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Darroch Ball
President of New Zealand First
Acting
In office
20 December 2020 – 20 June 2021
LeaderWinston Peters
Preceded byKristin Campbell-Smith
Succeeded byJulian Paul
Member of the New Zealand Parliament
for New Zealand First party list
In office
20 September 2014 – 17 October 2020
Personal details
Born1982 (age 41–42)
Auckland, New Zealand
Political partyNew Zealand First
Children2
Alma materUniversity of Auckland
ProfessionSoldier, teacher

Darroch Leicester Ball (born 1982) is a New Zealand politician of the New Zealand First party.

Ball was elected to the New Zealand House of Representatives at the 2014 general election and served as a Member of Parliament until his party's defeat in the 2020 general election. He was the party's interim president from December 2020 to July 2021 and is currently chief of staff to the New Zealand First leader, Winston Peters.

Early life

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Ball was born and raised in Auckland. He is of Tongan descent through his mother.[1] He attended Liston College (1996–2000) in Henderson and became a father aged 19.[2] He raised his two children as a single parent.[3]

Ball graduated with a bachelor's degree majoring in biological science from the University of Auckland in 2005. He was an logistics officer in the New Zealand Army for seven years and trained as a teacher in 2013.[4] He taught science at Waiopehu College in 2014 before his election to Parliament.[4][5] He was previously on the board of trustees of Linton Camp School.[6]

Member of Parliament

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New Zealand Parliament
Years Term Electorate List Party
2014–2017 51st List 10 NZ First
2017–2020 52nd List 5 NZ First

Ball joined New Zealand First at age 30. He was the NZ First electorate committee vice-chairman in Palmerston North while studying at Massey University and launched a campus branch of New Zealand First in September 2013.[7] The next month, he was elected the party's vice-president for the North Island.[8] He stood in the Palmerston North electorate in the 2014 election and was elected from the New Zealand First list, where he was ranked 10th.[5]

In Ball's first term, New Zealand First was part of the opposition. He was the party spokesperson for civil defence and emergency issues, consumer affairs, research, science and technology, social services and youth affairs, and sat on the social services committee.[9] He formed a close friendship with fellow New Zealand First MPs, Fletcher Tabuteau and Clayton Mitchell.[10] Ball's members bill, the Youth Employment Training and Education Bill, was debated in Parliament in May 2017; proposing the establishment of a youth employment training and education programme within the Defence Force, it was defeated at its first reading with only the support of New Zealand First, Labour and the Māori Party.[11][12]

In the 2017 general election, Ball contested Palmerston North again. He came third and was re-elected into Parliament on the New Zealand First party list.[13][14] He continued as New Zealand First spokesperson for social services and youth affairs and gained responsibility as the spokesperson for social housing, justice, courts and police.[9] He also chaired the transport and infrastructure committee.[9] New Zealand First and Labour formed a coalition government; as justice spokesperson, Ball held conservative positions and was instrumental in denying the Labour Party did not have support for several of its more progressive policies, including potential drug reform and a proposed "three strikes" legislation repeal bill.[15] He led an attempt to require the Abortion Legislation Bill to succeed in a referendum to be enacted; it failed 19–100.[16]

Ball introduced the Protection for First Responders and Prison Officers Bill in May 2018. The bill proposed that anyone who intentionally injures a first responder or prison officer commits an offence with a minimum sentence of six months of imprisonment.[17] The bill will supported unanimously by members at its first reading but lost support as it progressed through later stages. Following its July 2020 second reading, National and Labour, unhappy with the bill's drafting, returned it to the justice committee for further consideration.[18][19] After the 2020 general election, and after it was transferred to National Party MP Mark Mitchell, the bill was reconsidered by the House and discharged.[20]

In the 2020 general election held on 17 October, Ball unsuccessfully contested Palmerston North, coming fifth.[21] He and his fellow NZ First MPs lost their seats after the party's vote dropped to 2.6%, below the five percent threshold needed to enter Parliament.[22][23]

Later career

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Two months after the election, NZ First president Kristin Campbell-Smith resigned, and Ball became the party's interim president, saying he expected to hold the role until the party's 2021 annual general meeting.[24] Julian Paul was elected as the permanent president when the AGM was held in June 2021.[25]

Ball put himself forward as a candidate in a by-election for a seat on the Palmerston North City Council in February 2021,[26] but was unsuccessful, coming third.[27]

In early January 2021, Ball became the co-leader of the victims advocacy group Sensible Sentencing Trust.[28] As leader of the trust, Ball criticised the Green Party co-leader Marama Davidson for attending a function hosted by the Mongrel Mob gang.[29] Ball became the sole leader of the trust in 2022 and it shut down under his leadership.[30]

During the campaign for the 2023 election which restored Winston Peters and the New Zealand First Party to Parliament, Ball was a continuing presence with Peters, acting as his personal assistant and campaign manager. After the election, Ball became Peters' chief of staff, succeeding Jon Johansson.[31][32]

