A Member of Parliament for New Zealand First from 2002 to 2005.  Elected to the Papakura District Council in October 2007, as Ardmore Ward Councillor, and is currently the Deputy Chairman of the Auckland Council - Papakura Local Board.
While in Parliament, Brent held a number of portfolios for New Zealand First, including Communications and IT, Housing, Bio-security, Internal Affairs, Tourism and Consumer Affairs, along with a number of select committees roles, working on legislation such as the Construction Contracts Act, the Building Act and the Local Government Act.

During his term as a councillor he chaired the Long Term Council Community Plan (LTCCP) and the Audit committees and represented Papakura District Council at Local Government New Zealand Zone One meetings, the Shareholders Representative Group of Watercare Services Limited meetings and as a member of the Civil Defence Emergency Management Group committee. He has also served as a Hearings Commissioner and as such has a good understanding of the regulatory side of both central and local government and the Resource Management Act consent processes.

As Deputy Chair of the Local Board, Brent has taken a lead role in negotiations with Auckland Council over the Local Board Agreement and the Local Board Plan, defending the interests of Papakura rate payers and citizens.  He has been supportive of local police, working to strengthen communities like Takanini and Redhill with projects such as the establishment of the Takanini Community Police Station and Redhill policing team, and the Outdoor Pursuit Centre.

Brent was educated at Mt Albert Grammar School and the University of Auckland, and worked as an accountant, before becoming interested in travel and tourism, to which he has now devoted much of his career. He studied the Geneva, Switzerland based International Travel Industry Advanced Diploma and completed the New Zealand Travel and Tourism qualifications and is a full member of the New Zealand Institute of Travel and Tourism.
Brent is a keen genealogist, a member of the NZ Society of Genealogists. He has a strong interest in Toastmasters International, and served two terms as Toastmaster Area Governor, and a District Officer of the governing body of Toastmasters in New Zealand.
Brent is proud to be part of the New Zealand First team and their record of sound, consistent policies and principles, such as the pledge for “Open Accountable Government with less Government”, their vision for a value added Export lead economy and the pledge to protect our strategic assets, and to stop the sale of our revenue generating assets like power companies and valuable farm land into foreign ownership.
He particularly supports NZ First’s strong commitment to young people and families with free health checks for the under sixes and a commitment to the future of our youth and the economy with more jobs and new apprenticeships providing a better future for all families. New Zealand First recognises the contribution our elderly have made to our communities with the introduction of the Super Gold Card.

Top 5 Issues

1. We’ll have ONE LAW FOR ALL.
   
   Which means:
   
   • We all own our foreshore and seabed
   • We fly one flag
   • We have one court system
   • We follow one set of laws
   • We have one social welfare system
   • A NZ health system
   • A NZ education system
2. We will rebuild our failing economy with
   
   • Export plans to treble returns
   • Savings plans for economic freedom
   • NZ currency for NZ not Wall ST
   • Tax breaks for real wealth creators
   • Real research and development incentives
   • Rewards for the nation’s builders
3. We stand for a fair tax system, where everyone pays a fair share.
   
   So we are going to rewrite and simplify NZ’s mangle of tax laws so that they are understandable, unavoidable, and fair.
   
   Everyone will pay their fair taxes.
   
   That means:
   • Less personal tax
   • Less company tax
   • Less GST at 12.5 not 15%
   • Removing double tax on savings
   • Removing GST on rates
   • Removing secondary tax
4. Exporters create our real wealth. We have a plan to help them.
   
   New Zealand First will keep our currency pegged to that of our main trading partners.
   
   That way the exporters will be able to expand, increase exports and create new jobs, new wealth for the Family New Zealand
   
   We will stop the sale of state owned assets, and the control of our power stations and the lakes and rivers that feed them.
   Will stop the sale of our prime farmland to foreign interests.
5. We need to support our young people to stay, live and work in New Zealand. Here are just some of our policies:
   
   1) More trade training for our young people
   
   2) We will help pay the wages for apprentices using dole money and an employer top up
   
   3) We will help students pay their loans as long as they qualify and stay here
   
   4) And we’ll throw out fictitious national standards in early education opposed by 90% of the teachers

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