Marc Alexander

For other people named Marc Alexander, see Marc Alexander (disambiguation).

Marc Alexander is a former New Zealand politician. He was elected to Parliament as a list MP for the United Future New Zealand party in 2005, and stood unsuccessfully as the National Party candidate for Wigram in 2008.

Public activities

Parliament of New Zealand
Years	Term	Electorate	List	Party
2002–2005	47th	List	4	United Future

Before entering politics, Alexander was a restaurateur in Christchurch, and also co-hosted a cooking program on local television. He authored "From a Grasshut to the Beehive (2005)" – a politically incorrect cookbook. He was also a spokesperson for the Sensible Sentencing Trust, a group which lobbies for reforms in the criminal justice system. He was then their Crime Prevention spokesperson.^[1] After the 2005 general election, Alexander left the United Future Party, where many thought his atheistic, libertarian views clashed with the social conservatism of the majority (not to mention the willingness of the Party to support a Labour-led government). Although he voted against both the Prostitution Reform Act and the Civil Union Act (two pieces of legislation strongly opposed by Christian groups), he claims he did so due to concerns over the effects of the legislation as written, rather than any ideological opposition.

Since leaving the United Future Party, Alexander has been an involved member of the National Party in Christchurch. He served as Policy Chairman for Wigram, and also edited the Canterbury/Westland policy newsletter ‘Thinking National’. He was selected as the National Party candidate for Wigram in the 2008 general election, and was placed 61st on the party's list.^[2] At this time he resigned his position with Sensible Sentencing, since the Trust's rules require all spokespeople to be politically unaligned.^[3]

Alexander writes "Marc My Words", an occasional political column, for the online New Zealand news website Scoop and has a daily political opinion spot on radio. He has also authored a book on the NZ criminal justice system titled, Justice with Both Eyes Open, and is a strong advocate for the rights of crime victims. His areas of expertise include the prison system and crime prevention (incl. CPTED – crime prevention through environmental design). He is also presently working with the Sexual Abuse Survivors Trust in Christchurch. Other areas of interest include small business management, economics (which he teaches), and broadcasting.

Alexander has a daily spot on Coromandel FM which is also called, 'Marc My Word'.

Personal life

Alexander was born in Kobe, Japan to a Yorkshireman and a Shanghai-born Russian mother. They moved to Tokyo where they lived for nearly ten years before shifting to Sydney, Australia. He was then sent to boarding school in New Zealand. He completed his university studies with a Masters of Political Science.

Originally in San Francisco, he worked within the hospitality industry on and off for a number of years including spending nearly two years studying and working in Paris, France – gaining three culinary diplomas before returning to the States. After two years in Kansas City, he returned to Australia to open the first of three restaurants.

Alexander returned to Christchurch via two years in a grass hut in Tonga. He now lives in Christchurch with his wife Angelika Frank-Alexander and son.^[4]

References

1. ^ Justice watchdog appoints crime prevention strategist, press release, Sensible Sentencing Trust, 11 July 2006. Accessed 22 April 2009.
2. ^ Judy Kirk, National's list promotes strength and diversity, 17 August 2008. Accessed 22 April 2009.
3. ^ Alexander resigns from Trust, press release, Sensible Sentencing Trust, 7 December 2007. Accessed 22 April 2009.
4. ^ "Angelika Frank-Alexander". Angelika Frank-Alexander. http://www.blogger.com/profile/06850495518721952376. Retrieved 25 October 2011. 

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