New Zealand Outdoors Party

The New Zealand Outdoors Party was launched in September 2015 by co-leaders Alan Simmons and David Haynes with the aim of protecting New Zealand's environment and outdoor heritage.[5] In its December 2016 newsletter, the party stated it was "pushing hard" to get to 500 members so that it could register.[8] In a letter to Rural News, Simmons claimed the party "has possibly more members than some parties already in Parliament", though did not give figures.[9]

On 22 July 2017 the party applied for registration with the Electoral Commission,[10] and this was granted on 11 August 2017.[11] The party stood four electorate candidates in Nelson, Taupō, Maungakiekie and Hutt South. The same four candidates were also on the party list for the 2017 general election.[6] During the 2017 general election, the Outdoors Party gained 0.1% of the party vote and failed to win any seats in the New Zealand House of Representatives.[12]

Following the de-registration of the Ban 1080 Party in 2017, many Ban 1080 supporters moved to the Outdoors Party.[13] In January 2020 the party elected anti-1080 activist Sue Grey as its co-leader.[13]

In March 2020 the party formed an alliance with the Real NZ Party, resulting in the founder and leader of Real NZ, David Moffett, being appointed to the Outdoor Party's board.[14][15] The party subsequently received a broadcasting allocation of $51,821 for the 2020 election.[16]

In April 2020 the party criticised a nationwide lockdown (a response to the COVID-19 pandemic) as "cruel and unreasonable" as it banned hunting and other outdoor activities. They also compared the New Zealand Government to the Nazi Party.[2]

In June 2020, supporters of the party at a rally in Auckland claimed that the September 11 attacks were a false flag operation, promoted flat earth theories, and denounced "mind control" and 5G technology.[17] They also harassed and threatened a young Asian woman after she wiped out chalk slogans saying "it's okay to be white" and "all lives matter". One supporter screamed at the woman to “go back to her own country”, while another said "she wasn't born here, she came here to create shit". Party co-leader Alan Simmons joined the confrontation and reprimanded the woman for her language, saying "you shouldn't be using language like that, a little girl like you". Party member Tracy Livingston, who was also present, tried to ease tension, telling those filming the event that the young woman was "not the enemy" and that everybody was "naturally racist". Party co-leader Sue Grey later told media that the people in the video were not members of the party, that the party did not condone their actions, and that two of the people in the incident had since apologised to her. Simmons also spoke to media afterwards, saying he had "protected the girl" from harm.[18]

In August 2020 co-leader Sue Grey alleged that the Outdoors Party had been the target of a campaign of harassment by supporters of the New Zealand Public Party after it had rejected a takeover offer in April and refused to join an alliance with Advance New Zealand. Public Party leader Billy Te Kahika said that he found the behaviour "absolutely reprehensible" and asked his supporters not to abuse Grey. Te Kahika also said that “the worst and the filthiest behaviour has actually come from Outdoors Party supporters towards [the Public Party]", and that he remained opened to the Outdoors Party joining the alliance.[19]

Around September 2020, at least six nominated candidates pulled out of the party or switched allegiance to other parties, including going to the New Zealand Public Party or the Social Credit Party or to found a new party called the Attica Project.[7]

The party won 3,256 party votes in the election, or 0.1% of the total.[20]