Craig Eldon Jepson (born ) is a New Zealand local politician who is the mayor of Kaipara District in New Zealand's

Northland Region Northland (), officially the Northland Region, is the northernmost of New Zealand's 16 regions of New Zealand, local government regions. New Zealanders sometimes refer to it as the Winterless North because of its mild climate all throughout t ...

. During the 2000s, Jepson served as a spokesperson for Olivine NZ's unsuccessful attempt to convert the former coal-powered

Meremere Power Station Meremere Power Station is a former coal-fired power station on the Waikato River at Meremere, approximately south of Auckland, New Zealand. Meremere was the first major coal-fired power station in New Zealand, and was commissioned to help meet t ...

in the north Waikato, New Zealand into a waste-to-energy station. Jepson later moved to

Mangawhai Mangawhai is a township at the south-west extent of the Mangawhai Harbour, or Mangawhai Estuary, in Northland, New Zealand. The adjacent township of Mangawhai Heads is 5 km north-east, on the lower part of the harbour. Kaiwaka is 13 ...

where he established a concrete business that was involved in local rural and urban development. In October 2022, Jepson was elected mayor of Kaipara. As mayor, Jepson attracted media coverage following his attempt to ban

karakia Karakia are Māori incantations and prayer used to invoke spiritual guidance and protection.Māori Māori or Maori can refer to: Relating to the Māori people * Māori people of New Zealand, or members of that group * Māori language, the language of the Māori people of New Zealand * Māori culture * Cook Islanders, the Māori people of the Co ...

prayers) from council proceedings, which he subsequently reversed following significant criticism from the public and fellow councillors. As mayor, Jepson also presided over the Kaipara District Council's withdrawal from

Local Government New Zealand Local Government New Zealand Te Kahui Kaunihera ō Aotearoa (LGNZ) is the local government association of New Zealand. It represents the interests of the regional, city, and district councils in New Zealand. History The Association was for ...

and decision to scrap its Māori ward without holding a referendum during the upcoming

2025 New Zealand local elections The 2025 New Zealand local elections () are upcoming triennial elections that will be held from 9 September until 11 October 2025 to elect local mayors and councillors, regional councillors, and members of local boards. All 11 of New Zeala ...

. Jepson has also questioned the consensus on

climate change Present-day climate change includes both global warming—the ongoing increase in Global surface temperature, global average temperature—and its wider effects on Earth's climate system. Climate variability and change, Climate change in ...

and expressed support for

Donald Trump Donald John Trump (born June 14, 1946) is an American politician, media personality, and businessman who is the 47th president of the United States. A member of the Republican Party (United States), Republican Party, he served as the 45 ...

. In June 2025, Jepson confirmed that we would not be running for a second term as Mayor of Kaipara during the

but would instead be standing as a councillor for the Kaipara District Council.

Professional career

During the early 2000s, Jepson spent three years lobbying in favour of Olivine NZ's attempt to convert the former coal-powered

in the north Waikato, New Zealand into a waste-to-energy station. As Olivine's spokesperson, Jepson claimed that the Meremere plant's waste burning technology was cleaner than a rubbish dump and was preferable to exporting toxins overseas. While promoting the project, he claimed that Waikato "could export power instead of importing it, give its industries cheaper electricity and do away with filthy rubbish dumps." Ultimately, Olivine abandoned its plans due to opposition from local residents and environmentalists including

Environment Waikato The Waikato () is a region of the upper North Island of New Zealand. It covers the Waikato District, Waipā District, Matamata-Piako District, South Waikato District and Hamilton City, as well as Hauraki, Coromandel Peninsula, the northern ...

, who claimed that the plant would pump toxins and greenhouse gases into the atmosphere. Jepson stated that Olivine would sue Environment Waikato for allegedly obstructing the resource consent process. Jepson settled in

around 2002. He established a concrete business and was involved in rural and urban land development. Jepson was also involved in several local projects in Mangawhai including the construction of a walking–cycle track.

