Brendan Horan
Brendan Horan in 2013
Member of the New Zealand Parliament
for New Zealand First party list
In office
26 November 2011 – 4 December 2012
Member of Parliament
for NZ Independent Coalition party list
In office
4 December 2012 – 20 September 2014
Personal details
Born (1961-07-09) 9 July 1961
Political partyNZ Independent Coalition (previously New Zealand First)

Brendan Francis John Horan (born 9 July 1961) is a New Zealand former politician and former list MP, who was elected to the New Zealand Parliament in 2011 for the New Zealand First party. He was expelled from the New Zealand First caucus on 4 December 2012 and served the remainder of his term as an Independent.[1][2] Horan is of Māori descent with affiliations to Ngāti Maniapoto.[3]

Media and sporting career

Horan was a weather presenter for Television New Zealand's ONE News, running on a regular cycle with Karen Olsen and Natalie Crook. He started in March 2005, and took redundancy in 2007 when former TV1 weather presenter Jim Hickey returned after nearly 4 years absence on the air.[4][5] His final weather presentation was on 7 September 2007.

Horan has been a professional lifeguard and coach, and was a New Zealand Surf Lifesaving Iron Man champion. He also represented New Zealand and Australia in waterpolo, and was a New Zealand outrigger canoe champion.[5][6]

Political career

New Zealand Parliament
Years Term Electorate List Party
2011–2012 50th List 6 NZ First
2012–2014 Changed allegiance to: Independent

In the 2008 general election, Horan contested the East Coast electorate for the New Zealand First party. He came third in electorate votes[7] but due to New Zealand First's poor showing in party votes, was not elected from the party list.[8]

At the 2011 general election Horan stood in Tauranga, narrowly coming third (by 96 votes) behind the Labour candidate.[9] However, he was elected as a list MP for New Zealand First, after being ranked sixth on their party list.

In October 2012 he helped save the life of Indonesian MP Atte Sugandi by giving him CPR when the MP collapsed at a UN conference in Japan.[6]

Expulsion from NZ First

In November 2012 Horan was accused of taking money from his dying mother's bank account and spending it on gambling.[10] At first Winston Peters refused to say whether he still had confidence in Horan,[11] but on 4 December expelled him from the party.[2] Horan wasn't informed until Peters made the announcement in Parliament.[12]

Horan flatly denied the allegations,[13] and vowed to continue as an independent MP,[14] despite only making it into Parliament as a list MP, without an electorate.

On 10 December 2012, Horan admitted making 144 calls to gambling agency TAB on his taxpayer-funded phone, but denied he had a gambling problem: "There were 144 calls in 10 months. Most of those days, I was lying with mum, on her bed, watching Trackside."[15] Later that day he notified the Speaker he was no longer a member of NZ First, making his independence from the party official. He also called for an investigation into who leaked his phone records to the media.[16]

New Zealand Independent Coalition

In 2013, Horan announced his intention to form a new political party.[17] In January 2014 he launched the NZ Independent Coalition,[18] which, following the general election on 20 September 2014 did not win any seats or cross the 5% party vote threshold to stay in Parliament.[19] Horan stood in the Bay of Plenty electorate, coming fifth.[20]

In 2016, the NZ Independent Coalition was deregistered.[21] Also in 2016, Horan was cleared of the allegations around use of his mother's bank account, with police saying there was no evidence to support charges. Horan stated that the allegations had made it difficult to secure sought-after jobs.[22]

Personal life

Horan is married and has two children.[22]

See also

References

  1. ↑ Trevett, Claire (4 December 2012). "Brendan Horan expelled from NZ First, Parliament told". The New Zealand Herald.
  2. 1 2 "Brendan Horan expelled from NZ First". 3 News NZ. 4 December 2012. Archived from the original on 14 October 2013. Retrieved 4 December 2012.
  3. ↑ "Brendan Horan address in reply debate". Hansard debates. 8 February 2012.
  4. ↑ "Brendan Horan leaving One News". Bay of Plenty Times. 4 September 2007.
  5. 1 2 McNaughton, Maggie (5 September 2007). "Wind of change blows television weatherman away". The New Zealand Herald.
  6. 1 2 Levy, Danya (4 October 2012). "MP saves mans life". Stuff. Retrieved 8 October 2012.
  7. ↑ "Official Count Results -- East Coast". Archived from the original on 24 July 2011. Retrieved 20 October 2009.
  8. ↑ "Official Count Results -- Overall Status". Electoral Commission New Zealand. 2008. Retrieved 21 September 2014.
  9. ↑ "Official Count Results -- Tauranga". Electoral Commission. 10 December 2011. Retrieved 12 January 2015.
  10. ↑ "Peters holds off backing MP". 3 News NZ. 26 November 2012. Archived from the original on 22 February 2013.
  11. ↑ "Peters refuses to back Horan". 3 News NZ. 27 November 2012. Archived from the original on 22 February 2013.
  12. ↑ "Brendan Horan expelled from NZ First, Parliament told". 3 News NZ. 4 December 2012.
  13. ↑ "Sacked MP vows to clear his name". 3 News NZ. 5 December 2012. Archived from the original on 23 February 2013.
  14. ↑ "Horan refusing to leave Parliament". 3 News NZ. 4 December 2012. Archived from the original on 23 February 2013.
  15. ↑ "Horan admits 144 TAB calls". 3 News NZ. 11 December 2012. Archived from the original on 9 February 2013. Retrieved 10 December 2012.
  16. ↑ "Horan loses party membership". 3 News NZ. 11 December 2012. Archived from the original on 23 February 2013.
  17. ↑ "Horan may start political party". 3 News NZ. 29 January 2013. Retrieved 19 January 2017 – via Newshub.
  18. ↑ "Horan lifts lid on new party plan". New Zealand Herald. 16 January 2014. Retrieved 19 June 2014.
  19. ↑ "Election Results -- Overall Status". Electoral Commission New Zealand. 20 September 2014. Retrieved 21 September 2014.
  20. ↑ "Official Count Results -- Bay of Plenty". Electoral Commission. 10 October 2014. Retrieved 12 January 2015.
  21. ↑ "Amendments to the Register of Political Parties". Electoral Commission New Zealand. 20 May 2016. Archived from the original on 9 August 2016. Retrieved 3 June 2016.
  22. 1 2 Fisher, David (19 February 2016). "Ex-MP Brendan Horan cleared by police after allegations he took money from late mother's account". New Zealand Herald. ISSN 1170-0777. Retrieved 23 October 2019.
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