Greg O'Connor (police officer)

Greg O'Connor speaking in 2017.

Gregory Eamon "Greg" O'Connor (born 1958) is a former police officer who served as the President of the New Zealand Police Association. In the 2017 general election he is running for the Labour Party in the Ohariu electorate.

Biography

Early life

O'Connor was born in Buller on the West Coast before moving to Wellington.[1] His family were Irish Catholic and O'Connor stated "growing up there's a fairly healthy disrespect for the law" where he grew up.[2]

Police career

O'Connor served in the New Zealand Police for almost four decades ending his career with the rank of Senior Sergeant.[1]

He was later elected President of the New Zealand Police Association in 1995.[1] His time as President was highly politicized with O'Connor weighing into political debates that concerned the Police force, particularly in regards to arming officers with firearms. O'Connor called for the arming police in New Zealand and also proposed routine arming of frontline response police officers.[3] He retired as President in 2016, serving a record 21 years as the Police Association's head and regarded raising the Police Association's credibility as his main achievement during his tenure.[1]

He also spent time serving as the chair of the International Council of Police Representatives Association (ICPRA).[1]

Political candidacy

Upon his retirement O'Connor was asked whether he was considering a career in politics, but he said he had no plans to do so at that time.[2] However, on 1 February 2017 O'Connor confirmed he was seeking the Labour Party nomination for the seat of Ōhariu in the 2017 election to challenge incumbent Peter Dunne of United Future.[4] On 12 February it was revealed that O'Connor had won the Labour nomination for Ōhariu.[5] O'Connor was also ranked 40 on Labour's party list for the election.[6]

Personal life

O'Connor lives in Wellington with his wife Desley. They have three children Isaac, Michael, and Eve. His cousin is Damien O'Connor, MP for West Coast-Tasman.[1]

References

  1. 1 2 3 4 5 6 Scanlon, Lee (12 October 2016). "Greg O'Connor: A life on the front line". The New Zealand Herald. Retrieved 1 February 2017.
  2. 1 2 Shadwell, Talia (16 January 2016). "Gun shy: Outgoing Police Association president Greg O'Connor has 'no plan' for politics". Stuff.co.nz. Retrieved 1 February 2017.
  3. ↑ Weekes, John (22 October 2015). "NZPA president Greg O'Connor to stand down". The New Zealand Herald. Retrieved 1 February 2017.
  4. ↑ "Former police association boss Greg O'Connor seeks Labour Party nomination". The New Zealand Herald. 1 February 2017. Retrieved 1 February 2017.
  5. ↑ "Labour Party selects Greg O'Connor in Ohariu". The New Zealand Herald. 12 February 2017. Retrieved 12 February 2017.
  6. ↑ "Labour Party List for the 2017 Election announced". Scoop.co.nz. 2 May 2017. Retrieved 2 May 2017.
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