Victor Billot

Victor Philip Billot (born 1972) is a New Zealand writer, unionist and politician. He is the leader of the Alliance party.

Early life

Billot was born in 1972 in Dunedin and was raised in Warrington.[1][2][3] He attended the University of Otago, graduating with a Bachelor of Arts in political science in 1994.[3][4] He was co-editor of the Otago University Students' Association magazine Critic Te Ārohi in 1995, and a performer in the bands Alpha Plan,[5] Age of Dog[6] and Das Phaedrus.[7]

NewLabour and the Alliance Party

Billot was a founding member of the NewLabour Party, which was set up in 1989 by Jim Anderton.[8] In 1991, NewLabour was one of four parties to form the Alliance political party.

He was a candidate for the Alliance in 2005 (ranked 8 on the party list), 2008 (3), and 2011 (6), contesting the Dunedin North electorate each time.[9][10][11] In 2008, he was berated by the Prime Minister, Helen Clark, at a University of Otago campaign stop for the perceived faults of the National Party when she mistook him for a supporter of that party.[12]

At the party's 2006 conference, held in Wellington, no co-leaders were elected. Instead the party decided to concentrate on internal reorganisation; Billot was elected president. At the 2007 national conference, held in Dunedin, two co-leaders were elected, Billot and Kay Murray, with Paul Piesse returning to his former role as Party President. Billot was co-leader for one year.[13]

In 2011 it was reported Dunedin South MP Clare Curran had repeatedly invited Billot to join the New Zealand Labour Party.[14]

He stepped down from his role as spokesman and occasional co-leader of the Alliance Party in March 2014.[15] He continued to engage in left wing activism in Dunedin, campaigning against cuts to postal services in 2015.[16]

After a period as the party president, Billot was re-elected Alliance Party leader in February 2026.[17] He will contest the Dunedin electorate at the 2026 general election.[1]

Professional life

Billot was the national communications officer for the Maritime Union of New Zealand (MUNZ) between 2003 and 2016.[18] In January 2017 he began working as publicist for the Otago University Press.[19] By January 2022 Billot had returned to his previous role at MUNZ.[20]

From 2020 to 2025 he wrote a weekly poetry column for Newsroom.[21]

Publications

Billot has published three poetry collections:

  • 2014: Mad Skillz For The Demon Operators[22]
  • 2015: Machine Language[23]
  • 2017: Ambient Terror[24]
  • 2021: The Sets[25]

His work has also appeared in Australian and New Zealand literary journals including Cordite,[26] Meniscus,[27] Minarets[28] and Takahē.[29]

Recordings

Billot has recorded several albums since the early 1990s with music groups in addition to a solo album, including:

  • 1996: City of Bastards[30] by Alpha Plan
  • 2002: Plutocracy by Victor Billot
  • 2016: Machine Language by Alpha Plan

References

  1. ^ a b "Alliance Party Announces Key Candidates For Otago Electorates". Scoop News. 26 March 2024. Retrieved 24 March 2026.
  2. ^ "Victor Billot". Otago University Press. Retrieved 24 March 2026.
  3. ^ a b "A man of a few words". Otago Daily Times Online News. 23 January 2017. Retrieved 24 March 2026.
  4. ^ "Graduate Search Results". The University of Otago. Retrieved 24 March 2026.
  5. ^ "Alpha Plan's first Dunedin show in 20 years". Otago Daily Times. 5 December 2016. Retrieved 26 April 2017.
  6. ^ "Age Of Dog – AudioCulture". www.audioculture.co.nz. Retrieved 26 April 2017.
  7. ^ "Andrew Spittle – AudioCulture". www.audioculture.co.nz. Retrieved 26 April 2017.
  8. ^ Billot, Victor (10 February 2011). "New Zealand is ripe for an alternative: a new Left party". Otago Daily Times. Retrieved 4 September 2014.
  9. ^ "Party Lists of Unsuccessful Registered Parties". Elections New Zealand. Retrieved 21 September 2011.
  10. ^ "Party Lists of Unsuccessful Registered Parties". Elections New Zealand. Retrieved 21 September 2011.
  11. ^ "Party lists for the 2011 General Election". Elections New Zealand. Retrieved 24 September 2014.
  12. ^ Mackenzie, Dene (14 October 2008). "Students give PM rock star welcome". Otago Daily Times. Retrieved 5 September 2014.
  13. ^ New Zealand Press Association (17 March 2008). "Cheap Chinese labour paid the going rate – PM". The New Zealand Herald. Retrieved 28 February 2009.
  14. ^ Rudd, Allison (8 November 2011). "Candidates find common ground at election forum". Otago Daily Times. Retrieved 4 September 2014.
  15. ^ "Victor Billot | LinkedIn". Nz.linkedin.com. Retrieved 2 July 2015.
  16. ^ "Question mark over posties | Otago Daily Times Online News : Otago, South Island, New Zealand & International News". Odt.co.nz. 14 February 2015. Retrieved 2 July 2015.
  17. ^ "Alliance Party Confirms 2026 General Election Campaign". Scoop News. 26 March 2024. Retrieved 24 March 2026.
  18. ^ "Alliance electorate candidates for 2011 announced" (Press release). New Zealand Alliance Party. Scoop. 25 October 2011. Retrieved 29 November 2013.
  19. ^ "A man of a few words". Otago Daily Times. 23 January 2017. Retrieved 26 April 2017.
  20. ^ "National Office". Maritime Union of New Zealand. 25 April 2009. Archived from the original on 20 January 2022. Retrieved 24 March 2026.
  21. ^ "Victor Billot". Newsroom. Retrieved 27 March 2022.
  22. ^ Department, Malcolm Deans, Senior Library Assistant, Heritage. "What's New McNab". Dunedin Public Libraries. Retrieved 17 August 2018.{{cite news}}: CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (link)
  23. ^ "Poetry roundup". Otago Daily Times. 7 March 2016. Retrieved 17 August 2018.
  24. ^ "The Quantum Uncertainty of Now". Landfall Review Online. 31 October 2017. Retrieved 17 August 2018.
  25. ^ "Review: The Sets". Kete Books. 4 August 2025. Retrieved 4 August 2025.
  26. ^ "Life in the Permian". Cordite Poetry Review. 30 April 2018. Retrieved 17 August 2018.
  27. ^ "Meniscus". Meniscus. Retrieved 17 August 2018.
  28. ^ "Victor Billot – min – a – rets". minarets.info. Retrieved 17 August 2018.
  29. ^ "Victor Billot". takahē magazine. 2 May 2018. Retrieved 17 August 2018.
  30. ^ "Robots & Electronic Brains – eclectic music zine". www.robotsandelectronicbrains.co.uk. Retrieved 17 August 2018.
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