Stephen Berry
Berry speaking in 2017
Born (1983-02-14) 14 February 1983
Auckland, New Zealand
Years active2002–2020 (as a political candidate)
Political partyACT New Zealand, formerly Libertarianz
YouTube information
Channel
Years active2020–present
Genre(s)Politics, comedy
Subscribers287.00[1]
Total views16.39 thousand[1]
Last updated: 10 Jul 2022
WebsiteMrBerryMrBerry.net

Stephen Berry (born 14 February 1983) is a perennial candidate in New Zealand national and local politics, running on right-wing positions.

Biography

Berry calls himself a "Manurewa native". He attended St. Annes Primary School. He then attended Manurewa Intermediate and spent year 9 and 10 at James Cook High School, where he played cricket for Weymouth.[2]

He ran as an independent candidate in the 2002 Mount Roskill general election[3] and the 2011 Tāmaki general election.[4] He served as spokesman of minor political party Libertarianz,[5] running for Libertarianz in the 2004 Auckland City mayoral election.[6] He also ran in the 2013 Auckland mayoral election for right-wing group Affordable Auckland,[7] coming third with 13,650 votes.[8][9][10]

He was leader of Affordable Auckland and criticised money spent on a private bathroom and dressing room hidden behind a bookcase being built behind Auckland Mayor Len Brown's new office. He called it "highly inappropriate and a really bad look".[11] He demanded Len Brown's donors be made public, following a $273,375.22 donation from the New Auckland Council Trust.[12] He criticised Auckland Transport for $41,500 spent on a party for 1700 staff and family at The Cloud, including entertainment from The X Factor winner Jackie Thomas. He said Auckland Transport wasn't hearing the clear message at the local body elections on responsible spending of ratepayers' money "when they throw enormous parties like this".[13][14]

With Berry as leader, Affordable Auckland organised a "Stand Down Len Brown" march up Queen Street in February 2014,[15][16] following Len Brown's sex scandal and a report that found he failed to declare more than $39,000 in free hotel rooms and upgrades. He and spokesman Will Ryan said the march was not so much about Mr Brown's private life as his undeclared activities and poor financial management.[17][16] The protest attracted 300 people.[18]

In the 2014 New Zealand general election, he ran for ACT in the Upper Harbour electorate[19] and was 6th on the party list.[20] He said "In 21st century New Zealand politics, homosexuality is so acceptable as to hardly be an issue at all."[21] He also ran in the 2016 Auckland mayoral election. At the first Auckland mayoral debate, he said groups such as Auckland 2040 were "neighbourhood busybodies... artificially inflating the cost of property".[22] He pulled out of the race and endorsed centre-right candidate John Palino.[23]

In the 2017 New Zealand general election, he stood for ACT in the East Coast Bays electorate and was 5th on the party list.[24] He said he would abolish the Rural Urban Boundary and open up space for 600,000 homes to impact the price of housing. He also said he would scrap the Resource Management Act.[25] He served as ACT's 2017 spokesperson for Health and LGBT issues.[26] During the election, he defended hate speech against transgender people as a right.[27] Following these comments, he was booed and laughed at by the audience at an election forum in Wellington, hosted by Rainbow Wellington. He said a colleague had told him it was easier to come out as gay in the ACT Party than it was to come out as an ACT supporter amongst gay friends.[28]

Berry speaking at the Free Speech Coalition protest, Auckland 2018

He spoke at the Free Speech Coalition protest in July 2018,[29] following far-right Canadian activists Stefan Molyneux and Lauren Southern being denied an Auckland Council venue and unable to secure a venue for their New Zealand tour.[30] He said "Look the thing about free speech is that we’ve all got that in common. We’ve got different reasons for it being in common."[31]

He ran for ACT in the 2018 Northcote by-election,[32] achieving fourth place.[33] Berry's dream for Northcote was a new six-lane motorway over the harbour at Point Chevalier,[34] revived from a 1972 Ministry of Works plan, to fix the Onewa Road congestion. This would be funded by using $58 billion raised by putting up the age to receive superannuation to 67. This was described by others as a "rather crazy motorway plan" and the "stupidest of stupid ideas".[35][36] Tackling traffic congestion in Northcote was a priority for Berry in this race.[37][38][39]

