Brian Kevin Neeson (born 30 September 1945) is a New Zealand politician. He was an MP from 1990 to 2002, representing the National Party, and a member of the Waitematā District Health Board from 2004 to 2010.

Early life

Neeson was born in

Durban Durban ( ) ( zu, eThekwini, from meaning 'the port' also called zu, eZibubulungwini for the mountain range that terminates in the area), nicknamed ''Durbs'',Ishani ChettyCity nicknames in SA and across the worldArticle on ''news24.com'' from ...

South Africa South Africa, officially the Republic of South Africa (RSA), is the southernmost country in Africa. It is bounded to the south by of coastline that stretch along the South Atlantic and Indian Oceans; to the north by the neighbouring count ...

, and came to New Zealand when six years old. He worked in a number of jobs, having owned a restaurant and retail meat business and worked as a

real estate Real estate is property consisting of land and the buildings on it, along with its natural resources such as crops, minerals or water; immovable property of this nature; an interest vested in this (also) an item of real property, (more genera ...

consultant and

property developer Real estate development, or property development, is a business process, encompassing activities that range from the renovation and re-lease of existing buildings to the purchase of raw land and the sale of developed land or parcels to others. ...

. He later managed a private investment company.

Political career

Neeson represented a number of West Auckland electorates in his career, with frequent boundary changes meaning that he never ran in any electorate as an

incumbent The incumbent is the current holder of an office or position, usually in relation to an election. In an election for president, the incumbent is the person holding or acting in the office of president before the election, whether seeking re-el ...

. He was first elected to Parliament in the 1990 election as MP for the Te Atatu seat, and in the 1993 election, he successfully contested the Waitakere seat. In the 1996 election, he successfully contested the Waipareira seat, and in the 1999 election, he contested the Waitakere seat once again. From age 38, he had lived in a house in West Harbour and he always stood in the electorate that his house was located in. In the

2002 election The following elections occurred in the year 2002. * 2002 Bahraini parliamentary election * 2002 Comorian presidential election * 2002 East Timorese presidential election * 2002 Fijian municipal election * 2002 Hong Kong Chief Executive election * ...

, he sought the National Party nomination for the new seat of

Helensville Helensville is a town in the North Island of New Zealand. It is sited northwest of Auckland, close to the southern extremity of the Kaipara Harbour. State Highway 16 passes through the town, connecting it to Waimauku to the south, and Kaukapa ...

, which had absorbed most of the Waitakere electorate. However, he was controversially defeated for selection by

John Key Sir John Phillip Key (born 9 August 1961) is a New Zealand retired politician who served as the 38th Prime Minister of New Zealand from 2008 to 2016 and as Leader of the New Zealand National Party from 2006 to 2016. After resigning from bo ...

, a new candidate. Neeson considered his non-selection to be a betrayal, believing that National Party president

Michelle Boag Michelle Ann Boag (born 10 December 1954) is a New Zealand public relations practitioner and former National Party president. Biography She was educated at Auckland Girls' Grammar School and graduated with a Bachelor of Arts in political sci ...

had deliberately engineered his defeat in order to further her "rejuvenation" of the party. Neeson quit the National Party and stood as an

independent Independent or Independents may refer to: Arts, entertainment, and media Artist groups * Independents (artist group), a group of modernist painters based in the New Hope, Pennsylvania, area of the United States during the early 1930s * Independe ...

, but placed third.

After parliament

In December 2009 Neeson was appointed to the

Human Rights Review Tribunal The Human Rights Review Tribunal is a statutorily established institution fundamental to the application, determination and up holding of human rights in New Zealand. The tribunal is established under the New Zealand Human Rights Act 1993. The Hum ...

. The appointment was criticised by the gay community and by Labour MP

Grant Robertson Grant Murray Robertson (born 30 October 1971) is a New Zealand politician and member of the Labour Party who has served as the 19th deputy prime minister of New Zealand since 2020 and the minister of Finance since 2017. He has served as Member ...

due to Neeson's record of voting against gay rights while an MP. In 2010 Neeson was elected to the Upper Harbour Local Board of the new

Auckland Council Auckland Council ( mi, Te Kaunihera o Tāmaki Makaurau) is the local government council for the Auckland Region in New Zealand. It is a territorial authority that has the responsibilities, duties and powers of a regional council and so is a ...

, as well as the Waitakere Licensing Trust. He also ran for the Auckland Council, placing 10th in the Albany ward with 4,911 votes. At the 2016 Auckland elections, Neeson was elected to the Upper Harbour Local Board and the Waitematā District Health Board.

References

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Neeson, Brian New Zealand National Party MPs 1945 births Living people South African emigrants to New Zealand Local politicians in New Zealand Members of the New Zealand House of Representatives New Zealand MPs for Auckland electorates People from Durban 21st-century New Zealand politicians Unsuccessful candidates in the 1987 New Zealand general election Waitemata District Health Board members