French
DeutschBenjamin Doyle
Benjamin Doyle | |
|---|---|
.jpg) Doyle in 2023 | |
| Member of the New Zealand Parliament for Green party list | |
| Assumed office 22 October 2024 | |
| Preceded by | Darleen Tana |
| Personal details | |
| Born | Benjamin Cody Doyle[1] 1991 or 1992 (age 32–33) |
| Political party | Green |
| Children | 1 |
Benjamin Cody Doyle (born 1991 or 1992) is a New Zealand politician, representing the Green Party of Aotearoa New Zealand[2] as a Member of Parliament since replacing Darleen Tana, who was removed in 2024. Doyle is the first non-binary gender Member of Parliament.
Early and personal life
Doyle was born in 1991 or 1992,[3] and grew up in Whangaparāoa.[4] They are of Ngāpuhi, Scottish, and Irish descent. They lived in Auckland through high school and university.[5]
Doyle was a teacher at Auckland Girls' Grammar School and Manurewa High School.[5] Later, they held positions of head of Māori at Melville High School and head of social sciences at Rototuna Senior High School.[2][6] They then worked as a kaupapa Māori researcher and facilitator at the University of Waikato,[6] and as a community organiser for artists and LGBTQIA+ communities.[7] Until becoming an MP, they worked at Burnett Foundation Aotearoa.[5]
Doyle is non-binary, takatāpui and disabled.[2][8][9] As of 2024[update], they live in Hamilton with their partner and child.[5]
Political career
| Years | Term | Electorate | List | Party | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2024–pres. | 54th | List | 18 | Green | |
2023 general election
Doyle spoke against allowing the anti-trans activist Kellie-Jay Keen-Minshull (known as Posie Parker) into New Zealand, saying "Posie Parker should not be allowed into Aotearoa. In letting her enter, the minister has chosen to allow hateful anti-trans rhetoric into Aotearoa. That is unacceptable."[6]
Doyle contested the Hamilton West electorate in the 2023 election.[7] They were 18th on the Green Party list.[10] Doyle came third in the Hamilton West electorate with 3,230 votes.[11] The Green Party won 12 list seats in the election, and therefore Doyle was not elected at 18th on the party list.[12]
First term, 2024–present
Following the removal of Darleen Tana as a List MP in October 2024, Doyle was declared elected on 22 October 2024.[1] They said about Tana's removal:[5]
I made a really intentional decision about not getting involved in that because I was aware of the fact that I was implicated in it. But if I was seen to be involved in that process, it would be perceived as biased and it would be perceived as having motivations.
Doyle is the first non-binary member of New Zealand's parliament.[5] In their first term, they are a member of the Māori Affairs committee and the Green Party spokesperson for ACC, internal affairs, and takatāpui and rainbow communities, and associate spokesperson on Māori and early childhood education and sexual and reproductive health.[13]
In 2025, it surfaced that Doyle ran an Instagram account called @biblebeltbussy.[14] In one particular post from October 2023, Doyle posed with their child and captioned the photo "bussy galore".[15] Bussy is slang for a male anus, often used in LGBTQ circles.[14]
New Zealand First Deputy PM Winston Peters called Doyle's social media history concerning and raised the prospect of a police investigation into Doyle.[16] The Green Party rallied to Doyle's defence, arguing that bussy was an innocuous word that was only used in jest.[17] Green Party MP Chlöe Swarbrick stated that far-right actors were attempting to stoke hatred against LGBTQ people during the Doyle affair. National PM Chris Luxon called Doyle's posts inappropriate but declined to comment further, stating that it was an internal Green Party matter.[16] Luxon expressed ambivalence about Peters' remarks.[18]
References
- ^ a b Temel, Kristina (22 October 2024). "Declaration by Electoral Commission That Benjamin Cody Doyle is Elected a Member of Parliament". New Zealand Gazette. Retrieved 23 October 2024.
- ^ a b c "Benjamin Doyle candidate profile". Green Party. Archived from the original on 16 June 2024.
- ^ Lardies, Gabi (23 October 2024). "Who is Benjamin Doyle, the soon-to-be Green MP replacing Darleen Tana?". The Spinoff. Retrieved 23 October 2024.
- ^ "Benjamin Doyle profile". University of Waikato.
- ^ a b c d e f Lines-MacKenzie, Jo (4 November 2024). "Meet Parliament's first non-binary member". Waikato Times. Retrieved 17 November 2024.
- ^ a b c Allen, Benji (24 March 2023). "New Hamilton West Candidate Condemns Posie Parker". Waikato Independent.
- ^ a b "Green Party Announces Benjamin Doyle As Candidate For Hamilton West". Scoop New Zealand. 24 March 2023.
- ^ "Who is Benjamin Doyle, who the Greens want to replace Darleen Tana?". Radio New Zealand. 18 October 2024. Retrieved 24 October 2024.
- ^ Te Wake, Whatitiri; Gunson, Isaac (25 October 2024). "Exclusive: Meet Benjamin Doyle, the Green Party's newest MP". Te Ao Māori News.
- ^ "Green Party candidate list includes nine Māori". Te Ao News. 20 May 2023.
- ^ "Hamilton West - Official Result". Retrieved 18 November 2024.
- ^ "2023 General Election - Official Result". Retrieved 18 November 2024.
- ^ Doyle, Benjamin - New Zealand Parliament, retrieved 2 April 2025
- ^ a b "Luxon calls Green MP Doyle's social media language 'inappropriate', threats of violence 'unacceptable'". NZ Herald. 4 April 2025. Retrieved 5 April 2025.
- ^ Lynch, Jenna; Witton, Bridle (30 March 2025). "Green MP Benajmin Doyle facing 'death threats and abuse' over social media account". Stuff. Retrieved 5 April 2025.
- ^ a b Manch, Thomas (30 March 2025). "Winston Peters questions Green MP's deleted social media posts, raises prospect of police investigation". The Post. Retrieved 5 April 2025.
- ^ "Green MP Benjamin Doyle away from Parliament this week after death threats". RNZ. 1 April 2025. Retrieved 5 April 2025.
- ^ "Luxon calls Green MP Doyle's social media language 'inappropriate', threats of violence 'unacceptable'". NZ Herald. 4 April 2025. Retrieved 5 April 2025.
