Former MP Brendan Horan eyes Whakatāne council role in elections

New Zealand First MP Brendan Horan. File photo / Stephen Parker

Former Tauranga-based MP, TVNZ weather presenter and New Zealand Iron Man champion Brendan Horan says he plans to stand for a seat on Whakatāne District Council in this year’s local body elections.

Horan was a list MP for NZ First and was stood down in 2012 after allegations he took large sums of money from his late mother’s account. He was cleared of any wrongdoing in 2016 following a two-year police investigation.

Horan is Whakatāne born and raised. He told the Whakatāne Beacon that though he currently lives in Papamoa, he had kept a close eye on the council, particularly on his old school buddy, Mayor Victor Luca.

“I can’t sing his praises enough. I’ve followed his progress as mayor in Whakatāne and I’m aware of the roadblocks he’s had to face.

“Whakatāne has the most qualified mayor in the world with Victor Luca,” he said.

He expressed disappointment in not seeing greater support for him on the council, particularly in his advocacy for more affordable rates.

“Affordability is vital, and we have to look to the future. There’s no reason Whakatāne District Council cannot create new revenue streams. The solar project that Mayor Victor was an advocate for is the perfect example.”

He said he was strongly in support of Luca’s proposal for a second river crossing.

“It’s critical infrastructure. Again, this is an area where councillors have dragged the chain. It’s a no-brainer, how important a second bridge is to Whakatāne for the safety of the residents.”

Though he had no plans to move home, Horan said it had always been his goal to return to Whakatāne one day.

“Whakatāne is a part of me. Apart from being born in Whakatāne, my children’s whenua is buried in Whakatāne.

“My love and responsibility and connection to Whakatāne is unbreakable.

“I’m there every second weekend anyway, particularly whenever the surf’s great.”

Horan said he had “no designs on being mayor”.

“But I do have strong designs to support our mayor to make Whakatāne a home for present and future generations.”

Horan attended St Joseph’s Catholic School and Whakatāne High School, and represented Whakatāne in sport during his youth, including in swimming, water polo and surf lifesaving.

He also represented New Zealand and Australia in water polo, was a New Zealand Surf Lifesaving Ironman champion and New Zealand outrigger canoe champion.

Horan went on to become a weather presenter for Television New Zealand between 2005 and 2007.

In 2008, he contested the East Coast electorate as a New Zealand First candidate. He became a New Zealand First list MP in 2011.

After being expelled from New Zealand First, he remained in Parliament as an independent. In 2014 he formed his own party, the NZ Independent Coalition, which failed to win any seats.

He later returned to study and earned a post-graduate degree in dispute resolution from the University of Waikato, and now does a variety of work.

“I help a lot of people if they have problems with different government departments. A lot of it, the work’s altruistic because by the time they get to me they’ve already exhausted every legal avenue.

Horan said he has helped people with immigration problems and also did cultural report writing for the courts.

“But a lot of that work has dried up thanks to this government.

“I also work with a travel operator taking targeted tours overseas. I’ve just come back from the United States. I get to travel a lot and keep an eye on what’s happening around the world.”

- LDR is local body journalism co-funded by RNZ and NZ On Air.