Andrew Judd
{{Short description|New Zealand politician (born 1965)}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=April 2017}}
{{Use New Zealand English|date=November 2016}}
{{Infobox officeholder
| name = Andrew Judd
| honorific-suffix =
| image =
| alt =
| caption =
| office1 = 26th Mayor of New Plymouth
| term_start1 = 26 October 2013
| term_end1 = 25 October 2016
| predecessor1 = Harry Duynhoven
| successor1 = Neil Holdom
| deputy1 = Heather Dodunski
| majority1 = 9,206
| office2 = Councillor for New Plymouth District
| term_start2 = 2007
| term_end2 = 2013
| party = Māori Party (2016){{cite web |url=https://www.stuff.co.nz/national/politics/84967162/new-plymouth-mayor-andrew-judds-possible-future-in-the-maori-party |title=New Plymouth mayor Andrew Judd's possible future in the Maori Party |last=Wilkinson |first=Jeremy |date=4 October 2016 |website=Stuff |publisher= |access-date=25 July 2020 |quote=}}
| birth_name = Andrew Mark Judd
| birth_date = {{Birth year and age|1965}}
| birth_place = Masterton, New Zealand
| death_date =
| death_place =
| occupation = Dispensing optician
}}
Andrew Mark Judd (born 1965) is a New Zealand local government politician and activist who served as the mayor of New Plymouth from 2013 to 2016.
Early life
Judd was born in Masterton in 1965, the second of six children of Peter and Jennifer Judd. His father ran a menswear shop and his mother had come to New Zealand from Guernsey as a 16-year-old. Judd was educated at Makoura College.{{cite news |last=Husband |first=Dale |date=14 May 2016 |title=Andrew Judd: An upbringing too white by far |url=https://e-tangata.co.nz/korero/andrew-judd-an-upbringing-too-white-by-far/ |access-date=26 November 2023 |work=E-Tangata}}{{cite news |last=Tucker |first=Jim |date=Spring 2016 |title=Judging Andrew |url=https://jimtuckermedia.files.wordpress.com/2014/11/andrew-judd-interview-full-text.pdf |access-date=26 November 2023 |work=Lïve}}
Career
After leaving school Judd had a varied work history as a cloth-cutter in clothing factories, stock and station sales management cadet, home appliance retailer, and sales rep for The Radio Network, then he became a dispensing optician in New Plymouth.
= Politics =
At the 2007 local-body elections, Judd was elected to the New Plymouth District Council as the second-highest polling candidate.{{cite news |title=Horse focuses on "necessities before niceties" |first=Ryan |last=Evans |date=15 October 2007 |work=Taranaki Daily News |page=1}} He was re-elected in 2010, polling in fourth place.{{cite news |title=Bublitz, Tamati in from the cold |first=Ryan |last=Evans |date=11 October 2010 |work=Taranaki Daily News |page=3}}
Judd won the mayoralty of New Plymouth from one-term incumbent Harry Duynhoven with a 9,206 vote majority in 2013{{cite news |url=http://www.stuff.co.nz/national/politics/local-body-elections/9276598/Andrew-Judd-elected-mayor-of-New-Plymouth|title=Andrew Judd elected mayor of New Plymouth|publisher=Stuff.co.nz |work=Taranaki Daily News |date=12 October 2013 |access-date=30 October 2016}} and served one term before announcing he would not stand again in 2016.{{cite news |title= New Plymouth mayor Andrew Judd announces he will not stand for re-election |url=http://www.stuff.co.nz/taranaki-daily-news/news/79689793/new-plymouth-mayor-andrew-judd-announces-he-will-not-stand-for-reelection |publisher= Stuff.co.nz |work=Taranaki Daily News |author=Hannah Lee |date=6 May 2016 |access-date=30 October 2016}}
=Māori wards=
