Duncan Webb

Duncan Alexander Webb (born 1967) is a New Zealand lawyer and politician. He is currently a Member of Parliament in the House of Representatives for the Labour Party.

Duncan Webb

MP
Webb in 2017
Member of the New Zealand Parliament
for Christchurch Central
Assumed office
23 September 2017
Preceded byNicky Wagner
Majority2,871
Personal details
Born1966/1967 (age 53–54)[1]
England
Political partyLabour (1999–present)
ChildrenThree
Alma materUniversity of Canterbury
ProfessionLawyer
WebsiteLabour Party profile

Personal life

Webb moved to Christchurch from London in 1974 when he was six years old, coinciding with the Commonwealth Games being held in the city.[1] His father had attended Bible college before becoming a pastor at the Maori Evangelical Fellowship Church in Wainoni. After briefly living in Aranui, Webb's family moved to South Brighton where he grew up along with his four siblings.[2]

He attended Shirley Boys' High School and left before finishing his final year. Webb then attended the University of Canterbury, studying law.[2] Webb graduated Bachelor of Laws with Honours in 1989 before being awarded a Doctor of Laws in 2007.[3]

Webb currently lives in Christchurch and has worked as a lawyer and as a law professor at University of Canterbury.[4] Webb has also worked for the Public Interest Project, which seeks to get innocent people out of jail, and for the Howard League, which promotes prisoners’ rights.[5] He is a long-time member of the Labour party, joining in 1999.[6][2] He has three sons.[4] He split from his wife, Tania, in 2016.[1]

Political career

A long-time member of Labour, Webb was Brendon Burns' campaign chairman during the 2011 election.[2] Webb first stood for office in the 2017 election. He was nominated by the party in June 2016 to contest the electorate of Christchurch Central. This seat had been held by National party MP Nicky Wagner since 2011. Webb's campaign chair was ex-Mayor of Christchurch Garry Moore.[1] Webb was ranked 43 on Labour's party list.[7]

Member of Parliament
New Zealand Parliament
Years Term Electorate List Party
2017–present 52nd Christchurch Central 43 Labour

During the 2017 general election, Duncan Webb defeated Wagner by 2,871 votes and reclaimed the Christchurch Central seat for Labour.[8]

Following a cabinet reshuffle in late June 2019, Webb was appointed as a Chair of the Environment Select Committee.[9]

Political positions

In his maiden speech, Webb identified himself as a socialist.[10]

Palestinian advocacy

Webb has also defended the Boycott, Divestment and Sanctions campaign as a form of non-violent protest against Israeli policies towards the Palestinians.[11] In early June 2018, Webb also presented a petition on behalf of Palestinian solidarity activist Donna Miles the New Zealand Superannuation Fund to divest from "illegal" Israeli settlements in the West Bank.[12] In August 2018, Webb hosted a meeting with Unite Union Director Mike Treen, who participated in the International Freedom Flotilla's attempt that year to breach the Israeli blockade of the Gaza Strip.[13][14] Webb's Palestinian activism has drawn criticism from Zionist advocacy groups including the Israel Institute of New Zealand (IINZ) and the Australia/Israel & Jewish Affairs Council (AIJAC).[15][16]

References
  1. McCrone, John (29 April 2017). "The year of the door-knock: Duncan Webb's tilt at Christchurch Central". Stuff.co.nz. Retrieved 29 April 2017.
  2. Rutherford, Bridget (19 February 2017). "Lawyer's bid to reclaim former staunch seat for Labour". The New Zealand Herald. Retrieved 19 February 2017.
  3. "Graduate Search". University of Canterbury. Retrieved 24 July 2019.
  4. "Duncan Webb Nominated for Christchurch Central". Scoop. Retrieved 20 January 2017.
  5. "Dr Duncan Webb". New Zealand Labour Party. Retrieved 20 January 2017.
  6. "Duncan Webb Selected to Stand for Labour in Christchurch". Scoop. Retrieved 20 January 2017.
  7. "Revised Labour Party List for the 2017 Election". Scoop. 15 August 2017. Retrieved 15 August 2017.
  8. "Official Count Results -- Christchurch Central (2017)". Electoral Commission. 7 October 2017. Retrieved 12 October 2017.
  9. "Winners and losers - PM reveals first substantive Cabinet reshuffle". Radio New Zealand. 27 June 2019. Retrieved 1 July 2019.
  10. Matthews, Philip (16 November 2017). "Duncan Webb: Parliament's dad-joking socialist". Stuff.co.nz. Archived from the original on 17 November 2017.
  11. Duncan Webb [@DuncanWebbMP] (30 April 2019). "Boycott Divestment & Sanctions is a form of non-violent protest. It is a concrete way to express a political view condemning the policies adopted by the Israeli govt towards Palestine. We need to ensure that free speech rights like this are not shut down" (Tweet). Archived from the original on 24 July 2019 – via Twitter.
  12. "Petition: SuperFund divest from illegal settlements". Kia Ora Gaza. 6 June 2018. Archived from the original on 24 July 2019. Retrieved 24 July 2019.
  13. Cumin, David (14 August 2018). "Israel Institute calls on government to distance itself from terrorism". Israel Institute of New Zealand. Retrieved 24 July 2019.
  14. "Say no to the Israel Institute's call". Palestine Human Rights Campaign. Scoop. 16 August 2018. Retrieved 24 July 2019.
  15. Cumin, David (2 May 2019). "New Zealand Labour MP continues extreme anti-Israel stance". Israel Institute of New Zealand. Retrieved 24 July 2019.
  16. Cumin, David; Levin, Naomi (30 May 2019). "NZ Government should stand up to MP bringing them down". AIJAC. Retrieved 24 July 2019.
New Zealand Parliament
Preceded by
Nicky Wagner		 Member of Parliament for Christchurch Central
2017–present		 Incumbent
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