References

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  1. ^ "Meet the Backbenchers: Darroch Ball". NZ Herald. 25 December 2023. Retrieved 24 December 2023.
  2. ^ "NZ First's man of mystery: Darroch Ball". NZ Herald. 25 December 2023. Retrieved 24 December 2023.
  3. ^ Pamatatau, Richard (29 September 2017). "Richard Pamatatau: Will they make room at the cabinet table for Pacific talent?". E-Tangata. Retrieved 24 December 2023.
  4. ^ a b Matthew Grocott (22 September 2014). "MP Ball needs introducing". Manawatu Standard. Retrieved 22 September 2014.
  5. ^ a b Bennett, Adam (21 September 2014). "Election results 2014: Winston Peters blames Labour and Greens for rout". The New Zealand Herald. Retrieved 21 September 2014.
  6. ^ "The Board of Trustees". Linton Camp School. Archived from the original on 3 March 2016. Retrieved 20 September 2014.
  7. ^ "Uni more than 'beer and skittles'". Manawatu Standard. 21 September 2013. Retrieved 21 September 2014.
  8. ^ "New Zealand First selects new President" (Press release). New Zealand First. Voxy.co.nz. 20 October 2013. Retrieved 21 September 2014.
  9. ^ a b c "Ball, Darroch – New Zealand Parliament". www.parliament.nz. 30 January 2024. Retrieved 24 December 2023.
  10. ^ Rutherford, Hamish (3 July 2015). "'We genuinely like each other', says NZ First trio". Stuff. Retrieved 25 December 2023.
  11. ^ "Youth Employment Training and Education Bill 2017 (Member's Bill – Darroch Ball): Bills Digest No 2477 – New Zealand Parliament". www.parliament.nz. 30 January 2024. Retrieved 25 December 2023.
  12. ^ "Wednesday, 10 May 2017 – Volume 722 – New Zealand Parliament". www.parliament.nz. 30 January 2024. Retrieved 25 December 2023.
  13. ^ "Palmerston North – Official Result". Electoral Commission. Archived from the original on 17 January 2020. Retrieved 5 November 2020.
  14. ^ "2017 General Election – Official Result". Electoral Commission. Archived from the original on 17 January 2020. Retrieved 5 November 2020.
  15. ^ "Meet the chiefs of staff pulling strings for Luxon, Peters and Seymour in coalition talks". NZ Herald. 26 December 2023. Retrieved 25 December 2023.
  16. ^ Coughlan, Thomas (17 March 2020). "Attempt to put abortion law changes to a referendum fails crucial Parliamentary vote". Stuff. Retrieved 1 January 2024.
  17. ^ "Protection for First Responders and Prison Officers Bill". bills.parliament.nz. Retrieved 25 December 2023.
  18. ^ "Protection for First Responders and Prison Officers Bill — Referral to Justice Committee – New Zealand Parliament". www.parliament.nz. 30 January 2024. Retrieved 25 December 2023.
  19. ^ Devlin, Collette (22 July 2020). "Parliament defers adding prison time for assaults on first responders". Stuff. Retrieved 25 December 2023.
  20. ^ "Protection for First Responders and Prison Officers Bill — Report of Justice Committee – New Zealand Parliament". www.parliament.nz. 30 January 2024. Retrieved 25 December 2023.
  21. ^ "Palmerston North – Official Result". Electoral Commission. Retrieved 6 November 2020.
  22. ^ "2020 General Election and Referendums – Official Result". Electoral Commission. Retrieved 6 November 2020.[permanent dead link‍]
  23. ^ Owen, Catrin (18 October 2020). "Election 2020: Who are the MPs ejected from Parliament?". Stuff. Archived from the original on 19 October 2020. Retrieved 19 October 2020.
  24. ^ "President and secretary general resign from NZ First". Stuff. 20 December 2020. Retrieved 20 December 2020.
  25. ^ Cheng, Derek (20 June 2021). "Winston Peters announces New Zealand First will be back in 2023". The New Zealand Herald. Archived from the original on 20 June 2021. Retrieved 20 June 2021.
  26. ^ Rankin, Janine (23 December 2020). "Former MP stands in a field of 11 for Palmerston North council seat". Manawatu Standard. Stuff. Retrieved 24 January 2021.
  27. ^ "By-election 2021: Final results". Palmerston North City Council.
  28. ^ "Former NZ First MP Darroch Ball new co-leader of Sensible Sentencing Trust". Stuff. 4 January 2021. Archived from the original on 3 January 2021. Retrieved 4 May 2021.
  29. ^ "'An insult': Marama Davidson criticised for attending Mongrel Mob event". Newstalk ZB. 3 May 2021. Archived from the original on 2 May 2021. Retrieved 6 May 2021.
  30. ^ Jess McVicar on what happened to the Sensible Sentencing Trust, retrieved 25 December 2023
  31. ^ Audrey Young, "Audrey Young: Meet the chiefs of staff in the thick of political negotiations for Luxon, Peters and Seymour", Stuff, 9 November 2023(Retrieved 9 November 2023)
  32. ^ "Audrey Young: Foreign Minister Mark III – Peters surrounded by old work family". NZ Herald. 26 December 2023. Retrieved 25 December 2023.
[edit]
Party political offices
Preceded by
Kristin Campbell Smith
 President of New Zealand First
Acting
2020–2021 		Succeeded by
Julian Paul
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