Social Credit leader Chris Leitch, from Whangārei, dies aged 70

The leader of the Social Credit Party, Chris Leitch, from Whangārei, has died after a long battle with neck cancer.

OBITUARY:

The leader of the Social Credit Party, Chris Leitch, from Whangārei, died on Friday morning after a long battle with neck cancer.

Leitch, who was 70, is survived by his wife Anne, son Andrew Leitch, step-daughters Tracey and Darian, and brother Tim Leitch.

Leitch was a long-time activist for Social Credit, having held just about every position in the party since he first became involved in 1972, a feat he was awarded life membership for in 2012.

His father was a candidate in the 1960s and his brother has also been a candidate several times.

The Social Credit Political League came into existence 70 years ago in 1953 and has stood candidates in every election and most by-elections since that date. It has been successful in getting six MPs into Parliament in that time.

Leitch continued fighting for causes he believed in to the end, with a petition to Government late last year asking that it keep the Marsden Pt Oil Refinery operational.

Social Credit Party leader Chris Leitch stood for the Whangārei Electorate in the general election six times. He also stood for election to the Whangārei District Council.

His party submitted a petition to Parliament with 18,000 signatures, calling on the Government to declare the refinery a national strategic asset and for it to compulsorily buy all the shares from the private owners using money created by the Reserve Bank.

Leitch, whose love of ballroom dancing won him international recognition and the creation of his own dance studio, was even more powerfully drawn to New Zealand politics.

He joined Social Credit in the 1970s and worked actively for the party for the rest of his life. He was respectively branch chairman, president of the party and finally party leader. He stood as a candidate for Whangārei in six general elections. He also stood as a candidate for Whangārei District Council.

Recently he waged energetic campaigns to keep New Zealand out of the Trans-Pacific Partnership; to stop Chinese finance of infrastructure in Northland; to keep Marsden Pt Refinery open and in New Zealand hands; and to stop government mandates preventing employment of New Zealand teachers, health workers, police and other public servants.

Leitch said his goal in joining the Social Credit Party was “to try to make a difference”. He worked tirelessly to make a difference for all New Zealanders.

During his involvement, the Social Credit Party campaigned under that name as well as Democrats for Social Credit and as part of the Alliance party.