Greg O'Connor (politician)

Gregory Eamon O'Connor (born 12 May 1958) is a New Zealand politician who currently represents the electorate of Ōhāriu. Before this, he served served as the President of the New Zealand Police Association, a union representing 11,500 constabulary officers and employees.[1] In the 2017 general election he ran for the Labour Party in the Ōhāriu electorate, and won it with a majority of 1,051. In the next election, he increased his majority by 10,910 votes, in a landslide against the National Party's perennial challenger Brett Hudson.

Greg O'Connor

MP
O'Connor in 2020
Member of the New Zealand Parliament
for Ōhāriu
Assumed office
23 September 2017
Preceded byPeter Dunne
Majority11,961
Personal details
Born (1958-05-12) 12 May 1958
Buller, New Zealand
Political partyLabour
Spouse(s)Desley
RelationsDamien O'Connor (cousin)
ChildrenThree

Early life

O'Connor was born in the Buller District on the West Coast before moving to Wellington.[2] His family are Irish Catholic with New Zealand roots in Westport, and O'Connor stated that "growing up there's a fairly healthy disrespect for the law" where he grew up.[3]

Police career

O'Connor served in the New Zealand Police for almost four decades ending his career with the rank of Senior Sergeant.[2]

He was later elected President of the New Zealand Police Association in 1995.[2] His time as President was highly politicized with O'Connor weighing into political debates that concerned the Police force, particularly in regards to arming officers with firearms. O'Connor called for arming the police in New Zealand and also proposed routine arming of front line response police officers.[4] He retired as President in 2016, serving a record 21 years as the Police Association's head and regarded raising the Police Association's credibility as his main achievement during his tenure.[2]

He also spent time serving as the chair of the International Council of Police Representatives Association (ICPRA).[2]

Political career
New Zealand Parliament
Years Term Electorate List Party
2017–2020 52nd Ōhāriu 41 Labour
2020–present 53rd Ōhāriu none Labour

Upon his retirement from the Police Association, O'Connor was asked whether he was considering a career in politics, but he said he had no plans to do so at that time.[3] However, on 1 February 2017 O'Connor confirmed he was seeking the Labour Party nomination for the seat of Ōhāriu in the 2017 election to challenge incumbent Peter Dunne of United Future.[5] On 12 February it was revealed that O'Connor had won the Labour nomination for Ōhāriu.[6] O'Connor was also ranked 41 on Labour's party list for the election.[7] He won the seat by a margin of 1,051 votes.[8]

During the 2020 New Zealand general election, O'Connor retained Ohāriu by a final margin of 11,961 votes.[9]

Personal life

O'Connor lives in Wellington with his wife Desley. They have three children Isaac, Michael, and Evie. His cousin is Damien O'Connor, MP for West Coast-Tasman.[2]

References
  1. "About Us". New Zealand Police Association. Retrieved 9 December 2019.
  2. Scanlon, Lee (12 October 2016). "Greg O'Connor: A life on the front line". The New Zealand Herald. Retrieved 1 February 2017.
  3. Shadwell, Talia (16 January 2016). "Gun shy: Outgoing Police Association president Greg O'Connor has 'no plan' for politics". Stuff.co.nz. Retrieved 1 February 2017.
  4. Weekes, John (22 October 2015). "NZPA president Greg O'Connor to stand down". The New Zealand Herald. Retrieved 1 February 2017.
  5. "Former police association boss Greg O'Connor seeks Labour Party nomination". The New Zealand Herald. 1 February 2017. Retrieved 1 February 2017.
  6. "Labour Party selects Greg O'Connor in Ohariu". The New Zealand Herald. 12 February 2017. Retrieved 12 February 2017.
  7. "Revised Labour Party List for the 2017 Election". Scoop.co.nz. 15 August 2017. Retrieved 15 August 2017.
  8. "Ōhāriu - Official Result". Electoral Commission. 7 October 2017. Retrieved 7 October 2017.
  9. "Ōhāriu - Official Result". Electoral Commission. 6 November 2020. Retrieved 12 November 2020.
New Zealand Parliament
Preceded by
Peter Dunne		 Member of Parliament for Ōhāriu
2017–present		 Incumbent
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