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Philip Arps
Born1974 or 1975 (age 49–50)[1]
OccupationInsulation installer
Known forWhite supremacy
Criminal statusReleased
Criminal chargeOffensive behaviour (2016); Distributing objectionable material (2019); Breaches of bail/release conditions (2021 & 2022); Breaching protection order, threatening bodily harm, and perverting the course of justice (2024)
PenaltyMultiple prison sentences
Imprisoned atChristchurch, 2019 & 2023

Philip Neville Arps is a New Zealand white supremacist best known for being jailed after publicly sharing the livestream of the 2019 Christchurch mosque shootings.

Prior record

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By March 2019 Arps had more than 30 criminal convictions for indecent assault, guns, drugs, burglary, and fraud.[2] A 2019 news report referred to "an indecent assault on a woman in 1999".[3] Another report described him as having been "previously made bankrupt in 2001".[4]

His most prominent offending before 2019 occurred in 2016, when he pleaded guilty to charges of offensive behaviour after being part of a group that delivered pigs' heads and offal to Al Noor Mosque in Christchurch.[5][6] The mosque was collecting food donations to send to Fiji in the aftermath of Cyclone Winston and the animal remains were left in a box marked "Fiji".[7] As part of the offending Arps and another man filmed themselves giving Nazi salutes and Arps saying, "White power ... Bring on the cull." He was fined $800 and said that he "won" by not being prosecuted for a hate crime.[8][9]

In 2018 Arps wrote a racist letter to Auckland mayor Phil Goff, who later passed it on to Police.[10]

Arps owned a "Nazi-themed insulation company" which was registered in 2010 and openly operated in Christchurch. Beneficial Insulation used a black sun symbol (designed by Heinrich Himmler) as its logo on company vans, charged prices in multiples of $14.88, dressed staff in camouflage uniforms, and had a web address that alluded to Auschwitz concentration camp.[11][12] In the wake of the terrorist attacks of March 2019 the company was reported to police, removed from review websites like Builderscrack, and delisted by the Insulation Association of New Zealand. Its website and Facebook profiles were both taken offline.[2][13] In September 2023 it was removed from the Companies Office's register, having filed no annual return that year. Arps was the sole director.[14][15]

Distribution of Christchurch mass shooting video

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On 15 March 2019 there was a mass shooting in Christchurch targeting Muslims. The murderer carried a camera throughout, livestreaming to social media. The resulting video of the shooting was quickly classified by David Shanks of the Office of Film and Literature Classification as "objectionable" under the Films, Videos, and Publications Classification Act 1993, making it a criminal offense to possess or distribute it, and police took action against 13 people in relation to the video.[16] Arps sent the video to 30 people, describing it as "awesome",[17] and asked a friend to modify it by adding cross-hairs and a "kill count".[18] When arrested he told police that he "could not give a fuck, mate" about the shooting victims.[8]

He was found guilty of distributing objectionable material.[4] At one of his court appearances, Arps distributed copies of the "Holocaust Handbooks" series by German holocaust denier Germar Rudolf to journalists and the public.[19] In June 2019, Arps was sentenced to 21 months in jail, with Massey University distinguished professor Paul Spoonley describing him as "an unrepentant, hardcore white supremacist".[16] At his sentencing Judge Stephen O'Driscoll described Arps as "remorseless". His pre-sentencing report included matters that gave the judge "real concern", including Arps comparing himself to Rudolf Hess, Deputy Führer of Nazi Germany.[20] Arps filed the first of two unsuccessful appeals against his sentence on the day he received it.[21]

Incarceration

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While in prison, Arps sent letters to Newshub which praised mass murderer Anders Breivik, threatened harm to Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern, and expressed a desire to see a former Prime Minister publicly executed.[10] Newshub did not publish the letter. The Government announced plans to change the way letters written by extremist prisoners are vetted before sending.[22]

His sentencing and unsuccessful appeals were later referenced by the Royal Commission of Inquiry into the terrorist attack as part of its paper on hate crime.[23] Answering a question from the public the Commission of Inquiry also reported "no evidence [the shooter] knows Philip Arps or that there was any other connection between them."[24]

