When the Crimes (Substituted Section 59) Amendment Bill, which would remove parental correction as a defence for assault against children, began to raise debate nationally, Baldock began organising a petition to force a referendum on the question, "Should a smack, as part of good parental correction, be a criminal offence in New Zealand?"
[5] Baldock successfully collected 390,000 signatures against the Child Discipline Act, which forced a referendum on the issue.
Baldock has proposed giving parents the right to strike their children with implements stating, "I'm not opposed to the wooden spoon or ruler because you can control things with that better than you can with an open hand.
"[6] In the 2008 general election, Baldock stood for the Tauranga electorate, but came a distant fourth, with approximately five per cent of the vote.
[8] Undaunted by its poor performance, the Kiwi Party held a conference in Christchurch in March 2009, and announced its intention to contest the 2011 general election.
Ultimately all were replaced when the Minister of Local Government appointed Commissioners to run the city when Mayor Powell himself also resigned on November 20 later that year.
[14][15] In early September 2023, Baldock announced he would be contesting the Tauranga electorate during the 2023 New Zealand general election as an independent candidate.