Leighton Baker

Leighton James Baker is a New Zealand politician who was leader of the New Conservative Party from 2017 to 2020. He has contested every general election since 2008, initially for The Kiwi Party, as well as a by-election, but has not been elected to office. Baker is also a businessman, owning a Rangiora-based construction firm.

Leighton Baker
2nd Leader of New Conservative
In office
24 January 2017 – 19 November 2020
DeputyElliot Ikilei
Preceded byColin Craig
Succeeded byElliot Ikilei
Personal details
Born1966/1967 (age 53–55)[1][2]
Lower Hutt area, New Zealand
Political partyNew Conservative
Spouse(s)Sue Baker
Children4
OccupationBusinessman, builder, and politician
Websitenewconservative.org.nz

Political career

Baker was involved with the The Kiwi Party, standing for it in the 2008 election.[3] The Kiwi Party only contested the 2008 general election, and like many of its members he moved to the Conservative Party for the 2011 election which had been founded that year. Baker stood in the next election, in 2011, for the Conservative Party,[4] and in subsequent elections.

Baker was on the Board of the Conservative Party prior to March 2015, but resigned in that month, with then-leader and founder Colin Craig saying that Baker didn't want the commitment of board meetings.[5] Craig resigned from the party in June 2015, and all but one of the party's Board members resigned that same month, with the last remaining Board member resigning in July 2015. By mid-November 2015, Baker had been elected by the party to be the party Board chair,[6] though some media reports referred to him as the party spokesman.[7][8] The party Board ran the party in place of a single leader from after Craig's resignation until 24 January 2017, when it announced Baker was the new party leader.[9][10] The party was also renamed as the New Conservative Party at this time.

2017 general election

When the University of Auckland Debating Society organised a cross-party debate in March 2017, they withheld an invitation to the Conservatives when it decided to limit participation to parties which were, or had, been in Parliament. Baker stated that, despite thinking the move was unfair, he would not follow Colin Craig's footsteps by taking the matter to court.[11]

During the 2017 New Zealand general election held on 23 September, Baker contested the Epsom electorate.[12] During the 2017 election, the Conservatives' share of the party vote fell to 0.2% (6,253), below the five percent margin needed to enter Parliament.[13] Baker came sixth in the Epsom race with 0.6% of the vote, trailing behind the incumbent David Seymour, the leader of the ACT Party.[14]

Following the 2017 election, Baker remained leader with the Conservatives later rebranding themselves as the New Conservative Party during their annual general meeting in November 2017.[15]

2020 general election

In early October 2020, Baker unsuccessfully challenged public broadcaster TVNZ's decision to exclude the New Conservatives from the TVNZ Minor Parties' election debate.[16][17]

During the 2020 New Zealand general election held on 17 October, Baker contested Waimakariri, coming third place with 2,057 votes.[18] Following the election, the New Conservative party board decided to replace him as leader with his deputy, Elliot Ikilei. Baker told The Spinoff that he was "obviously disappointed," and that he would spend some time considering whether to remain involved with the party.[19]

Electoral history

Baker has contested electorates six times, all unsuccessfully. He has also never entered Parliament as a list MP; as of 2020, the New Conservative's best result was to receive 3.97% of the party vote,[20] short of the 5% threshold.

Year Electorate Party % of vote Position Notes
2008 Waimakariri Kiwi Party 1.4% 6th [3]
2011 Christchurch East Conservative 1.9% 4th [21]
2013 Christchurch East Conservative 3.6% 4th A by-election.[22]
2014 Christchurch East Conservative 4.0% 4th [23]
2017 Epsom New Conservative 0.6% 6th (last) [14]
2020 Waimakariri New Conservative 4.4% 3rd This was Baker's best result to date.[18]

Political views

Baker, a committed Christian, is known for his support of family values of family and skepticism about the "social experiment" policies of a series of left-of-center governing coalitions, views that attract support from fewer than 5% of New Zealand voters.[24] According to Bob McCoskrie of Family First New Zealand, Baker and his Party are "opposed to redefining marriage. They're opposed to decriminalisation of abortion, marijuana and euthanasia. They're opposed to the anti-smacking law, gender theory and prostitution. What I can surmise from that is the Conservative Party agrees with everything Family First says."[24]