"White supremacist" complaint

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Arps was called a "white supremacist" in a television piece filmed by Newshub journalist Patrick Gower and broadcast on 30 June 2019. He submitted a complaint to the Broadcasting Standards Authority on the grounds that this label was "inaccurate and unbalanced". The BSA found that "we do not consider the issue of whether Mr Arps is a ‘white supremacist’ to be a controversial issue" and that Gower's words were "clearly a statement of analysis and opinion". Arps's complaint was not upheld.[25]

Media reports have regularly described Arps as a white supremacist since the ruling. Newshub's reports on a court appearance in December 2020, a 2022 New Zealand Herald column by sociologist Dr Jarrod Gilbert, and Stuff's reporting into Arps's run for a high school board of trustees all used the term directly or indirectly.[26][27][28]

Bail breaches and reimprisonment

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Arps was released on bail in January 2020. Breaches of his release conditions eventually resulted in a four-month prison sentence in April 2023.[29]

Arps was given release conditions including wearing a GPS monitor, making no contact with members of the Muslim community, and not owning or using firearms.[30] He unsuccessfully appealed against these conditions with a judge noting Arps's "deep-seated enmity towards people of the Muslim and Jewish faiths" as a reason to retain them.[31] In August 2020 he was arrested and appeared in court after visiting a home brew store next door to Linwood Islamic Centre (Mosque). Charges were dropped because although the GPS evidence showed Arps within 17m of the mosque, there was no proof that he made contact with any members of its community.[31] Corrections were made to pay $3,000 towards Arps's costs.[32]

In December he returned to court and a new condition was added, preventing him from coming within 100m of the Linwood Islamic Centre.[33][34]

New charges were filed against Arps on January 8, 2021. These related to his electronic monitoring conditions. He was given a March court date, by which time more charges would be added.[35]

Arps was arrested again in March 2021, accused of sending obscene messages to a probation officer - behaviour which had started in 2020. Police opposed bail, but it was granted.[36] This case eventually saw Arps tried in 2022 and sentenced to four months in prison in April 2023.[29] Reported quotes from the "tame end" of Arps's "barrage" of messages to his parole officers included the insults "worthless", "fat", "piss-weak" and "violently disgusting". He also wrote, "I really want to shoot you in the face."[37] The sentence came over a year after a judge-alone trial on 18 February 2022, when Arps appeared in the Christchurch District Court having refused to wear a mask or take a rapid COVID test, and saying he was unvaccinated. A New Zealand flag was draped over his shoulder during his appearance. (He had been in court five days earlier on a separate matter relating to the Convoy 2022 New Zealand protest – see "Public execution" arrest, 2022 below.)[38]

In August 2022, in between his trial and conviction for breaching release conditions, Arps protested in support of Counterspin Media founders Kelvyn Alp and Hannah Spierer as they appeared in Christchurch District Court. Like Arps had been, they were charged with distributing an objectionable publication – specifically, the livestream video of the Christchurch shootings.[39][40] Arps shouted insults at counterprotestors and at people entering the court.[41]

Anti-Government protests after 2019

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"Public execution" arrest, 2022

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Arps was arrested in Picton on 11 February 2022 while travelling north to join the Convoy 2022 New Zealand protest in Wellington. According to media reports he had told people at a Christchurch petrol station that he was on his way to a "public execution", and that “I’ve been promising it, I’ll see you in seven to 10 years”. He also reportedly threatened to kill members of the public and police.

