Kyle Chapman (born 27 April 1971) is a former national director of the New Zealand National Front (NZNF). He is well-known for fire-bombing a marae. He stood unsuccessfully twice for the Christchurch mayoralty, first for the National Front and then for the National Democrats Party. His most recent activities have been creating the Right Wing Resistance organisation.
Chapman was born in Taumarunui, New Zealand. He has said that he wanted to join the National Front from the age of 14, and that he was a skinhead during the 1980s and early 1990s. As a teenager he was a member of several skinhead gangs. He was the founding member of the New Zealand Hammerskins. Several organisations were formed with his help to build a national unity in the fractured and conflict-filled subculture. As part of a clean slate in 1995, he confessed to a series of politically motivated arson attacks between 1987 and 1992, primarily education buildings and homes of known sex offenders. He was reported as saying he "wanted to make amends for the actions he had done as an out of control youth". He is a qualified social worker, and worked in Christchurch from 1993 to 1997, dealing with youths involved in street subcultures. He also served as the youth worker representative on the Safer Community Council in Christchurch from 1996 to 1997. In May 2009 Chapman married Claire Clifford, a Mormon, but they separated in October of the same year, reportedly due to his failure to fulfill his promise of abandoning his involvement in white supremacy groups. Chapman and Clifford now have 3 children together and have been re-married.
Christchurch mayoralty
In 2004, he unsuccessfully contested the mayoralty of Christchurch, New Zealand, placing fifth out of 10 with 1.9 percent of the vote (1665 votes). In 2005, he resigned his high-profile role as the leader of the National Front. He said in interviews that his children were being shunned at school due to his activities. He also cited the harassment of left wing anti-NZNF groups as a factor in his departure.He has since been the tenth-ranked list candidate for the Direct Democracy Party.