In the 2020 New Zealand general election, he contested the Pakuranga electorate for ACT and was ninth on the party list,[40][41] but resigned from running in September 2020, citing "physical exhaustion".[42] He was the only openly gay representative of ACT at the time.[43][44][45][46] He was ninth on the ACT Party list and ACT New Zealand got 10 seats, which means if he had stayed in the race and ACT got the same result, then he would have been elected as Member of Parliament.[45] After resigning as a candidate in the 2020 general election, he has finished with politics and now hosts the Mr Berry Mr Berry show on YouTube,[47] where he shares political commentary and clips from his stand-up comedy routines.[48]

In January 2021, he was permanently suspended from Twitter.[49] This was part of the culling of more than 70,000 "QAnon-related accounts", including President Donald Trump, following the 2021 storming of the United States Capitol. He said he did not approve of what Twitter was doing, but he said Twitter owns the platform and has the right to do as it wishes, even if it's something he disagrees with.[50]

Personal life

Berry is gay and an atheist.[2] He lives in Forrest Hill on Auckland's North Shore with his husband. He is also a manager for a supermarket chain.[51]

Electoral history

2002 Mount Roskill general election

2002 general election: Mount Roskill
Notes:

Blue background denotes the winner of the electorate vote.
Pink background denotes a candidate elected from their party list.
Yellow background denotes an electorate win by a list member, or other incumbent.
A Green tickY or Red XN denotes status of any incumbent, win or lose respectively.

Party Candidate Votes % ±% Party votes % ±%
Labour Green tickY Phil Goff 18,702 64.40 +6.13 14,866 49.73 +3.98
National Brent Trewheela 4,987 17.17 5,126 17.15 -10.50
ACT Kenneth Wang 1,494 5.14 2,351 7.86 +1.17
NZ First Dawn Mullins 1,301 4.48 2,329 7.79 +4.49
United Future Bernie Ogilvy 1,253 4.31 2,162 7.23
Christian Heritage Ewen McQueen 582 2.00 425 1.42 -2.19
Alliance Brendon Lane 337 1.16 357 1.19 -5.11
Progressive Trevor Lance Barnard 229 0.79 446 1.49
Independent Stephen Berry 157 0.54
Green   1,577 5.28 +1.53
ORNZ   121 0.40
Legalise Cannabis   109 0.36 -0.12
One NZ   12 0.04 +0.01
Mana Māori   10 0.03 -0.04
NMP   4 0.01 -0.01
Informal votes 354 124
Total Valid votes 29,042 29,895
Labour hold Majority 13,715 47.23 +16.61

2004 Auckland City mayoral election

2004 Auckland mayoral election[52]
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Independent Dick Hubbard 62,751 50.78
Independent John Banks 44,964 36.38 -7.22
Independent Christine Fletcher 12,501 10.11 -19.26
Christians Against Abortion Phil O'Connor 990 0.80 -0.36
Libertarianz Stephen Berry 952 0.77
Anti-Capitalist Alliance Daphna Whitmore 706 0.57
Communist League Felicity Coggan 441 0.35 -0.21
Informal votes 262 0.21 +0.03
Majority 17,787 14.39
Turnout 123,567

2011 Tāmaki general election

2011 general election: Tamaki[53]
Notes:

Blue background denotes the winner of the electorate vote.
Pink background denotes a candidate elected from their party list.
Yellow background denotes an electorate win by a list member, or other incumbent.
A Green tickY or Red XN denotes status of any incumbent, win or lose respectively.

Party Candidate Votes % ±% Party votes % ±%
National Simon O'Connor 24,837 67.67 +1.93 24,338 64.42 +4.19
Labour Nick Iusitini Bakulich 7,051 19.21 -1.53 6,642 17.58 -3.58
Green Richard Leckinger 2,861 7.80 +1.94 3,314 8.77 +3.48
ACT John Boscawen 887 2.39 -2.06 893 2.36 -5.56
Conservative Litia Simpson 567 1.54 +1.54 575 1.52 +1.52
Independent Wayne Young 358 0.98 +0.98
Independent Stephen Berry 152 0.41 +0.41
NZ First   1,421 3.76 +1.29
Māori Party   193 0.51 -0.01
United Future   156 0.41 -0.35
Legalise Cannabis   107 0.28 +0.11
Mana   102 0.27 +0.27
Libertarianz   30 0.08 +0.03
Alliance   6 0.02 -0.002
Democrats   5 0.01 +0.01
Informal votes 755 255
Total Valid votes 36,703 37,782
Turnout 38,037 77.50
National hold Majority 17,786 48.46 +3.45

