Harry Duynhoven | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Mayor of New Plymouth | |
| In office 2010–2013 | |
| Preceded by | Peter Tennent |
| Succeeded by | Andrew Judd |
| Councillor of theNew Plymouth District | |
| Assumed office 11 March 2015 | |
| Preceded by | John McLeod and Len Howners |
| Member of theNew Zealand Parliament forNew Plymouth | |
| In office 1987–1990 | |
| Preceded by | Tony Friedlander |
| Succeeded by | John Armstrong |
| Majority | 5,439 (16.5%)[1] |
| In office 1993–2008 | |
| Preceded by | John Armstrong |
| Succeeded by | Jonathan Young |
| Personal details | |
| Born | (1955-06-22)22 June 1955 (age 70) New Plymouth, New Zealand |
| Nationality | Netherlands New Zealand |
| Political party | Labour |
| Profession | Electrician |
Harry James DuynhovenQSO (born 22 June 1955) is a New Zealand politician and member of theNew Zealand Labour Party. He was themayor of New Plymouth from 2010 to 2013. He was a Member of Parliament for theNew Plymouth electorate from 1987 to 1990, from 1993 to 2003, and again from 2003 to 2008.
Duynhoven was elected as mayor of New Plymouth in October 2010 but was defeated after serving a single term. He was elected as a councillor for the city ward of theNew Plymouth District Council in a by-election, and was re-elected to that role and elected as a board member on theTaranaki District Health Board in 2016 and 2019.
Duynhoven was born inNew Plymouth on 22 June 1955.[2]He leftSpotswood College at age sixteen to become anelectrician, and eventually became a technical teacher at the collegiate and polytechnic level.
| Years | Term | Electorate | List | Party | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1987–1990 | 42nd | New Plymouth | Labour | ||
| 1993–1996 | 44th | New Plymouth | Labour | ||
| 1996–1999 | 45th | New Plymouth | none | Labour | |
| 1999–2002 | 46th | New Plymouth | 29 | Labour | |
| 2002–2005 | 47th | New Plymouth | none | Labour | |
| 2005–2008 | 48th | New Plymouth | none | Labour | |
Duynhoven enteredParliament in the1987 election, winning theNew Plymouth seat from incumbentNational Party MP,Tony Friedlander. In the1990 election, he lost the seat toNational'sJohn Armstrong, but won it back in the1993 election. In the2008 election he lost toNew Zealand National Party candidate,Jonathan Young by 105 votes,[3] the smallest margin in the election.[4]
In 2003, Duynhoven raised with the Speaker of Parliament his status, and whether he might have breached electoral law, thus disqualifying him from retaining his seat. The Speaker was responsible for determining whether a vacancy existed. This matter arose after Duynhoven applied to resume hiscitizenship of theNetherlands. His father was from theNetherlands, and Duynhoven had possessed citizenship from birth, but had temporarily lost it due to a change ofDutch law. According to electoral law, applying for foreign citizenship would disqualify Duynhoven from retaining his seat. The Speaker ruled on 23 July 2003 that Parliament's Privileges Committee, who were until 2002 responsible for determining whether a vacancy exists, would consider the matter, and that he would be guided by their report. The Solicitor General advised the Privileges Committee that the law was clear, and that Duynhoven's seat became vacant on 11 June 2003. The majority decision of the Privileges Committee was that Duynhoven was disqualified from holding his seat, and that it had accordingly been vacated. However the government introduced an act retroactively amending the law, to allow Duynhoven to resume his seat.[5][6]
Duynhoven served as a Minister outsideCabinet ofHelen Clark'sLabour Government with the portfolio of Associate Minister of Transport, and later, Minister for Transport Safety and Associate Minister of Energy until his government's defeat. He did not stand as aparty list candidate in the2008 general election.
In 1990, Duynhoven was awarded theNew Zealand 1990 Commemoration Medal.[7] He was appointed aCompanion of the Queen's Service Order in the2012 New Year Honours, for services as a Member of Parliament.[8]
In October 2010, Duynhoven was electedMayor of New Plymouth.[9] Three years later, on 12 October 2013, Mr Duynhoven became the first New Plymouth mayor since Edward Hill in 1956 to be ousted after one term."[10] He attributed his defeat at that election to being overshadowed by maverick councillor John McLeod.[11]
McLeod, along with fellow councillor Len Houwers, resigned in late 2014.[12] On 11 January 2015, Duynhoven confirmed months of speculation that he would stand in the by-election to fill the vacancies. Duynhoven said his decision to stand in the by-election came after receiving "a huge number of phone calls and visits from people asking me to stand."[13] Duynhoven was one of the two successful candidates. He was re-elected in the2016 local elections and the2019 local elections. In both of those elections, he was also elected to theTaranaki District Health Board.
In July 2025, Duynhoven announced that he would be retiring from theNew Plymouth District Council atthat year's local elections.[14]
| New Zealand Parliament | ||
|---|---|---|
| Preceded by | Member of Parliament for New Plymouth 1987–1990 1993–2008 | Succeeded by |
| Preceded by | Succeeded by | |
| Preceded by John McLeod and Len Howners | Councillor of theNew Plymouth District 2015 by-election | Succeeded by Incumbent |