In 2014 Judd caused controversy when he and his council supported the establishment of a Māori ward in New Plymouth in a move intended to increase Māori representation, lift iwi participation in council decision-making and fulfil Treaty of Waitangi obligations. Judd also called for all councils in New Zealand to have up to 50% Māori representation.{{cite news |title= Mayor calls for half Maori councils |url= http://www.stuff.co.nz/national/politics/63475174/mayor-calls-for-half-maori-councils |publisher=Stuff.co.nz |work=Taranaki Daily News |author=Taryn Utiger |date=24 November 2014 |access-date=30 October 2016}} The proposals were widely criticised by politicians and the media, with New Zealand First leader Winston Peters calling arguments for the ward "childish nonsense" and right-wing media personality Mike Hosking labelling Judd "completely out of touch with middle New Zealand". In the months following, a publicly initiated referendum on the creation of a Māori ward, which Judd lost in a landslide, the mayor spoke to media about "a man in a Nazi uniform" coming to see him, getting removed as a patron of a club, being abused walking down the street in a Santa parade and being spat on whilst out with family at a local supermarket.{{cite news |title= 'I had a man dressed in a Nazi uniform come to see me' – New Plymouth mayor won't seek re-election in wake of racial hate |url= https://www.tvnz.co.nz/one-news/new-zealand/had-man-dressed-in-nazi-uniform-come-see-me-new-plymouth-mayor-wont-seek-re-election-wake-racial-hate|publisher=Television New Zealand |work=Seven Sharp (ONE NEWS) |date=6 May 2015 |access-date=30 October 2016}} Judd, a New Zealand European, labels himself a "recovering racist".{{cite web|url=http://morganfoundation.org.nz/andrew-judd-realised-recovering-racist/ |title=Andrew Judd: How I realised I am a recovering racist |website=Morganfoundation.org.nz |date=25 July 2016 |access-date=5 March 2017}}
However, Judd gained the admiration and recognition of political figures, including MP Marama Fox who called for his critics to apologise in a general debate speech before parliament.{{cite web|url=https://www.parliament.nz/en/pb/hansard-debates/rhr/document/51HansS_20160511_00001000/fox-marama-general-debate |title=Fox, Marama: General Debate – New Zealand Parliament |website=Parliament.nz |date=11 May 2016 |access-date=5 March 2017}} Support for Judd also flowed on social media, with a Facebook group named "Andrew Judd Fan Club" reaching 10,500 members.{{cite web|url=http://www.stuff.co.nz/taranaki-daily-news/79746939/Support-on-social-media-flows-for-New-Plymouth-mayor |title=Support on social media flows for New Plymouth mayor |website=Stuff.co.nz |date=9 May 2016 |access-date=5 March 2017}}
Subsequently, in the region of Taranaki in 2020 the South Taranaki District Council, the New Plymouth District Council voted to establish a ward, in 2021, the Taranaki Regional Council and the Stratford District Council also voted in favour of a Māori ward.{{Cite web |last=Harvey |first=Helen |date=5 April 2024 |title=Andrew Judd promises to fight Māori ward rule reversal |url=https://www.stuff.co.nz/nz-news/350234775/andrew-judd-promises-fight-maori-ward-rule-reversal |access-date=2025-03-08 |website=www.stuff.co.nz}} Judd spoke out against the National-led Government in 2024 changing a law from the previous Government which will force referendum on many councils in 2025. He said: "It’s taking us backwards"
= Spokesperson =
Judd spends time fighting racism in New Zealand through speaking appearances, opinion pieces and other means.{{Cite book |title=Leave your big boots at the door |date=2024 |isbn=9781988550640}} In 2024 he was one of 17 Pākehā profiled in the book Leave your big boots at the door: Pākehā confronting racism against Māori by Lorraine McLeod.
I’m Tangata Tiriti, I have a place to stand in Aotearoa thanks to the welcome offered by Tangata Whenua in 1840, yet I’d lived my entire life as though I’d just arrived from England.{{Cite web |date=2025-03-07 |title=Opinion: The phrase 'tangata tiriti' is not something that should scare us |url=https://www.nzherald.co.nz/hawkes-bay-today/news/what-is-tangata-tiriti-its-certainly-not-something-that-should-scare-us-andrew-judd/B6COFPZ6EVF67NCU53BWYRHQF4/ |access-date=2025-03-08 |website=NZ Herald |language=en-NZ}}