Glen Bennett

Glen Thomas Bennett[1] is a New Zealand politician and a member of the ruling centre-left Labour Party. He was elected the Member of the Parliament for New Plymouth at the 2020 New Zealand general election, defeating the National candidate and incumbent Jonathan Young.[2] Prior to entering politics, he worked in the community sector for more than 20 years.[3]

Glen Bennett

MP
Member of the New Zealand Parliament
for New Plymouth
Assumed office
17 October 2020
Preceded byJonathan Young
Majority2,555
Personal details
BornNew Zealand
Political partyLabour
OccupationPolitician

Political career
New Zealand Parliament
Years Term Electorate List Party
2020–present 53rd New Plymouth 72 Labour

Bennett was a member of the local New Plymouth Labour Party branch for over five years prior to his selection. In late 2019, Bennett ran unopposed for the Labour nomination for the New Plymouth seat, after serving on the local electorate executive for the previous two years.

At the 2020 general election, New Plymouth was not tipped as a seat to flip to Labour, with the party not having held the seat since 2008. On the night, Bennett defeated the incumbent National Party MP Jonathan Young by a final margin of 2,555 votes .[4]

Personal life

Bennett was raised in a Christian household, where his parents were active within the Salvation Army. Bennett often would find himself sharing a home with members of the public in need. After moving to New Plymouth, Bennett began a career in community work, working for twenty years in various roles such as youth development, community development, business enterprise and restorative justice.[5] In 2016, Bennett was one of the leaders of the peace hikoi to Parihaka.

Bennett is openly gay, and became engaged to fiancé Jon after a proposal on stage at a Troy Kingi concert in New Plymouth.[6] During the 2020 campaign, Bennett was accosted by a member of the public about his sexuality, which led to Andrew Little stepping in to stop the abuse.[7]

References
  1. "Event - New Zealand Parliament". www.parliament.nz.
  2. "Election 2020: Labour supporters dance the conga after dramatic takeover of New Plymouth seat". 18 October 2020. Retrieved 17 October 2020.
  3. "Glen Bennett". Retrieved 17 October 2020.
  4. "New Plymouth - Official Result". Electoral Commission. Retrieved 12 November 2020.
  5. "Glen Bennett". NZ Labour Party. Retrieved 19 October 2020.
  6. "Labour Party announces new candidate for New Plymouth electorate". Stuff. 20 December 2019. Retrieved 19 October 2020.
  7. "Election 2020: Andrew Little steps in to stop abuse of gay Labour candidate". Stuff. 2 October 2020. Retrieved 19 October 2020.
New Zealand Parliament
Preceded by
Jonathan Young		 Member of Parliament for New Plymouth
2020–present		 Incumbent
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