2013 Auckland mayoral election

2013 Auckland mayoral election[54][55]
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Independent Len Brown 164,338 47.78 -1.46
Independent John Palino 108,928 31.67 —
Affordable Auckland Stephen Berry 13,650 3.97 —
Independent Penny Bright 11,723 3.41 +2.85
Mana John Minto 11,591 3.37 —
Independent Uesifili Unasa 8,040 2.34 —
Working for the Homeless Wayne Young 3,943 1.15 +1.03
Independent Reuben Shadbolt 3,152 0.92 —
None Paul Duffy 3,083 0.90 —
Christians Against Abortion Phil O'Connor 3,032 0.88 +0.61
Independent Emmett Hussey 2,974 0.86 —
Independent Susanna Susara Kruger 2,173 0.63 —
None Matthew Goode 2,116 0.62 —
Roads First David Willmott 1,647 0.48 +0.37
None Jesse Butler 1,465 0.43 —
None Tricia Cheel 1,214 0.35 —
Communist League Annalucia Vermunt 856 0.25 +0.16
Majority 55,410 16.11 +2.44
Total valid votes 343,925 99.54
Informal votes 1,584 0.46
Turnout 345,509 34.72 -15.45
Registered electors 995,206

2013 Auckland local elections (Waitemata and Gulf ward)

Affiliation (if any)NameVotes
Independent Mike Lee8886
IndependentGreg Moyle4061
IndependentRob Thomas3155
Affordable AucklandStephen Berry1435
IndependentCharlotte Fisher1055
IndependentAleksandar Zivaljevic398
Informal/blank1578

2014 Upper Harbour general election

2014 general election: Upper Harbour[56]
Notes:

Blue background denotes the winner of the electorate vote.
Pink background denotes a candidate elected from their party list.
Yellow background denotes an electorate win by a list member, or other incumbent.
A Green tickY or Red XN denotes status of any incumbent, win or lose respectively.

Party Candidate Votes % ±% Party votes % ±%
National Paula Bennett 18,315 55.95 — 20,853 54.25 —
Labour Hermann Retzlaff 8,623 26.34 — 4,965 23.36 —
Green Nicholas Mayne 2,619 8.00 — 2,329 6.97 —
Conservative Callum Blair 1,839 5.61 — 1,613 4.82 —
ACT Stephen Berry 549 1.67 — 450 1.34 —
Māori Party Hinurewa Te Hau 246 0.75 — 119 0.35 —
Mana Party Makelesi Ngata 204 0.62 —
NZ First   2,311 6.91 —
Internet Mana   432 0.85 —
Legalise Cannabis   129 0.38 —
United Future   69 0.20 —
Civilian   14 0.04 —
Ban 1080   13 0.03 —
Independent Coalition   7 0.02 —
Focus   4 0.01 —
Democrats   4 0.01 —
Informal votes 338 130
Total Valid votes 32,733 33,403
Turnout 33,420 73.42[57] —
National win new seat Majority 9,692 29.61

2017 East Coast Bays general election

2017 general election: East Coast Bays[58]
Notes:

Blue background denotes the winner of the electorate vote.
Pink background denotes a candidate elected from their party list.
Yellow background denotes an electorate win by a list member, or other incumbent.
A Green tickY or Red XN denotes status of any incumbent, win or lose respectively.

