Clayton Mitchell
Member of the New Zealand Parliament
for List
In office
20 September 2014 – 17 October 2020
Personal details
Born1971 or 1972 (age 51–52)[1]
SpouseErika
Children3

Clayton Robert Henry Mitchell is a former New Zealand politician. He was elected to the New Zealand parliament at the 2014 general election as a representative of New Zealand First and served two terms, leaving Parliament in 2020.

Background

During the 1990s, Mitchell was convicted of assault after refusing a gang member entry to a bar he owned.[2] He received a suspended sentence for this and a fine.[3] Mitchell also was convicted for dangerous driving, and was convicted for allowing customers to drink at his pub outside of the licensed hours.[3]

For these and other incidents, Mitchell's license to run a bar was suspended in 1998. He did not attend the hearing, and was in Australia at the time. His license was reinstated in 2000.[3] A bar run by Mitchell was investigated in 2008 by gambling authorities regarding possible underage gambling on pokie machines, leading to authorities imposing conditions on the pub's license. Another pub run by Mitchell was shut down for a week following a promotion allowing unlimited drinks for a fixed price. Mitchell has stated that he is "proud of my record in the hospitality industry, and the success I achieved in it."[4]

Mitchell has been chair of the Waikato-Bay of Plenty Hospitality Association.[5]

Political career

New Zealand Parliament
Years Term Electorate List Party
2014–2017 51st List 6 NZ First
2017–2020 52nd List 6 NZ First

In 2013, Mitchell was elected to the Tauranga City Council, representing the Mt Maunganui/Papamoa Ward.[6]

In 2014, Mitchell was elected to parliament after being ranked 6th on the New Zealand First party list at the general election.[7] He had also unsuccessfully stood in the Tauranga electorate.[8]

In February 2018, Mitchell proposed a member's bill to Parliament to make English an official language of New Zealand. As of May 2020, the bill has not progressed.[9][10][11]

Mitchell has sat on the select committees for: Business; Economic Development, Science and Innovation: Officers of Parliament; and Standing Orders. He has served as New Zealand First's whip.[12]

Mitchell led a 'Respecting New Zealand Values' campaign, seeking to require new immigrants agree to hold certain values.[3] The proposed bill would have required migrants to sign agree to a cultural "code of conduct" and could expel them from New Zealand if they breached it.[5]

In October 2019, Mitchell was involved in an incident at a Tauranga bar, where he and his party were removed from the premises by security.[13][14] A security guard said that Mitchell was asked repeatedly to move from an area where bar staff needed to pass through, and accidentally hit a member of staff in the head with a glass.[13][2] Mitchell denied this, saying the accusations were a politically motivated attack and that he was the victim.[2] NZ First leader Winston Peters promised a showing of the bar's security footage, saying that it would exonerate Mitchell. The video was never released; Peters later said he had not seen the video but he had been told of its content by someone he had "enormous trust" in.[15][16]

In November 2019, Mitchell was reported to be involved in the controversial NZ First Foundation. Between 2017 and 2019, New Zealand First party officials had allegedly channelled half a million dollars of donations into the NZ First Foundation's bank account to cover various party-related expenses such as the party's headquarters, graphic design, an MP's legal advice, and even a $5000 day at the Wellington races. The amount of donations deposited into the foundation and used by the party was at odds with its official annual returns.[17][18] A party source stated that board members were instructed to pass on large donations to Mitchell who acted as the fundraiser for the party, saying "everybody was instructed to find donors and, if they had a big donor, Mitchell would handle them."[19]

In June 2020 Mitchell announced that he would stand down at the 2020 election.[20][15] He gave a valedictory speech in July 2020 where he reiterated his political goals "such as fixing the Resource Management Act, building roads, pushing for a single standard of citizenship for all New Zealanders, stopping the wholesale selling off of our State assets, building better internal capabilities for manufacturing and processing to add value to our exports to create wealth for Kiwis, and, of course, controlling immigration." He also recounted a story where he was mistaken for National MP Mark Mitchell and was phoned by someone saying he had support of the National caucus in the party's leadership challenge. Mitchell said that he replied "You should be calling Winston. He'd be a great leader for you guys."[21]

As of 2022, he is no longer a member of the New Zealand First party.[22]

References

  1. ↑ Jones, Nicholas (6 July 2015). "Colour and conviction behind sharp suits". New Zealand Herald.
  2. 1 2 3 "NZ First MP Clayton Mitchell claims he's the victim after being kicked out of bar". Newshub. Retrieved 28 May 2020.
  3. 1 2 3 4 "NZ First MP campaigning for 'Kiwi values' was ruled unfit to run a pub". Stuff. 5 October 2018. Retrieved 28 May 2020.
  4. ↑ "'Dwarf tossing', underage gambling concerns at MP's pub". Stuff. 8 October 2018. Retrieved 8 June 2020.
  5. 1 2 Manch, Thomas (5 June 2020). "NZ First MP Clayton Mitchell to retire from politics". Stuff. Retrieved 8 June 2020.
  6. ↑ Clayton Mitchell in running to be NZ First candidate nzherald.co.nz, 14 July 2014
  7. ↑ Newcomers jump up NZ First list odt.co.nz, 27 August 2014
  8. ↑ List ranking pleases Mitchell nzherald.co.nz, 27 August 2014
  9. ↑ "NZ First submits Bill for English to be recognised as official language". Newshub. 15 February 2018.
  10. ↑ "NZ First Bill: English set to become official". Scoop. 15 February 2018.
  11. ↑ "English an Official Language of New Zealand Bill - New Zealand Parliament". www.parliament.nz. Retrieved 28 May 2020.
  12. ↑ "Mitchell, Clayton - New Zealand Parliament". www.parliament.nz. Retrieved 28 May 2020.
  13. 1 2 O'Brien, Tava (17 October 2019). "'We are the law': NZ First MP Clayton Mitchell and friend in incident at Tauranga bar". Newshub. Retrieved 28 May 2020.
  14. ↑ "NZ First MP kicked out of bar denies accidentally hitting staff member". RNZ. 17 October 2019. Retrieved 6 June 2020.
  15. 1 2 "MP who was thrown out of bar to leave politics". Radio New Zealand. 5 June 2020. Archived from the original on 23 September 2020. Retrieved 6 June 2020.
  16. ↑ "Clayton Mitchell bar scene footage may never be released". Radio New Zealand. 18 October 2019. Archived from the original on 23 September 2020. Retrieved 28 May 2020.
  17. ↑ Cooke, Henry (18 February 2020). "Serious Fraud Office will investigate New Zealand First Foundation". Stuff.co.nz. Retrieved 6 March 2020.
  18. ↑ Patterson, Jane (18 February 2020). "New Zealand First Foundation: Serious Fraud Office confirms investigation". Radio New Zealand. Retrieved 6 March 2020.
  19. ↑ Shand, Matt (20 November 2019). "Clayton Mitchell NZ First donations bag man, as donors kept in dark". Stuff. Retrieved 28 May 2020.
  20. ↑ Zane Small (5 June 2020). "New Zealand First MP Clayton Mitchell stepping down after 2020 election". Newshub. Archived from the original on 5 June 2020. Retrieved 5 June 2020.
  21. ↑ Maoate-Cox, Daniela (24 July 2020). "'Crazy, dehumanising, frightening' - departing MPs share their views on Parliament". RNZ. Archived from the original on 26 July 2020. Retrieved 15 July 2021.
  22. ↑ Conchie, Sandra (23 March 2022). "Tauranga councillor Kelvin Clout considering run at Simon Bridges' Tauranga seat". Bay of Plenty Times. New Zealand Herald.
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