Purplewave

purplewave_ is a New Zealand politician and former farmer who has served as party leader of both The Country Party and the South Island People's Party.

Early life
purplewave_ was born on the 22nd of September, 1974. He grew up on a vineyard owned by his father and briefly MP gavingrotegut located near Blenheim, which he later inherited when he died in 2020. Early on, purplewave_ became a supporter of progressive social causes, and helped organize against Rogernomics as a teenager. In 2010, purplewave_ gained national attention when he led a protest against John Key's hike on the Goods and Services Tax, which he argued would harm local farmers and increase poverty. purplewave_ was disgusted by what he saw as mockery from the political establishment, pushing him to view urban areas and urban political leaders more negatively.

Political career
purplewave_ was an independent candidate for Aoraki in 2011, garnering 13.26% of the vote. In 2014 and 2017, he ran on behalf of the Greens, failing to win a seat both times. After the first 2021 election, purplewave_ briefly became deputy leader of the Country Party, before stepping down after it joined Alliance. Later he became leader of the Country Party during the second 2021 election, where he won the seat of Aoraki. Despite being made Minister of Justice and Minister of Regional Affairs, purplewave_ left politics a month afterwards, citing depression and a failure to get Country's pro-rural policies included in the ACT-Alliance-Labour government. He would later run as a paper candidate for the Pirate Party of New Zealand and the Māori Party.

South Island People's Party
purplewave_ returned to politics in 2023, with a speech announcing the formation of the South Island People's Party. In his speech, purplewave_ cited a growing disconnect he felt from Auckland and the political establishment as his reasons for forming the party and backing South Island separatism. The party is contesting the March 2023 New Zealand general election, with a platform focusing on economic nationalism and agrarian policies.

Positions
purplewave_ is seen as a progressive and a leftist, as well as an opponent to urbanism. He openly calls himself a populist, stating that "If politics is not about the people, then what is it about at all?". He backs large-scale state intervention into the economy, and is a strong supporter of Keynesianism. He is an agrarian, who sees urban areas as being too supportive of neoliberal capitalism and too dismissive of the needs of rural New Zealanders.

Personal life
purplewave_ is openly gay, and married his husband orangewave_ the day after gay marriage was legalized in New Zealand. He has an adopted daughter, yellowwave_.