Party Candidate Votes % ±% Party votes % ±%
National Erica Stanford 22,731 65.53 +3.61 22,006 62.78 −0.60
Labour Naisi Chen 6,441 18.57 +3.30 8,130 23.20 +11.05
Green Nicholas Mayne 2,306 6.65 −3.30 1,660 4.74 −3.49
Opportunities Teresa Moore 1,289 3.72 — 673 1.92 —
NZ First Ilja Ruppeldt 1,254 3.62 — 1,886 5.38 −0.58
ACT Stephen Berry 389 1.12 — 347 1.00 −4.96
Conservative   95 0.27 −6.43
Legalise Cannabis   58 0.17 −0.12
Māori Party   55 0.16 +0.12
United Future   34 0.10 −0.11
People's Party   18 0.05 —
Outdoors   14 0.04 —
Democrats   6 0.02 −0.03
Mana Party   5 0.01 —
Ban 1080   5 0.01 −0.13
Internet   4 0.01 —
Informal votes 277 154
Total Valid votes 34,687 35,050
National hold Majority 16,290 46.96 +0.30

2018 Northcote by-election

The following table shows final by-election results:[59][60]

2018 Northcote by-election

Notes: Blue background denotes the winner of the by-election.
Pink background denotes a candidate elected from their party list prior to the by-election.
Yellow background denotes the winner of the by-election, who was a list MP prior to the by-election.
A Green tickY or Red XN denotes status of any incumbent, win or lose respectively.

Party Candidate Votes % ±%
National Dan Bidois 10,566 50.67
Labour Shanan Halbert 9,256 44.39 +9.14
Green Rebekah Jaung 615 2.94 -3.79
ACT Stephen Berry 166 0.79
Independent Kym Koloni 97 0.46 -3.27
Legalise Cannabis Jeff Lye 89 0.42
Democrats Tricia Cheel 31 0.14 -0.11
Not A Party Liam Walsh 5 0.02
Informal votes 25 0.11
Majority 1,310 6.28
Turnout 20,850 43.59 -33.98

