Bernard James Ogilvy is a New Zealand educator and politician. He was a list member of Parliament (MP) for the

United Future New Zealand United Future New Zealand, usually known as United Future, was a centrist political party in New Zealand. The party was in government between 2005 and 2017, first alongside Labour (2005–2008) and then supporting National (2008–2017). Uni ...

party from 2002 to 2005. He left United Future with the breakaway

Kiwi Party The Kiwi Party was a political party operating in New Zealand between 2007 and 2011. Briefly known as Future New Zealand, it was a breakaway from the United Future New Zealand party and sought to carry on the tradition of Future New Zealand. The ...

in 2007.

Early years

Before entering national politics, Ogilvy lectured at Auckland's

Masters Institute Laidlaw College (previously known as the Bible College of New Zealand) is the largest theological college in New Zealand. The college offers tertiary courses in biblical, theological, historical and pastoral studies, as well as professional deg ...

, a

fundamentalist Christian Christian fundamentalism, also known as fundamental Christianity or fundamentalist Christianity, is a religious movement emphasizing biblical literalism. In its modern form, it began in the late 19th and early 20th centuries among British and ...

teachers college, as well as being involved with Youth With A Mission.

Member of Parliament

He was elected to the New Zealand Parliament as a list MP for the United Future party in the 2002 general election. Controversy arose when the media reported that he had been using the title "Doctor" on the basis of an

honorary degree An honorary degree is an academic degree for which a university (or other degree-awarding institution) has waived all of the usual requirements. It is also known by the Latin phrases ''honoris causa'' ("for the sake of the honour") or ''ad hono ...

awarded by a Californian theological school for his volunteer work at the 1984 Olympic Games. Like his colleagues, Murray Smith, Paul Adams and

Larry Baldock Larry David Baldock (born 1954) is a New Zealand politician. Before entering national politics, he was involved with Youth With A Mission and spent 15 years living in the Philippines. After returning to New Zealand in 1996, he joined Future Ne ...

, Ogilvy was an

evangelical Evangelicalism (), also called evangelical Christianity or evangelical Protestantism, is a worldwide Interdenominationalism, interdenominational movement within Protestantism, Protestant Christianity that affirms the centrality of being "bor ...

or fundamentalist Christian. Like the above, and

Marc Alexander Marc Alexander is a New Zealand politician. He was elected to Parliament as a list MP for the United Future New Zealand party in 2002, and stood unsuccessfully as the National Party candidate for Wigram in 2008. Public activities Before ent ...

, he lost his seat at the 2005 general election when the party's electoral support fell to one third its previous level.

Later years

Ogilvy reappeared as secretary of the new Kiwi Party in 2007, after

Gordon Copeland Gordon Frank Copeland (19 August 1943 – 24 November 2018) was a New Zealand politician who served as a Member of Parliament from 2002 to 2008. He entered the House of Representatives as a list MP for the United Future New Zealand Party from 20 ...

seceded from United Future over

Peter Dunne Peter Francis Dunne (born 17 March 1954) is a retired New Zealand politician who was the Member of Parliament (MP) for Ōhāriu. He held the seat and its predecessors from 1984 to 2017—representing the Labour Party in Parliament from 1984 ...

's support for

Sue Bradford Sue Bradford (born 1 July 1952 in Auckland) is a New Zealand activist, academic, and former New Zealand politician who served as a list Member of Parliament representing the Green Party from 1999 to 2009. Bradford is an eco-socialist. In 2019, s ...

child discipline bill The Crimes (Substituted Section 59) Amendment Act 2007 (formerly the Crimes (Abolition of Force as a Justification for Child Discipline) Amendment Bill) is an amendment to New Zealand's Crimes Act 1961 which removed the legal defence of "reasona ...

, which sought to outlaw most forms of parental corporal punishment of children in New Zealand. Ogilvy made the application to register the Kiwi Party with the Electoral Commission.Electoral Commission
, The Kiwi Party - Application to register a political party

References

United Future MPs Living people Year of birth missing (living people) The Kiwi Party politicians New Zealand list MPs Unsuccessful candidates in the 2005 New Zealand general election Unsuccessful candidates in the 2008 New Zealand general election Members of the New Zealand House of Representatives 21st-century New Zealand politicians {{NewZealand-politician-stub