Personal life and professional career

Baker was born in Lower Hutt in 1966 or 1967.[9] He attended a private school in Auckland but moved to North Canterbury in the early 1990s.[25] He has worked on a Stud sheep farm in Dargaville, and as a builder, and now runs a residential and commercial building companies.[10] Baker and his wife, Sue, and have four grown children and four grandchildren with a fifth on the way in August 2017.[24]

Baker is the owner of Concise Construction, a Rangiora-based firm that has been involved in reconstruction following the 2011 Christchurch earthquake.[24][25]

References
  1. https://policy.nz/candidates/G57#Leighton-Baker
  2. "Compare the candidates for Waimakariri - NZ Election 2020". Policy.nz. The Spinoff. Archived from the original on 30 August 2020. Retrieved 30 August 2020.
  3. "Official Count Results – Waimakariri". www.electionresults.govt.nz. Archived from the original on 7 April 2017. Retrieved 8 February 2017.
  4. "Conservative Party List 2011". Electoral Commission. Archived from the original on 26 April 2017. Retrieved 2 February 2017.
  5. Vance, Andrea (4 March 2015). "Colin Craig: Conservative Party doing fine". Stuff. Archived from the original on 27 September 2017. Retrieved 8 February 2017.
  6. Kirk, Stacey (16 November 2015). "Colin Craig not seeking re-election as Conservative Party leader". Stuff. Archived from the original on 19 June 2018. Retrieved 8 February 2017.
  7. Sachdeva, Sam (19 January 2016). "Colin Craig donates $36,000 to Conservative Party after resigning as leader". Stuff. Archived from the original on 27 September 2017. Retrieved 8 February 2017.
  8. Sachdeva, Sam (4 October 2016). "Colin Craig: Where did he come from, and where will he go next?". Stuff.co.nz. Archived from the original on 20 April 2017. Retrieved 8 February 2017.
  9. "New Leader for the Conservative Party". Conservative Party. 24 January 2017. Archived from the original on 2 February 2017. Retrieved 1 February 2017.
  10. "Leighton Baker appointed as new Conservative Party leader". Newshub. 24 January 2017. Archived from the original on 26 January 2017. Retrieved 8 February 2017.
  11. Davison, Isaac (5 March 2017). "The Conservative Party says exclusion from political debate 'unfair'". The New Zealand Herald. Archived from the original on 5 March 2017. Retrieved 5 March 2017.
  12. Matthews, Phillip (19 August 2017). "Life after Colin: Does the Conservative Party have a chance in 2017?". Stuff. Archived from the original on 19 August 2017. Retrieved 22 October 2020.
  13. "2017 General Election – Official Result". New Zealand Electoral Commission. Retrieved 7 October 2017.
  14. "Epsom - Official Result". Electoral Commission. Retrieved 21 October 2020.
  15. "Conservative Party to Get New Name". Scoop.co.nz. 12 December 2017. Archived from the original on 4 September 2019. Retrieved 6 August 2018.
  16. Smith, Anneke (7 October 2020). "New Conservatives fail in bid to feature in TVNZ debate". Radio New Zealand. Archived from the original on 7 October 2020. Retrieved 7 October 2020.
  17. Hurley, Sam (7 October 2020). "Election 2020: New Conservative fails in High Court to argue for TVNZ debate inclusion". The New Zealand Herald. Archived from the original on 7 October 2020. Retrieved 7 October 2020.
  18. "Waimakariri - Official Result". Electoral Commission. Retrieved 13 November 2020.
  19. Braae, Alex (19 November 2020). "Coup Conservatives? Leader ousted to make way for 'outspoken' Elliot Ikilei". The Spinoff. Archived from the original on 19 November 2020. Retrieved 19 November 2020.
  20. "Official Count Results -- Overall Status". Electoral Commission. Retrieved 21 October 2020.
  21. Commission, New Zealand Electoral. "Official Count Results – Christchurch East". www.electionresults.govt.nz. Archived from the original on 10 April 2017. Retrieved 2 February 2017.
  22. "Official Count Results -- Christchurch East". Electoral Commission. Retrieved 21 October 2020.
  23. "Official Count Results -- Christchurch East". Electoral Commission. Retrieved 21 October 2020.
  24. Matthews, Philip (19 August 2017). "Life after Colin: Does the Conservative Party have a chance in 2017?". Dominion Post. Archived from the original on 27 September 2017. Retrieved 27 September 2017.
  25. "Chch East candidate: Leighton Baker". The Press. 16 November 2013. Archived from the original on 22 April 2017. Retrieved 8 February 2017.
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