At the party conference in Christchurch this weekend, delegates elected well known Whangarei political activist Chris
Leitch the new Leader.
Mr Leitch has stood as a candidate on five occasions, most recently in Whangarei in 2014 and again last election.
He was the Northland organiser of a strong campaign in 2015 opposing the Trans Pacific Partnership, and again in 2017
opposing Chinese involvement in financing and building Northland infrastructure.
He has a long history in Social Credit, having first stood for the party in Whangarei in 1984. He was the Party’s New
Zealandpresident from 1988 to 1993.
He stood in the Tamaki by-election in 1992 when the party was part of the Alliance grouping.
He came second, reducing the National majority from 8000 to just 1200.
He is the party’s finance spokesperson.
Delegates also voted to reclaim the name Social Credit under which the Party achieved 21 percent of the nation wide vote
at its peak.
Social Credit stood its first candidate for parliament in 1953, and has stood candidates in every election since.
It has had six MPs elected in its history.
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