He was charged with threatening to kill and using offensive language. Three days later, on Monday 14, he was granted bail with conditions including a ban on entering the greater Wellington area.[42] As the protest continued Arps was an active participant on Telegram, calling for contractors who helped police install concrete blocks to be named and added to the "Nuremberg list".[43]

Te Aratai College

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In June 2022 Christchurch's Te Aratai College, formerly Linwood College, was officially opened by Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern. At least one of Arps' sons was a student there at the time. A "freedom movement" protest of 50–100 people gathered near the school during the Prime Minister's visit, having been encouraged by Arps and others. His social media posts, made under the username "Antisemite", claimed that his son had attracted the attention of security by asking whether Ardern would be protected by bulletproof glass. The protesters' grievances included vaccines, Marxism, the media, police, and Three Waters. Ardern was kept away from the protest.[44][45][46]

Four months later, in September 2022, Arps finished last in the election for parent representatives on Te Aratai College's Board of Trustees. He received 25 votes (the school roll was 870).[47][48] His candidacy had been controversial, with Federation of Islamic Associations of New Zealand chair Abdur Razzaq describing Arps' nomination as part of a trend where white supremacists take part in elections to "create disharmony" and "normalise hate".[49] Students, including the head student, and a Christchurch city councillor with children at the school publicly lobbied against Arps.[50]

Routine police vetting, which would have excluded Arps from most positions within a school, did not apply to board members at the time. Associate Education Minister Jan Tinetti sought urgent advice on an incoming code of conduct, people's eligibility for board positions, and her legal ability to intervene if Arps was elected.[51][52] In June 2023 the Minister issued the first Code of Conduct for State School Board Members which she said would "safeguard our boards".[53] It included an objective to be "culturally responsive and fair".[54] Tinetti was also responsible for a 2023 amendment to the Education and Training Act which bars people with certain criminal convictions from serving on school boards (unless exempted by the Secretary of Education).[55]

Threatening behaviour (2023-2024)

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Ex-wife's partner

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On 3 April 2023, Arps broke a protection order by parking his car behind his ex-wife's car while she was picking up one of their children from school. He then made repeated throat-slitting gestures towards her new partner. This resulted in charges of contravening a protection order and threatening to do grievous bodily harm (he pled not guilty on 26 September 2023). The events occurred around two weeks before Arps received a four-month prison sentence for bail breaches.[56]

While in prison Arps attempted to get "aggressive and derogatory" messages passed on to his ex-wife's partner. These included attempts to get him to drop the charges that Arps was facing. Consequently, Arps was also charged with perverting the course of justice, for which he chose a jury trial.[57]

On 19 January 2024 Arps was found guilty of all three charges and given a 20-month sentence, most of which had already been served. The judge heard that Arps' relationship with Corrections had broken down, and that he would not comply with conditions that were set for him, or wear an electronic tracking bracelet. Release conditions, not including tracking, were set for a further six months.[57]

Green Party candidate Francisco Hernandez

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Francisco Hernandez was the Green Party candidate for Dunedin North in the 2023 general election. Arps responded to his selection on Twitter, calling Hernandez (who was born in the Philippines) a "paper citizen" whose involvement in politics "amounts to international political high treason". Arps said, "I look forward to the One Policy dealing with such matters directly".[58] Treason was the last crime for which New Zealand abolished the death penalty.[59]

Hernandez, who went on to become a Member of Parliament the next year, called himself "a proud citizen of Aotearoa New Zealand" and Arps "the CEO of racism".[58]

Byron Clark

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Byron Clark is a researcher whose work focuses on far-right and conspiracy communities. He is the author of Fear: New Zealand’s hostile underworld of extremists, a 2023 book that covered figures including Philip Arps.[60]

In January 2024 Clark requested a restraining order against Arps, who was in prison at the time. In July the Christchurch District Court found that Clark's evidence had not directly stated that he feared for his own safety, and so dismissed his request. Clark, who had filed his request without a lawyer, thought that his fear ought to have been evident as his affidavit documented years of harassment and intimidation that he had endured from Arps.[61] One example was a September 2023 post on Telegram in which Arps suggested that Clark is a pedophile and encouraged another man who had harassed him at work.[62]

During the court hearing Arps posted insults about Clark on social media. He had planned to speak in court, but left before the hearing ended while loudly insulting Clark.[61]

Personal life

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Arps lived in Christchurch for many years, with his lawyer saying in 2024 that he now lives in the West Coast.[61] He is a divorced father of six boys. His ex-wife has a protection order against him, which he has breached.[63][64][57]

