This is getting nasty.... firstly the Maori Party reveal information of abuse on one of their candidates by some people opposed to co-governance and now the Nats have outlined abuse on them including one candidate who has had to move house.
Campaign terror: National candidates targeted by gang members
National Party claims candidates, volunteers abused by gang members on campaign.
The National Party claims some of its candidates and volunteers have been abused by gang members on the campaign trail.
The party claims the anti-National rhetoric has been stirred up by former senior public servant and lifetime Mongrel Mob member Harry Tam, who has been holding voting education workshops across the country.
One incident allegedly involves Auckland Central candidate Mahesh Muralidhar who said a senior Head Hunters member filmed him and his wife in a restaurant and shared it with followers, with an âabusive and intimidating messageâ.
The most serious of the allegations is a National candidate who says they were forced to move house after a threat from a gang - National says it wonât release any further information to protect that person and their family.
The party also claims death threats were made to a volunteer in Auckland, another was attacked by a dog, and over the weekend several volunteers were abused and followed by gang members in Hawkeâs Bay.
Manurewa candidate Siva Kilari said he had a bottle of beer thrown over him, has had volunteers frequently intimidated, and his house broken into.
National Party campaign chair Chris Bishop said New Zealand deserved a âfree and fair election campaign in which every party can express their viewsâ.
âSadly, malevolent actors are seeking to disrupt Nationalâs campaign."
We are taking the unprecedented step of releasing more information about these incidents so New Zealanders are aware of the stand-over tactics some are resorting to stop Nationalâs plans to crack down on crime and scare New Zealanders away from voting.â
Bishop claimed Nationalâs policies were harsher on gangs than Labourâs, which he believed to be behind the violence.
It comes as the partyâs police spokesman Mark Mitchell faces questions over playing politics after making claims on social media about confronting gang members at Parliament on Thursday, despite being told repeatedly the people were not gang members themselves.
The confrontation came after a hÄŤkoi, led by Matilda Kahotea (NgÄti PĹŤkenga), aimed at opposing National and Actâs policies on the gangs and delivering a petition, calling for gang families to be involved in policies impacting them.
Luxon today didnât address questions over whether Mitchell had been trying to score political points with the untrue claims.
He said National condemned âany threats and intimidation on any political candidate in the propertyâ.
They had been âpretty full onâ for the party members, he said.
All incidents had been reported to police.
The National Party revelations come after Te PÄti MÄori Hauraki-Waikato candidate Hana Rawhiti Maipi-Clarkeâs Waikato home was invaded, vandalised and left with a threatening letter in what she claimed was a politically motivated attack.
Labourâs Taranaki-King Country candidate Angela Roberts also revealed she was slapped by an aggressive member of the public while at a local election debate last week.
www.newshub.co.nz