Political career

In 2020, Jepson sponsored a petition in Northland calling for a local referendum on the

Kaipara District Council Kaipara District Council () is the territorial authority for the Kaipara District of New Zealand. Structure The council is led by the mayor of Kaipara, who is currently . There are also eight ward councillors. Prior to the 2022 New Zealand loc ...

's plans to introduce

Māori wards and constituencies Māori wards and constituencies refer to wards and constituencies on urban, district, and regional councils in New Zealand that are elected by local constituents registered on the Māori people, Māori parliamentary electoral roll vote. Like Māo ...

. During the

2022 New Zealand local elections The 2022 New Zealand local elections () were Local elections in New Zealand, triennial elections held in New Zealand from 16 September until noon 8 October via postal vote. Election schedule Key dates relating to the local elections were as ...

, Jepson stood as a candidate for the

Mayor of Kaipara The mayor of Kaipara is the elected head of local government in the Kaipara District of New Zealand's North Island; one of 67 mayors in the country. The main town of the district is Dargaville. The mayor presides over the Kaipara District Cou ...

on the Democracy Northland

local body Local government is a generic term for the lowest tiers of governance or public administration within a particular sovereign state. Local governments typically constitute a subdivision of a higher-level political or administrative unit, such a ...

ticket Ticket or tickets may refer to: Slips of paper * Lottery ticket * Parking ticket, a ticket confirming that the parking fee was paid (and the time of the parking start) * Toll ticket, a slip of paper used to indicate where vehicles entered a to ...

. On the economic front, he campaigned for a review of the

's staffing levels and expenditure, repairing roads and infrastructure, and stopping "proliferate" spending on so-called "feel-good" projects. Jepson also campaigned against the

New Zealand Government The New Zealand Government () is the central government through which political authority is exercised in New Zealand. As in most other parliamentary democracies, the term "Government" refers chiefly to the executive branch, and more specifica ...

's Three Waters reform programme, claiming that the four proposed water services entities would become "self-serving goliaths" that would waste ratepayers' money. In addition, Jepson opposed co-governance particularly the presence of Māori wards on local government bodies. On 7 October 2022, Jepson was elected mayor of Kaipara. In late October, Jepson appointed councillor Jonathan Larsen as deputy mayor.

Conflicts with Māori

2022 Karakia controversy

On 30 November 2022, Jepson attracted media attention after interrupting Māori ward councillor Pera Paniora's

prayer). In response,

Race Relations Commissioner The Human Rights Commission () is the national human rights institution (NHRI) for New Zealand, operating independently from direction by the Cabinet. Founded in 1977, the commission addresses issues of discrimination, equality, and human right ...

Meng Foon Meng Liu Foon ( zh, t=廖振明, j= ; born ) is a New Zealand politician who served as the mayor of Gisborne from 2001 to 2019. He served as New Zealand's Race Relations Conciliator, race relations commissioner from August 2019 to June 2023, re ...

criticised Jepson's karakia ban from council proceedings, stating that it was very important for councils and all organisations to create the right space for Māori to honour the

Treaty of Waitangi The Treaty of Waitangi (), sometimes referred to as ''Te Tiriti'', is a document of central importance to the history of New Zealand, Constitution of New Zealand, its constitution, and its national mythos. It has played a major role in the tr ...

and to express their culture and language. Despite criticism, Jepson refused to back down and banned karakia from council meetings on 3 December on the grounds that specific religions or cultures should not be included in secular meetings. On 8 December, Jepson and other members of the Kaipara District Council reached a compromise that would allow councillors to recite karakia, issue statements and reflections on a rotating basis. Paniora welcomed the compromise, stating that "it does mean that all the councillors feel included and comfortable and we are not forcing anything on them that they don't agree with." Meng Foon commended Jepson for backtracking on the ban and suggested that the local community needed to undergo a healing process. By that stage, a petition calling for Jepson to resign as mayor had attracted over 5,500 signatures. On 14 December 300 people participated in a

hīkoi A ''hīkoi'' is a walk or march, and especially a protest march, in New Zealand. The word comes from the Māori language, and often implies a long journey taking many days or weeks. The most famous hīkoi was the 1975 Māori land march, on wh ...