Additional reading

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Court judgements

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References

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  1. ^ Bayer, Kurt (10 November 2020). "Christchurch white supremacist Philip Arps wants Corrections to pay his legal bills". NZ Herald.
  2. ^ a b Leask, Anna (6 November 2020). "Rejected: Philip Arps, who shared Christchurch mosque shootings video, loses second bid to ease strict prison release conditions". NZ Herald.
  3. ^ Bayer, Kurt (18 June 2019). "Dark past of white supremacist Philip Arps jailed over Christchurch mosque shooting video revealed". New Zealand Herald. Retrieved 14 February 2022.
  4. ^ a b "Nazi-themed company owner charged with possessing objectionable material". 19 March 2019. Retrieved 15 February 2022.
  5. ^ "Philip Arps guilty of sharing livestream of Christchurch mosque massacre". Stuff. 26 April 2019.
  6. ^ Nippert, Matt (19 March 2019). "Christchurch mosque shootings: Pig heads delivered to mosque in 2016". New Zealand Herald. Retrieved 6 September 2021.
  7. ^ Crawford, Hal (12 May 2019). "Opinion: Why we ran the video of the white supremacist and the pig's head". Retrieved 15 February 2022.
  8. ^ a b "Extra release conditions sought for Chch white supremacist". Otago Daily Times. 28 January 2020. Retrieved 14 February 2022.
  9. ^ Gower, Patrick (12 May 2019). "Christchurch attack: The dark truth about New Zealand's white supremacists". Newshub. Retrieved 29 September 2022. But I won. It was f***in' good. Like the Judge said: I beat a hate crime. Offensive behaviour. $800 fine plus court costs.
  10. ^ a b Morrah, Michael (16 August 2019). "Second letter from Philip Arps calls for 'traitors' execution, disdain for Jacinda Ardern, Winston Peters". Newshub. Retrieved 9 October 2024.
  11. ^ Redmore, Albert; Cropper, Emma. "Christchurch tradie cops flack for Nazi, white-supremacist marketing". Newshub. Retrieved 6 September 2022.
  12. ^ Anthony, John (16 March 2019). "Christchurch shootings: Anger at insulation company with white supremacy branding". Stuff. Retrieved 6 September 2022.
  13. ^ "Nazi-themed company Beneficial Insulation reported to police after Christchurch shootings". Stuff.co.nz. 19 March 2019. Retrieved 5 September 2021.
  14. ^ "BENEFICIAL INSULATION INSTALLS GUARANTEED LIMITED (2442734) Registered". Companies Register. New Zealand Companies Office. 3 June 2022. Retrieved 6 September 2022.
  15. ^ "Removal notice - section 318(1)(b)". Companies Register (New Zealand Companies Office). 10 August 2023. Retrieved 18 August 2023.
  16. ^ a b "'Unrepentant, hardcore white supremacist' jailed after sharing terror video". Stuff.co.nz. 18 June 2019. Retrieved 5 September 2021.
  17. ^ Deutsche Welle (www.dw.com). "Christchurch neo-Nazi jailed for sharing mosque murder video | News | DW | 18.06.2019". DW. Retrieved 5 September 2021.
  18. ^ "White supremacist Philip Arps charged for allegedly offending probation officer". Stuff.co.nz. 11 March 2021. Retrieved 5 September 2021.
  19. ^ "Christchurch man Philip Arps charged with sending 'offensive' message hands out Holocaust leaflets in court". NZ Herald.
  20. ^ Bayer, Kurt (18 June 2019). "Mosque shooting: White supremacist Philip Neville Arps jailed for 21 months for distributing footage". NZ Herald. Retrieved 12 June 2022. A white supremacist who compares himself to Adolf Hitler's deputy Rudolf Hess and who spread footage of the Al Noor Mosque attack, which he thought was "awesome", has today been jailed for 21 months.
  21. ^ "White supremacist Philip Arps has second appeal for sharing mosque shooting video". Stuff.co.nz. 18 November 2019. Retrieved 5 September 2021.
