Brian Peter MacDonell QSO (born 19 May 1935) is a former New Zealand Member of Parliament for Dunedin Central in the South Island.

He received his education at Christian Brothers High School, since renamed Kavanagh College.

[1] MacDonell first attempted to enter politics at the 1959 local-body elections when he stood unsuccessfully for the Dunedin City Council on the Labour Party ticket.

[9] MacDonell was not selected as the Labour candidate for the new electorate of Dunedin West; instead, the party's president, Jim Anderton, installed his personal friend Clive Matthewson.

He worked closely in the house with another Labour MP turned independent, John Kirk, as well as the two Social Credit Party's MPs Bruce Beetham and Gary Knapp.