Duncan Webb


Duncan Alexander Webb is a New Zealand lawyer and politician. He is currently a Member of Parliament in the House of Representatives for the Labour Party.

Personal life

Webb moved to Christchurch from London in 1974 when he was six years old, coinciding with the Commonwealth Games being held in the city. His father had attended Bible college before becoming a pastor at the Maori Evangelical Fellowship Church in Wainoni. After briefly living in Aranui, Webb's family moved to South Brighton where he grew up along with his four siblings.
He attended Shirley Boys' High School and left before finishing his final year. Webb then attended the University of Canterbury, studying law. Webb graduated Bachelor of Laws with Honours in 1989 before being awarded a Doctor of Laws in 2007.
Webb currently lives in Christchurch and has worked as a lawyer and as a law professor at University of Canterbury. Webb has also worked for the Public Interest Project, which seeks to get innocent people out of jail, and for the Howard League, which promotes prisoners’ rights. He is a long-time member of the Labour party, joining in 1999. He has three sons. He split from his wife, Tania, in 2016.

Political career

A long-time member of Labour, Webb was Brendon Burns' campaign chairman during the. Webb first stood for office in the. He was nominated by the party in June 2016 to contest the electorate of. This seat had been held by National party MP Nicky Wagner since 2011. Webb's campaign chair was ex-Mayor of Christchurch Garry Moore. Webb was ranked 43 on Labour's party list.

Member of Parliament

During the 2017 general election, Duncan Webb defeated Wagner by 2,871 votes and reclaimed the Christchurch Central seat for Labour.
Following a cabinet reshuffle in late June 2019, Webb was appointed as a Chair of the Environment Select Committee.

Political positions

In his maiden speech, Webb identified himself as a socialist.

Palestinian advocacy

Webb has also defended the Boycott, Divestment and Sanctions campaign as a form of non-violent protest against Israeli policies towards the Palestinians. In early June 2018, Webb also presented a petition on behalf of Palestinian solidarity activist Donna Miles the New Zealand Superannuation Fund to divest from "illegal" Israeli settlements in the West Bank. In August 2018, Webb hosted a meeting with Unite Union Director Mike Treen, who participated in the International Freedom Flotilla's attempt that year to breach the Israeli blockade of the Gaza Strip. Webb's Palestinian activism has drawn criticism from Zionist advocacy groups including the Israel Institute of New Zealand and the Australia/Israel & Jewish Affairs Council.