Candidate List
Internet Party People! We have now selected our Indicative Party List candidates and they have been ranked by our membership. Our candidates are regular people with heart, dedication, integrity and a commitment to the core values of the Internet Party of New Zealand.
Candidates List
Suzie Dawson
Age: 37List position: 1
Home town: North Shore
Primary policy area: Governance
Secondary policy area: Human Rights
Bio: Suzie Dawson
"Hi, my name is Ben. I'm a 39 year old 6th generation New Zealander. I adore the Internet Party's ideology and futuristic, proactive vision of updating New Zealand. Currently we are in the last phases of the failed neoliberal experiments of the last 30 odd years. I see that this has crippled our innovation, our people and our country. I stand for open source media and communications. I aim to open up our channels of media away from the corporate stranglehold that stifles informed debate and silences our unique and progressive collective voice. We must have the ability to hear our voices, music, art and culture and export it to the world and at the same time forge our unique and diverse identity as we move further into the 21st century."
Benjamin Cooney
Age: 39List position: 2
Home town: Mt Albert
Primary policy area: Broadcasting, Arts and Culture
Secondary policy area: Youth
Bio: Benjamin Cooney
"Hi, my name is Ben. I'm a 39 year old 6th generation New Zealander. I adore the Internet Party's ideology and futuristic, proactive vision of updating New Zealand. Currently we are in the last phases of the failed neoliberal experiments of the last 30 odd years. I see that this has crippled our innovation, our people and our country. I stand for open source media and communications. I aim to open up our channels of media away from the corporate stranglehold that stifles informed debate and silences our unique and progressive collective voice. We must have the ability to hear our voices, music, art and culture and export it to the world and at the same time forge our unique and diverse identity as we move further into the 21st century."
Daymond Goulder-Horobin
Age: 22List position: 3
Home town: Botany
Primary policy area: Economy
Secondary policy area: Housing
Bio: Daymond Goulder-Horobin
"Hello, My Name is Daymond Goulder-Horobin, I am 22 and I am proud to have been accepted as a candidate for the Internet Party. I believe that the Internet Party has the right mindset and the right people to be able to save this country. I have the skills necessary to bring different perspectives together to find the right solutions and develop policies necessary to solve problems in New Zealand. This is evidenced not only by my paper qualification of a Bachelor of Business with a double major in Economics and Finance from AUT, but also from previous discussions and debating on Loomio!
With research-based policies debates will be much easier to fight, both with having the best policies of all parties, and also from public speaking skills I have developed from nearly two years of frontline Teaching Assistant work at AUT. My goal this election is to be a fearless leader on the political battlefield and to bring factual analysis to the forefront, rising above the simple two-dimensional politics that we see in the mainstream. With our guidance and oversight, we will reinstall democracy's operating system in New Zealand!"
Jo Booth
Age: 37List position: 4
Home town: Upper Hutt
Primary policy area: Health
Secondary policy area: Transport
Bio: Jo Booth
Jo Booth, 37, from Wellington, like many others, latched onto the the promise of a open, free, fair, connected and innovative society in 2014, and holds onto that hope still. To the Internet Party he brings a strong background in problem analysis, technical leadership, system diagnostics and a comprehensive technical knowledge that has brought the tech back for the 2017 campaign. He listens to the #InternetPartyPeople and brings a passion to see them represented more and more. With years of experience in public safety and compliance, he's ready to tackle the Transport portfolio and as hacker and founding CIO of a NZ health startup he's ready to bring innovation to Health too. Politics urgently needs an Update, and Jo is always up for the challenging tasks.
Blake Bedford-Palmer
Age: 20List position: 5
Home town: Christchurch
Primary policy area: Christchurch
Secondary policy area: Technology
Bio: Blake Bedford-Palmer
"Hi there, My name is Blake. I am currently an IT student in Christchurch.
The innovative new ways of doing things drew me to the Internet Party, Whether that be the way our members can decide what our policies will be or how we can have meetings from the comfort of our own homes. I think Internet Party has an important place in New Zealand politics, by covering important issues that other parties aren’t, and new solutions for other problems like the housing shortage that are thinking outside of the box. The Internet Party has the courage to break the mould and is the only party to provide true democracy."
Bruce King
Age: 55List position: 6
Home town: Massey
Primary policy area: Environment
Secondary policy area: Energy
Bio: Bruce King
"Hi, my name is Bruce. I’m 55 years old & live in the Upper Harbour electorate. I’m honoured and excited to be a candidate for the Internet Party and spokesperson for the Environment & Energy portfolios. I had my own renewable energy design company and was a research physicist before that. We’re passionate about a free and fair New Zealand and that includes our amazing environment."
Nicholas Smith
Age: 46List position: 7
Home town: Palmerston North
Primary policy area: Housing
Secondary policy area: Tourism
Bio: Nicholas Smith
Nicholas grew up in the Manawatu-Wanganui region during the period spanning the governments of Prime Ministers Norman Kirk to Jim Bolger. Initially trained and employed in clerical roles, he later worked in the fields of entertainment, film distribution, retail and commercial logistics.
Having already had his interest in politics sparked by concern at the lamentable direction of his country prior to 2011, Nicholas subsequently joined the worldwide Occupy movement and enjoyed his awakening within an international community of far more intelligent and caring people than he had ever previously experienced.
Jourdan Turner
Age: 24List position: 8
Home town: Ellerslie
Primary policy area: Immigration
Secondary policy area: Education
Bio: Jourdan Turner
"Hey everyone my names Jourdan and I currently reside in Ellerslie, Auckland. I was one of those generic voters who year after year voted for the same party yet saw no change. Noting that this year was election year I wanted to really make a positive impact for our country and drive for a positive change.
I am honoured to be selected as an offical candidate of the Internet Party and chose to accept because I believe that the party's policies align with the progress I want to implement for New Zealand. The Party's agenda is to create a better, open NZ through transparency and honesty. We are an authentic people, wanting to make a genuine difference in a country that deserves it. It's time to update NZ, it's time that NZ be called home again. What do you think?"