  22. ^ Morrah, Michael (15 August 2019). "Hate speech, threats and chilling requests: Letters from Philip Arps, Robert Conchie Harris and George Baker that Corrections should have stopped". Newshub. Retrieved 18 August 2022.
  23. ^ "Hate speech and hate crime related legislation". Royal Commission of Inquiry into the Attack on Christchurch Mosques on 15 March 2019. Retrieved 8 September 2021.
  24. ^ "Ko tō tātou kāinga tēnei Report: Royal Commission of Inquiry into the terrorist attack on Christchurch masjidain on 15 March 2019". Ch 8. Questions asked by the community. Retrieved 8 September 2021.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: location (link)
  25. ^ Hastings, Bill; Rose, Paula; Staley, Susie (7 May 2020). "ARPS AND MEDIAWORKS TV LTD – 2019-073B (7 MAY 2020)". Broadcasting Standards Authority. Retrieved 23 September 2021.
  26. ^ Speedy, Juliet; Quinlivan, Mark (1 December 2020). "White supremacist Philip Arps back in court facing fresh charges". Retrieved 31 August 2022. White supremacist Philip Arps is back in court
  27. ^ Gilbert, Jarrod (22 August 2022). "The lessons we can learn from the US as we head into the local elections". NZ Herald. Retrieved 22 August 2022. Arps is linked to the "alt-right"...a rebranded form of white supremacy
  28. ^ Porter, Nadine; Kenny, Lee (30 August 2022). "Low voting numbers prompts school with white supremacist board candidate to urge parents to vote". Stuff. Retrieved 31 August 2022. A Christchurch school where a white supremacist is standing for the board of trustees is urging parents to vote
  29. ^ a b Kenny, Jake (18 April 2023). "White supremacist Philip Arps jailed for 'obscene messages' to probation officer". Stuff. Retrieved 18 April 2023.
  30. ^ Molyneux, Vita; Sadler, Rachel; Tukia, Annabelle (29 January 2020). "White supremacist Philip Arps released from prison, banned from contact with Muslims". Newshub. Retrieved 16 October 2022.
  31. ^ a b Bayer, Kurt (10 November 2020). "Christchurch white supremacist Philip Arps wants Corrections to pay his legal bills". New Zealand Herald. Retrieved 20 October 2024.
  32. ^ Lourens, Mariné (22 January 2021). "Corrections ordered to pay $3000 to white supremacist Philip Arps over failed prosecution". Stuff. Retrieved 20 October 2024.
  33. ^ Ensor, Blair; Sherwood, Sam (25 August 2020). "White supremacist Philip Arps was at homebrew store when arrested by police". Stuff. Retrieved 6 September 2021.
  34. ^ Lourens, Mariné (14 December 2020). "White supremacist Philip Arps not allowed within 100m of Linwood mosque". Stuff. Retrieved 6 September 2021.
  35. ^ Allot, Amber (26 January 2021). "White supremacist Philip Arps accused of breaching release conditions". Stuff. Retrieved 20 February 2022.
  36. ^ Lourens, Mariné (11 March 2021). "White supremacist Philip Arps charged for allegedly offending probation officer". Stuff. Retrieved 20 February 2022.
  37. ^ Kenny, Jake (10 February 2023). "White supremacist Philip Arps abused probation officers in 'obscene' messages". Stuff. Retrieved 10 February 2023.
  38. ^ Lourens, Marine (18 February 2022). "White supremacist Philip Arps refuses rapid antigen test ahead of court trial". Stuff. Retrieved 20 February 2022.
  39. ^ Brownlie, Kaysha; Quinlivan, Mark (31 August 2022). "Far-right Counterspin Media hosts appear in court after being arrested in Christchurch". Newshub. Retrieved 5 September 2022.
  40. ^ McKinnon, Nathan; Graham, Rachel; Chittock, Niva (31 August 2022). "Far-right extremists dragged into dock in Christchurch court". RNZ. Retrieved 5 September 2022.
  41. ^ Porter, Nadine (31 August 2022). "'It is nasty here today': Inside the Counterspin court protest in Christchurch". Stuff. Retrieved 5 September 2022.
