Yes Russell, agree, this government are fucked.
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Discredited shock jock reporter talking about irrelevant nonsense.This is the right. This is who they are
The Post
www.thepost.co.nz
Campaign groupβs dossier on Labour candidates labelled βdirty tacticsβ
Andrea Vance
Andrea Vance
July 9, 2025
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Inflection Point address in Wellington
An Independent Together-linked group is behind a bizarre attempt at opposition research on Labour-aligned candidates for the upcoming local elections β labelling mask-wearers βCovidians,β slamming candidatesβ partners, and painting pro-MΔori views as extremist.
The clumsy and often conspiratorial dossier reads more like a culture war manifesto β cherry-picking identity-related content, student-era activism, and Facebook photo captions to paint candidates as ideologues and radicals.
In several cases, it resorts to snide editorialising and dog-whistle language, including questioning the legitimacy of refugee candidates, mocking te reo use, and framing public transport policy as a covert leftist agenda.
Among the so-called red-flags are candidatesβ ethnic and religious identity, discussing past health issues on social media, solidarity with Palestine and Muslim communities. It criticises one hopeful for βleaning into [their] identity as a refugee and ethnic minorityβ and spelling Israel as β!zr@hellβ online.
One candidate is scrutinised for a partnerβs social media posts and enthusiasm for trains. The file described βA transport nerd and ambitious, well-connected Labour Party player ... interests outside of the Labour Party and transportation are decidedly nerdy: comic books, fantasy fiction β¦ [and] is a Japanophile who has visited the country and speaks some Japanese.β
IT is fielding mayoral hopeful Ray Chung, a current city councillor, as mayor and 10 other council hopefuls in this yearβs Wellington City Council election and other candidates in Octoberβs election.
Harriet Laughton
Another is labelled a βLabour Covidianβ for wearing a face mask in a Facebook photo, with past climate change advocacy and support for unions treated as suspicious.
The dossier describes βa believer in anthropocentric climate change and man-made political solutions to it ... [who] defined climate change as a βpandoraβs box of troubles β¦ which we can and must fix with fun, seriousness and tenacityβ.β
Support for accessible public transport from one candidate is interpreted as βclimate change ideology.β The profile adds: β[The candidate]wore a Labour-red t-shirt emblazoned with the words βActivist chairβ.β
A MΔori candidate is described as βbrazenly and belligerently pro-MΔori,β with support for MΔori political rights, and a profile picture featuring a tino rangatiratanga flag, presented as extremism.
Better Wellington, which is behind the Independent Together (IT) ticket, has confirmed it commissioned research ahead of the October vote. IT is fielding mayoral hopeful Ray Chung, a current city councillor, and several other council hopefuls.
But spokesperson Alistair Boyce distanced the group from the document, saying the researcher went rogue and strayed beyond the agreed remit. The relationship had ended acrimoniously, he said.
βIt was sort of open research in regard to political events and local body politics. It's very hard to find people who do that. So we commissioned that guy on a very low retainer, and he went out there and provided us information on various things, and then he sort of went mad...
βWe already paid him a very small amount of money, and the primary research was supposed to be on the city council and their expenditure rather than personal bloody research.β
Boyce said he hadnβt seen a copy of the report. He confirmed former NZ First member and anti-trans campaigner Rhys Williams had hired the researcher.
Williams has become known for far-right online activism and for being behind a series of anonymous and inflammatory tweets targeting politicians, particularly Green MP Benjamin Doyle.
Taranaki-based Rhys Williams was behind an anonymous online account that helped spark a political firestorm over Green MP Benjamin Doyleβs past Instagram posts.
Supplied
Boyce said there was only a βloose connectionβ between Williams and Better Wellington.
The Post has also obtained an email from Better Wellingtonβs Paul Heffernan sent recently to Wellington City councillors.