(protest march) in

Dargaville Dargaville () is a town located in the North Island of New Zealand. It is situated on the bank of the Northern Wairoa River (Northland), Wairoa River in the Kaipara District of the Northland Region, Northland region. Dargaville is located south ...

to protest Jepson's earlier decision to ban karakia. The hīkoi marched from Dargaville's town centre to the Kaipara District Council's meeting venue at the Northern Wairoa War Memorial Hall. The hīkoi was organised by Paturiri Toautu, who stood as a candidate for the council's new Te Moananui o Kaipara Māori ward during the 2022 local election. In response to the hīkoi, Jepson stated that he respected the participants' democratic rights to express their views but criticised Meng Foon and the Minister of Local Government,

Nanaia Mahuta Nanaia Cybele Mahuta (born 21 August 1970) is a New Zealand former politician who served as the Minister of Foreign Affairs (New Zealand), Minister of Foreign Affairs of New Zealand from 2020 to 2023. A member of the New Zealand Labour Party, Ma ...

, for allegedly interfering in local community matters.

Bilingualism and co-governance

In July 2023, Jepson issued a directive to remove the

Māori language Māori (; endonym: 'the Māori language', commonly shortened to ) is an Eastern Polynesian languages, Eastern Polynesian language and the language of the Māori people, the indigenous population of mainland New Zealand. The southernmost membe ...

from the Kaipara District's annual plan despite councillors agreeing on the sole bilingual copy. He claimed that he was motivated by a desire to produce "easier to read" documents. Jepson later proposed translating the English report into a Māori language one using

artificial intelligence Artificial intelligence (AI) is the capability of computer, computational systems to perform tasks typically associated with human intelligence, such as learning, reasoning, problem-solving, perception, and decision-making. It is a field of re ...

. Following pushback from local Māori iwi, Jepson issued a directive for a bilingual report based on the English annual plan to be produced. Jepson's decisions particularly the use of AI translation software were criticised by fellow Councillor Paniora, who described it as disrespectful to Māori and claimed that it would lead to the "bastardisation" of the Māori language. On 26 July 2023, several Māori speakers including Paniora,

resident Caren Davis, and Aotearoa Liberation League spokesperson Pere Huriwai-Seger defended the importance of

Tikanga Māori Tikanga is a Māori term for practices, customary law, attitudes and principles. Te Aka Māori Dictionary defines it as "customary system of values and practices that have developed over time and are deeply embedded in the social context". M ...

(Māori knowledge), Māori empowerment, and criticised Jepson's handling of the annual report's Māori translation. Huriwai-Seger also urged the District Council not to give a platform to controversial activist Julian Batchelor's controversial "Stop Co-Governance" national tour. In response, Jepson introduced Batchelor as a "surprise" guest speaker and defended him on "free speech" grounds.

Māori ward

On 7 August 2024, Jepson joined a majority of the Kaipara District Council's membership in voting to disestablish the Council's Te Moananui o Kaipara Māori ward, which had been introduced during the

and was won by Councillor Pera Paniora. The extraordinary council meeting attracted 150 protesters calling for the retention of the Council's Māori ward. The vote passed by a margin of six to three with one abstention. Following the vote, Jepson stated "I reject the notion that Māori must have a designated ward to ensure representation. The establishment and need for Māori wards relies on a false narrative." While Democracy NZ's Frank Newman welcome the council's vote,

Ngāti Whātua Ngāti Whātua is a Māori iwi (tribe) of the lower Northland Peninsula of New Zealand's North Island. It comprises a confederation of four hapū (subtribes) interconnected both by ancestry and by association over time: Te Uri-o-Hau, Te Roroa ...

's representative body "Te Runanga o Ngāti Whātua" announce it would file legal action against the council for failing to consult Māori.