  42. ^ Eder, Jennifer (14 February 2022). "White supremacist Philip Arps arrested after alleged 'public execution' comment". Stuff. Retrieved 14 February 2022.
  43. ^ Reeve, Dylan (24 February 2022). "Wellington businesses are weighing up whether to act against the protest". The Spinoff. Retrieved 5 September 2022.
  44. ^ Manhire, Toby (15 June 2022). "Live update: 'Freedom' protesters target Christchurch school opening". The Spinoff. Retrieved 16 August 2022.
  45. ^ O'Connor-Harding, Georgia (15 June 2022). "Protesters gather at opening of Te Aratai College in Christchurch as Jacinda Ardern speaks". NZ Herald. Retrieved 16 August 2022.
  46. ^ Kenny, Jake (15 June 2022). "Prime Minister mobbed for selfies during Christchurch high school visit". Stuff. Retrieved 16 August 2022.
  47. ^ Kenny, Lee (13 September 2022). "'Huge relief' as white supremacist finishes last in Christchurch school board election". Stuff. Retrieved 13 September 2022.
  48. ^ Davies, Lisa (13 September 2022). "White supremacist fails to get a seat on Christchurch school board". 1News. TVNZ. Retrieved 13 September 2022.
  49. ^ "White supremacist Philip Arps standing for school board prompts call for rule change". RNZ. 15 August 2022. Retrieved 15 August 2022.
  50. ^ Kenny, Lee (17 August 2022). "Our school will not feel safe if white supremacist is elected to the board, say Muslim students". Stuff. Retrieved 16 August 2022.
  51. ^ "Advice sought 'with some haste' as white supremacist stands for school board". RNZ. 27 August 2022. Retrieved 28 August 2022.
  52. ^ Williams, Katarina (27 August 2022). "Minister seeks urgent advice as white supremacist stands for school board". Stuff. Retrieved 28 August 2022.
  53. ^ McCulloch, Gabrielle (1 June 2023). "School boards get compulsory code of conduct for the first time". Stuff. Retrieved 17 August 2023.
  54. ^ "Code of Conduct for State School Board Members (PDF)" (PDF). Ministry of Education Te Tāhuhu o te Mātauranga. 2023. Retrieved 17 August 2023.
  55. ^ Schwanecke, Gianina (17 August 2023). "Convicted criminals now banned from school boards". Stuff. Retrieved 17 August 2023.
  56. ^ Roberts, Nadine (26 September 2023). "White supremacist Philip Arps back before the courts for allegedly threatening to kill". Stuff. Retrieved 26 September 2023.
  57. ^ a b c Chittock, Niva (19 January 2024). "Philip Arps sentenced over threat towards ex-wife's partner, breaching protection order". RNZ. Retrieved 19 January 2024.
  58. ^ a b "White supremacist Philip Arps attacks new Green Party candidate Francisco Hernandez". Newshub. 8 February 2023. Retrieved 19 September 2024.
  59. ^ "The Death Penalty". New Zealand History. Retrieved 19 September 2024.
  60. ^ Wilson, Chris (15 February 2023). "Fear and loathing in New Zealand: an overdue examination of our 'underworld of extremists' is valuable but flawed". The Conversation. Retrieved 2 September 2024.
  61. ^ a b c Gill, Sinead (10 July 2024). "Researcher's safety concerns escalate as restraining order against far right activist denied". The Press. Retrieved 2 September 2024.
  62. ^ Roberts, Nadine (29 September 2023). "What it took to stop harassment from a white supremacist". Stuff. Retrieved 2 September 2024.
  63. ^ Moorhouse, Emily (18 April 2023). "White supremacist Philip Arps jailed over abusive messages to probation officer". New Zealand Herald. Retrieved 18 April 2023.
  64. ^ Arps, Phil. "Board Parent Election 2022 Candidate Statement". School Elections Manager. Retrieved 16 August 2022. Being a father of six boys,of which three more are to attend this school in the future validates my will and want to be a board member.
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