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{{Short description|New Zealand politician (born 1945)}}{{Use dmy dates|date=October 2014}}{{Use New Zealand English|date=October 2014}}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, South Africa, and moved to New Zealand when he was six years old. He worked in a number of jobs, having owned a restaurant and retail meat business and worked as a real estate consultant and property developer. He later managed a private investment company.

Political career

{{NZ parlbox header|align=left}}{{NZ parlbox|term=43rd|start={{NZ election link year|1990}}|end=1993|party=New Zealand National Party|electorate=Te Atatu}}{{NZ parlbox|term=44th|start={{NZ election link year|1993}}|end=1996|party=New Zealand National Party|electorate=Waitakere}}{{NZ parlbox|term=45th|start={{NZ election link year|1996}}|end=1999|party=New Zealand National Party|electorate=Waipareira|list=35}}{{NZ parlbox|term=46th|start={{NZ election link year|1999}}|end=2002|party=New Zealand National Party|electorate=Waitakere|list=34}}{{NZ parlbox footer}}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. 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.NEWS, Orsman, Bernard, Key electorate: Helensville,www.nzherald.co.nz/politics/news/article.cfm?c_id=280&objectid=2049966, 10 July 2015, The New Zealand Herald, 5 July 2002, In the 2002 election, he sought the National Party nomination for the new seat of Helensville, which had absorbed most of the Waitakere electorate. However, he was controversially defeated for selection by John Key, a new candidate. Neeson considered his non-selection to be a betrayal, believing that National Party president Michelle Boag had deliberately engineered his defeat in order to further her “rejuvenation” of the party.NEWS, Secret emails reveal Boag’s role in ousting MP, Fran, O’Sullivan,www.nzherald.co.nz/politics/news/article.cfm?c_id=280&objectid=2047639&pnum=0, The New Zealand Herald, 20 Jun 2002, 13 October 2011, Neeson quit the National Party and stood as an independent, but placed third.

After parliament

In December 2009 Neeson was appointed to the Human Rights Review Tribunal.PRESS RELEASE, Power, Simon, Simon Power (politician),www.scoop.co.nz/stories/PA0912/S00340.htm, Human Rights Review Tribunal appointments, New Zealand Government, Scoop (website), Scoop, 18 December 2009, 13 October 2011, The appointment was criticised by the gay communityWEB,www.gaynz.com/articles/publish/2/article_8321.php, “Bigot” ex-MP becomes human rights panellist, GayNZ, 22 December 2009, 13 October 2011,www.gaynz.com/articles/publish/2/article_8321.php," title="web.archive.org/web/20130223015610www.gaynz.com/articles/publish/2/article_8321.php,">web.archive.org/web/20130223015610www.gaynz.com/articles/publish/2/article_8321.php, 23 February 2013, dead, dmy-all, and by Labour MP Grant Robertson due to Neeson’s record of voting against gay rights while an MP.NEWS,www.nzherald.co.nz/nz/news/article.cfm?c_id=1&objectid=10616912, Human rights appointee criticised as anti-gay, The New Zealand Herald, Claire, Trevett, 22 December 2009, 13 October 2011, In 2010 Neeson was elected to the Upper Harbour Local Board of the new Auckland Council, as well as the Waitakere Licensing Trust.WEB,www.thetrusts.co.nz/wa.asp?idWebPage=12955&idDetails=141, About Us: Waitakere Licensing Trust, Portage and Waitakere Trusts, 13 October 2011, dead,www.thetrusts.co.nz/wa.asp?idWebPage=12955&idDetails=141," title="web.archive.org/web/20120425062537www.thetrusts.co.nz/wa.asp?idWebPage=12955&idDetails=141,">web.archive.org/web/20120425062537www.thetrusts.co.nz/wa.asp?idWebPage=12955&idDetails=141, 25 April 2012, dmy-all, He also ran for the Auckland Council, placing 10th in the Albany ward with 4,911 votes.WEB,www.aucklandcouncil.govt.nz/SiteCollectionDocuments/finalresultsaucklandcouncil.pdf, Auckland – Final Results, 15 October 2010, 17 October 2010, {{dead link|date=July 2017 |bot=InternetArchiveBot |fix-attempted=yes }}At the 2016 Auckland elections, Neeson was elected to the Upper Harbour Local Board and the Waitematā District Health Board.WEB,www.aucklandcouncil.govt.nz/EN/AboutCouncil/HowCouncilWorks/Elections/Documents/aucklanddhb2016.pdf, Archived copy, 2016-10-15, dead,www.aucklandcouncil.govt.nz/EN/AboutCouncil/HowCouncilWorks/Elections/Documents/aucklanddhb2016.pdf," title="web.archive.org/web/20161019014606www.aucklandcouncil.govt.nz/EN/AboutCouncil/HowCouncilWorks/Elections/Documents/aucklanddhb2016.pdf,">web.archive.org/web/20161019014606www.aucklandcouncil.govt.nz/EN/AboutCouncil/HowCouncilWorks/Elections/Documents/aucklanddhb2016.pdf, 19 October 2016, dmy, WEB,www.aucklandcouncil.govt.nz/EN/AboutCouncil/HowCouncilWorks/Elections/Documents/Confirmedlocalelectionresults2016.pdf, Archived copy, 2016-10-15, dead,www.aucklandcouncil.govt.nz/EN/AboutCouncil/HowCouncilWorks/Elections/Documents/Confirmedlocalelectionresults2016.pdf," title="web.archive.org/web/20161019000339www.aucklandcouncil.govt.nz/EN/AboutCouncil/HowCouncilWorks/Elections/Documents/Confirmedlocalelectionresults2016.pdf,">web.archive.org/web/20161019000339www.aucklandcouncil.govt.nz/EN/AboutCouncil/HowCouncilWorks/Elections/Documents/Confirmedlocalelectionresults2016.pdf, 19 October 2016, dmy,

References

{{Reflist}}

• BOOK, Stringer, John, 1990 Parliamentary Candidates for the New Zealand National Party, 1990, New Zealand National Party, Wellington,