counselling service. His professional dancing partner was Amelia McGregor. Despite harsh criticism from the judges, he finished 5th.


2019 Hong Kong protests

Seymour has defended the rights of pro-democracy protesters in New Zealand during the 2019–20 Hong Kong protests. He criticised the Chinese Consulate-General in Auckland for praising the actions of Chinese students who had allegedly assaulted a Hong Kong student activist erecting a
Lennon Wall The Lennon Wall or John Lennon Wall is a wall in Prague, Czech Republic. Since the 1980s, this once-typical wall has been filled with John Lennon–inspired graffiti, lyrics from Beatles' songs, and designs relating to local and global cau ...
at the
University of Auckland , mottoeng = By natural ability and hard work , established = 1883; years ago , endowment = NZD $293 million (31 December 2021) , budget = NZD $1.281 billion (31 December 2021) , chancellor = Cecilia Tarrant , vice_chancellor = Dawn F ...
on 29 July 2019. Seymour also spoke at a pro-Hong Kong democracy rally at the University of Auckland on 6 August 2019. Seymour's defence of free speech was praised by blogger Martyn "Bomber" Bradbury.


Criticism of hate speech laws

In mid-May 2019, Seymour generated widespread criticism, including from MPs from all of the other parties, when he stated in a radio interview that
Green Party A green party is a formally organized political party based on the principles of green politics, such as social justice, environmentalism and nonviolence. Greens believe that these issues are inherently related to one another as a foundation f ...
List MP A list MP is a member of parliament (MP) elected from a party list rather than from by a geographical constituency. The place in Parliament is due to the number of votes that the party won, not to votes received by the MP personally. This occurs ...
Golriz Ghahraman Golriz Ghahraman ( fa, گلریز قهرمان; born 1981) is an Iranian-born New Zealand politician, member of Parliament, and author. The former United Nations lawyer was a child asylum seeker, and became the first refugee elected to New Zea ...
was a "menace to freedom in ew Zealand" Critics suggested Seymour's association of Ghahraman's support for hate speech laws with suppression of free speech by dictators like
Mao Zedong Mao Zedong pronounced ; also romanised traditionally as Mao Tse-tung. (26 December 1893 – 9 September 1976), also known as Chairman Mao, was a Chinese communist revolutionary who was the founder of the People's Republic of China (PRC) ...
and
Adolf Hitler Adolf Hitler (; 20 April 188930 April 1945) was an Austrian-born German politician who was dictator of Nazi Germany, Germany from 1933 until Death of Adolf Hitler, his death in 1945. Adolf Hitler's rise to power, He rose to power as the le ...
was inappropriate. Seymour argued that he had merely "attacked her views". Seymour's concern is that the strengthening of hate speech laws is "divisive and dangerous" since the power of the state could be used by the majority to "silence unpopular views". He believes, if the law is strengthened, that what is considered hate speech will become "too subjective" and open to being abused.


Electoral history


2005 election


2011 election


2014 election


2017 election


2020 election


Notes


References


External links


seymour4epsom.co.nz
, official campaign website
Profile
New Zealand Parliament website
www.lifechoice.org.nz
official website promoting his assisted dying bill , - , - , - {{DEFAULTSORT:Seymour, David 1983 births 21st-century New Zealand politicians ACT New Zealand MPs ACT New Zealand leaders Candidates in the 2017 New Zealand general election Living people New Zealand libertarians New Zealand electrical engineers Ngāpuhi people People educated at Auckland Grammar School People from Palmerston North University of Auckland alumni Unsuccessful candidates in the 2005 New Zealand general election Unsuccessful candidates in the 2011 New Zealand general election Candidates in the 2020 New Zealand general election Euthanasia activists