References

  1. 1 2 "About MrBerryMrBerry". YouTube.
  2. 1 2 "The BFD | Manurewa-Papakura Ward: An Absolutely Biased Guide to Auckland Local Elections". 20 September 2019.
  3. ↑ "Election results". electionresults.govt.nz. 2002. Retrieved 19 February 2021.
  4. ↑ "Election results". electionresults.govt.nz. 2011. Retrieved 19 February 2021.
  5. ↑ "ACT – Classically Illiberal Stinkers | Scoop News". www.scoop.co.nz.
  6. ↑ "Hubbard wins Auckland mayoralty". NZ Herald.
  7. ↑ "Super City elections 2013: Heated battle for Waitemata and Gulf ward". NZ Herald.
  8. ↑ "Auckland Council election final results | Scoop News". www.scoop.co.nz.
  9. ↑ "Local elections 2013: Full Auckland results". NZ Herald.
  10. ↑ Ross, Ben (17 October 2013). "Final Election Results for Auckland Council is Out".
  11. ↑ "What secrets are concealed in Len Brown's flash new office?". NZ Herald.
  12. ↑ "Who Are Len's Donors? | Scoop News". www.scoop.co.nz.
  13. ↑ "$40k Auckand Transport do draws flak". NZ Herald.
  14. ↑ "Cash-strapped council body splashes out on party". Otago Daily Times Online News. 12 November 2013.
  15. ↑ "Berry Invites Brown to Len Brown Stand Down March | Scoop News". www.scoop.co.nz.
  16. 1 2 "'Stand down Len Brown' protest march planned". www.voxy.co.nz.
  17. ↑ "Battle to fix Len Brown's image". NZ Herald.
  18. ↑ "Hundreds march against Len Brown". Otago Daily Times Online News. 22 February 2014.
  19. ↑ "ACT announces Party List to contest 2014 election | Scoop News". www.scoop.co.nz.
  20. ↑ "ACT announces Party List to contest 2014 election". www.scoop.co.nz. 13 July 2014. Retrieved 19 February 2021.
  21. ↑ "Stephen Berry on discrimination | Kiwiblog". 1 September 2014.
  22. ↑ "Auckland Council backs down after pressure over "upzoning" plans". Stuff. 17 February 2016.
  23. ↑ "Stephen Berry pulls out of Auckland mayoral race". NZ Herald.
  24. ↑ "ACT Unveils Party List | Scoop News". www.scoop.co.nz.
  25. ↑ "Parties divided on removal of rural-urban boundary in north Auckland". Stuff. 10 August 2017.
  26. ↑ "Pharmac's anti-HIV drug subsidy is an own goal for LGBT". 23 March 2018.
  27. ↑ "Act candidate Stephen Berry: Telling transgender they are disgusting is your right". NZ Herald.
  28. ↑ "ACT candidate Stephen Berry defending 'hate speech' against transgender people, booed at debate". Stuff. 23 August 2017.
  29. ↑ "Auckland free speech rally over controversial speakers draws crowds". RNZ. 14 July 2018.
  30. ↑ Asafo, Dylan (28 August 2020). "Where are our hate speech laws?".
  31. ↑ Braae, Alex (14 July 2018). "What did the Free Speech protestors actually have to say?".
  32. ↑ "'Turnout will be crucial' – National leader Simon Bridges on Northcote vote". NZ Herald.
  33. ↑ "Election results". electionresults.govt.nz. 2018. Retrieved 19 February 2021.
  34. ↑ "ACT's Northcote by-election candidate Stephen Berry wants six-lane motorway through North Shore". Newshub – via www.newshub.co.nz.
  35. ↑ "Act's crazy harbour crossing isn't much worse than what NZTA are planning". Greater Auckland. 10 June 2018.
  36. ↑ "ACT candidate Stephen Berry has a dream for the North Shore. It's very stupid". Stuff. 29 May 2018.
  37. ↑ "Dope advocate, anarchist and anti-vaxxer among Northcote by-election candidates". Stuff. 16 May 2018.
  38. ↑ "Simon Wilson's Northcote Notebook: Labour closes gap in Northcote byelection and Act wants six-lane motorway and bridge at Pt Chevalier". NZ Herald.
  39. ↑ "Northcote byelection: National's Dan Bidois newest MP". NZ Herald.
  40. ↑ "Surprises in Act Party list announced by leader David Seymour". NZ Herald.
  41. ↑ "Election 2020 – Political Party Lists". interest.co.nz. 11 March 2020.
  42. ↑ "ACT candidate Stephen Berry resigns due to 'exhaustion' from campaign preparation". Newshub – via www.newshub.co.nz.
  43. ↑ "New Zealand's new LGBTQ MPs make Parliament most rainbow in world". RNZ. 20 October 2020.
  44. ↑ "NZ Parliament most rainbow in world". Otago Daily Times Online News. 20 October 2020.
  45. 1 2 "Election results". electionresults.govt.nz. 2020. Retrieved 19 February 2021.
  46. ↑ Richens, Tony (14 October 2020). "New Zealand Election: LGBT+ Policy Agenda, What the Parties Say". Gay Nation.
  47. ↑ "Stephen Berry".
  48. ↑ "MrBerryMrBerry – YouTube". www.youtube.com.
  49. ↑ "NZ far-right Twitter accounts suspended". Newsroom. 13 January 2021.
  50. ↑ "Twitter crackdown reaches NZ: Hundreds of NZ right-wing users kicked off Twitter". NZ Herald.
  51. ↑ "ACT names 'maverick' Stephen Berry as Northcote byelection candidate". NZ Herald.
  52. ↑ "Hubbard wins Auckland mayoralty". The New Zealand Herald. 10 October 2004. Retrieved 31 May 2017.
  53. ↑ Official Count Results – Tāmaki, 2011
  54. ↑ "2013 election results" (PDF). Auckland Council. Retrieved 1 June 2015.
  55. ↑ "Voting Document Returns – 2013 Elections" (PDF). Auckland Council. Archived from the original (PDF) on 1 June 2015. Retrieved 1 June 2015.
  56. ↑ "Official Count Results – Upper Harbour". Electoral Commission. 4 October 2014. Retrieved 4 October 2014.
  57. ↑ "2014 General Election Voter Turnout Statistics – Upper Harbour". Electoral Commission. 21 January 2016. Retrieved 21 January 2016.
  58. ↑ "Official Count Results – East Coast Bays (2017)". Electoral Commission. 7 October 2017. Retrieved 12 October 2017.
  59. ↑ "Northcote - Official Result". electionresults.govt.nz. 20 June 2018. Retrieved 22 June 2018.
  60. ↑ "Northcote by-election official results". Electoral Commission. 20 June 2018. Retrieved 22 June 2018.
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