Chris Leitch Cancer battle: What happened to the leader of the Social Credit Party? Explained

We regret to inform you that NZ Social Credit Party leader Chris Leitch passed away after a protracted illness. Leitch has been a Social Credit activist for a very long time and has served in almost every office in the Party since he first became interested in it in 1972. Everyone is aware of his cause of death, but those who loved him the most are particularly eager to find out what cancer he had been diagnosed with and how he managed to survive it. In this post, you may read more about what happened to him and the circumstances of Chris Leitch cancer battle.

What happened to Chris Leitch?

Chris Leitch, the head of the Social Credit Party, died on Friday morning following a protracted fight with neck cancer, according to a statement from the Party’s president.

Since its founding in 1953, the Social Credit Political League has run candidates in nearly all general elections and by-elections. Six MPs have been successfully elected to parliament throughout that time.

Leitch’s brother has run for office multiple times, and his father ran for office in the 1960s. His wife Anne, son Andrew, stepdaughters Tracey and Darian, and brother Tim are all still alive.

Chris Leitch cancer battle

Chris Leitch, the leader of the Social Credit Party and a resident of Whangarei, passed away on Friday morning following a protracted battle with Neck cancer.

The 70-year-old Leitch is survived by his wife Anne, son Andrew, stepdaughters Tracey and Darian, and brother Tim. Leitch was a longtime Social Credit activist, holding nearly every office in the party since he initially got active in it in 1972. In 2012, he was given life membership in recognition of this accomplishment.

His brother has run for office multiple times, and his father ran for office in the 1960s. Since its founding in 1953, the Social Credit Political League has run candidates in nearly all general elections and by-elections. Six MPs have been successfully elected to Parliament throughout that time.

Leitch persisted in his pursuit of causes until the very end, submitting a petition to the government late last year requesting that it maintain operations at the Marsden Pt Oil Refinery.

Social Credit Party leader Chris Leitch stood for the Whangārei Electorate in the general election six times. Credit(NZ Herald)

New Zealand politics and ballroom dancing

His party presented a petition to Parliament with 18,000 signatures urging the government to designate the refinery as a national strategic asset and to compel the private owners to sell all of their interests to the government using Reserve Bank-created funds.

Leitch was particularly drawn to New Zealand politics even though his passion for ballroom dancing earned him international fame and the establishment of his dance studio.

He joined Social Credit in the 1970s, and for the remainder of his life, he actively supported the party. Leitch held the positions of branch chairman, party president, and finally party leader. He ran for office in six general elections as a Whangrei candidate.

He recently waged active campaigns to prevent New Zealand from joining the Trans-Pacific Partnership, and to prevent Chinese funding of infrastructure in Northland.

Also, to maintain the operation and ownership of the Marsden Pt Refinery, and to prevent government mandates that prevent the hiring of New Zealand teachers, health professionals, police officers, and other public servants.

Leitch stated that he joined the Social Credit Party in an effort to “attempt to make a difference.” He put in a lot of effort to improve things for all New Zealanders. The Social Credit Party ran campaigns under that name, Democrats for Social Credit, and as a component of the Alliance party during his engagement.

Quick facts about Christopher John Leitch 

A New Zealand politician named Christopher John Leitch served in office from 1953 to 20 January 2023. Between 2018 through 2023, when he passed away, he served as the Social Credit Party’s leader.

Love for Dancing

Leitch was first interested in playing soccer and cricket, but at age 11 he also developed a love for dancing (which was also a passion of his parents). He danced first for fun, then for competition.

When he was between the ages of 15 and 17, he won competitions in the Auckland region’s youth age division and went on to win numerous national events.

When he was 18 years old, he started both learning and teaching dance under the guidance of Maurice Taylor, a fellow of the New Zealand Federal Association of Dance Teachers and one of the top dance examiners in New Zealand.

“The John Leitch Dance Studio”

At the age of 20, Leitch relocated to Whangarei, where he opened his dance school called “The John Leitch Dance Studio” which served nine other Northland communities.

He was a life member of the New Zealand Federal Association of Teachers of Dancing, which was associated with the Imperial Society of Teachers of Dancing in London and registered with the New Zealand Council of Dance.

Political career: First Campaign

Following his father’s footsteps, Leitch joined the Social Credit Party in the early 1970s “to attempt to make a difference.” His first political campaign was for Joyce Ryan, a former mayor of Whangarei who later rose to the position of head of Social Credit’s Whangarei Branch.

In 1984 for Social Credit and again in 1987 for the Democrat Party, he ran for office in the Whangarei electorate (a renamed Social Credit). He was elected President of the Democrat Party in 1988. The Democrats entered a coalition of four parties known as the Alliance at the end of 1991, along with the New Labour Party, Mana Motuhake, and the Greens.

He was chosen to represent the Alliance in the 1992 Tamaki by-election, which was held as a result of Sir Robert Muldoon’s departure. After breaking multiple election promises, the National administration was not much liked at the time.

Leitch had a strong campaign, leading Clem Simich of the National Party by eight points five days before election day in two of the three surveys that were taken.

He came close to winning the traditionally secure National seat, cutting the party’s margin of victory by 29.5% and pushing the Labour Party nominee into a distant third place. He called his close call a “miracle.”

Soon after his Tamaki campaign, he ran successfully for the Alliance party in the 1992 local body elections for the newly established Auckland Regional Services Trust. When he decided to leave politics in 1997, he continued to be a member of the trust.

Leitch’s Re-entry to politics

Leitch entered politics again before the 2014 elections, being chosen as the Democratic Party’s deputy leader in September 2013 and as a candidate for the Whangarei electorate. He ran for office once more in Whangarei in 2017 and finished second.

Also, Leitch organized a campaign against the Trans-Pacific Partnership in the Northland in 2015, and he later organized a campaign against Chinese involvement in the funding and development of infrastructure in the region in 2017. He ran unsuccessfully in a by-election for the Denby Ward of the Whangarei District Council in late 2017.

Social Credit party

After Leitch was chosen as the party’s leader in June 2018, the party decided to go back to calling itself Social Credit. The party’s operations grew significantly under Leitch’s direction, with more frequent press releases and sporadic full-page newspaper advertisements.

Social Credit issued a press release on February 8, 2022, calling for the government’s vaccine requirement to be repealed. Leitch traveled to Wellington to take part in the anti-mandate 2022 Wellington demonstrations. And on February 11, 2022, he directly addressed the demonstrators. Later, Leitch demanded that the government pay all those who lost their jobs as a result of rules requiring vaccinations.

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