Tūheitia's death

On 4 September 2024, Jepson declined to hold a moment of silence to mark the passing of

Māori King Māori or Maori can refer to: Relating to the Māori people * Māori people of New Zealand, or members of that group * Māori language, the language of the Māori people of New Zealand * Māori culture * Cook Islanders, the Māori people of the Co ...

Tūheitia, who died in late August 2024, stating "No, I'm not going to do that today. It's not on the agenda." Councillor Paniora described Jepson's actions as disrespectful towards Māori.

Withdrawal from LGNZ

In late May 2023, Jepson led the Kaipara District Council's decision to withdraw from

(LGNZ), the national representative body for local government bodies. Jepson claimed that LGNZ tended to represent government views to councils rather than councils' views to the government. Jepson's withdrawal motion was supported by Deputy Mayor Jonathan Larsen and fellow Crs Ash Nayaar, Gordon Lambeth, Ron Manderson, and Rachael Williams. The withdrawal motion was opposed by Crs Pera Paniora and Eryn Wilson-Collins while Crs Mike Howard and Mark Vincent were absent from the meeting.

2025 local elections

In June 2025, Jepson confirmed that he would not be running for a second term as Mayor of Kaipara during the

in October 2025. He instead endorsed Deputy Mayor Jonathan Larsen as a mayoral candidate. Jepson confirmed he would be running as a councillor in the Kaipara District Council's Kaiwaka-Mangawhai ward.

Views and positions

Climate change denial

Jepson has questioned the

scientific consensus Scientific consensus is the generally held judgment, position, and opinion of the majority or the supermajority of scientists in a particular field of study at any particular time. Consensus is achieved through scholarly communication at confer ...

. In December 2022, he circulated copies of

climate denier Climate change denial (also global warming denial) is a form of science denial characterized by rejecting, refusing to acknowledge, disputing, or fighting the scientific consensus on climate change. Those promoting denial commonly use rhetor ...

Bjørn Lomborg Bjørn Lomborg (; born 6 January 1965) is a Danish political scientist, author, and the president of the think tank Copenhagen Consensus Center. He is the former director of the Danish government's Environmental Assessment Institute (EAI) in ...

's book ''False Alarm – How climate change panic costs us trillions, hurts the poor and fails to fix the planet'' to fellow members of the Kaipara District Council.

Co-governance and race relations

Jepson has opposed the New Zealand Government's Three Waters reform programme and co-governance policies such as the

Politics

Jepson and his partner Jeanette Reid participated in the

2022 Wellington protests The 2022 Wellington protest was an anti-Vaccination policy, mandate and anti-COVID-19 lockdowns, lockdown occupation of the grounds of Parliament House, Wellington, Parliament House and Molesworth Street, Wellington, Molesworth Street in Wellin ...

in opposition to the Government's

COVID-19 Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) is a contagious disease caused by the coronavirus SARS-CoV-2. In January 2020, the disease spread worldwide, resulting in the COVID-19 pandemic. The symptoms of COVID‑19 can vary but often include fever ...

vaccine mandates. Jepson has also expressed support for

United States President The president of the United States (POTUS) is the head of state and head of government of the United States. The president directs the executive branch of the federal government and is the commander-in-chief of the United States Armed For ...

, saying that he admired Trump's ability to "go against the grain" and shared Trump's approach towards freedom of choice, less government and free speech. Jepson also welcome Trump's victory during the

2024 United States presidential election United States presidential election, Presidential elections were held in the United States on November 5, 2024. The Republican Party (United States), Republican Party's Ticket (election), ticket—Donald Trump, who was the 45th president of ...

as "the end of

woke ''Woke'' is an adjective derived from African-American English used since the 1930s or earlier to refer to awareness of racial prejudice and Racial discrimination, discrimination, often in the construction ''stay woke''. The term acquired p ...

" and held a celebratory gathering at his home.

Personal life

Craig Jepson lives in

with his partner Jeanette Reid. He is an avid fisherman, sailor and cyclist.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Jepson, Craig 1950s births Year of birth missing (living people) Living people Mayors of places in the Northland Region People from the Northland Region New Zealand businesspeople 21st-century New Zealand politicians