'Gary Thomas Knapp' (born
1947) was a
New Zealand politician of the
Social Credit Party.
He became Member of Parliament for
East Coast Bays in
1980 when he defeated National candidate
Don Brash in the
1980 by-election in East Coast Bays caused by the resignation of the sitting National MP. Knapp joined
Bruce Beetham in parliament, where they both had high profiles.
In the
1984 election, while Beetham lost his Rangitikei seat to a National Party challenger, Knapp retained
East Coast Bays, and another Social Credit candidate,
Neil Morrison, won
Pakuranga. But in the
1987 election Knapp and Morrison were both defeated by National candidates, see
Social Credit Party (New Zealand).
Gary Knapp or Garry Knapp?
He appears in the 1947 births index (RG) and in the Parliamentary Record as Garry Thomas Knapp, but he now often appears as Gary Knapp, ie ''Gary'' with one 'r'.
Reference
''New Zealand Parliamentary Record 1840-1984'' by J. O. Wilson (1985, Government Printer, Wellington)