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βRhys Williams is not a member or associate or employee of Better Wellington. He has not worked for or with Better Wellington ...Glenn Inwood, who does work for Better Wellington, is a friend of Rhys Williams, but Better Wellington has not sought to engage Mr. Williams in the forthcoming election campaign,β he wrote.
β[The researcher] was referred to Better Wellington by Mr. Williams as a person familiar with online open source research in respect of social media accounts and likely to have time to research and brief Better Wellington on the social media posts of election candidates.β
Asked if Better Wellington would commit to not using any of the information in the report, Boyce said: βWell, probably, yeah.β
Meanwhile, the first mayoral debate of the campaign has become a flashpoint, with IT candidate Lily Brown accused of misrepresenting a statement by Labourβs mayoral candidate Andrew Little.
At the packed community forum, Brown asked whether candidates would sign a written pledge to βnever consult with [their] party on any decisionsβ if elected.
However, in a subsequent tweet, and a letter to The Post, Brown softened her question β claiming she had asked whether candidates would βput Wellingtonians ahead of [their] partyβ. She concluded the tweet with βANDREW LITTLE SAID NO!β
The post was later amplified by Better Wellington and fellow IT candidates.
Little had responded at the event by declining to sign an unspecified document but saying he was committed to acting in Wellingtonβs best interests and working collaboratively across political lines.
βI wasnβt going to play into a political stunt at what was supposed to be a meeting for Wellingtonβs Jewish community,β Little told The Post this week.
βI was clear that my values are Labour and everyone knows that, but I am running as a Mayor for all of Wellington and my approach will be to work with people from all backgrounds to get the best for our city.β
Brown, in a statement on Wednesday, said having listened to audio from the event, βI now realise that my question and Andrew Littleβs answer may not have been as simple as how I phrased it on social mediaβ.
βThe question, as I put it, was more rhetorical than it should have been. However, the substance still remains: If we are to believe that Andrew Little will put Wellington first, then I think Wellingtonians would like to know how he plans to do that while being bound by the Labour Partyβs rules and objectives as stated in the pledge he must sign as a Labour Party candidate,β the statement said.
Little hit back at the tactics.
βThis is pretty gross stuff and Iβm surprised to see people trying it on in Wellington. This isnβt who we are and I donβt think people have any appetite for dirty tactics or extreme, conspiracy-driven politics.
βI am running a clean, positive campaign and I ask that Ray Chung and his candidates do the same.β
Labour councillor Ben McNulty, who is standing for re-election, is also dismayed after becoming the target of an online attack that also referenced his young children.
After re-iterating his support for extending the vote to 16- and 17-year-olds, the Better Wellington post accused McNulty of promoting βchild councillorsβ and mocked his appearance, intelligence, university education and parenting.
βIf McNumpty gets voted onto council again this year, Wellington, you have only yourself to blame!,β the post said.
McNulty, who is also mentioned fleetingly in the dossier, said the βham-fisted dirt fileβ was βan incredible low.β
Councillor Ben McNulty and mayoral hopeful Andrew Little have hit out at smear tactics in this yearβs local body elections.
MONIQUE FORD / The Post
βBetter Wellington's first foray into this campaign was to weaponise Islamophobia around council's plans to investigate a call to prayer at Kilbirnie mosque in commemoration of the Christchurch terror attacks,β he said.
The tactics were βentirely unsurprising given their track record.β
βThere are some genuinely good people running under the Independent Together Party ticket who share a deep frustration at the state of Wellington but they need to call out and distance themselves from these grubby election tactics,β he said.
Chung said he wasnβt aware of the dossier and hadnβt been reading Better Wellington or ITβs social media posts. He later supplied screenshots of posts of attacks on him by other political rivals.
βI'm not really interested in these things because I think that personal attacks are just below the bar. And I do absolutely believe in freedom of speech, and so I don't mind people saying whatever they think, and if they say things against me then I try not to get mad about it and respond to them,β Chung said.
Three posts about McNulty were deleted after The Post spoke to Chung on Monday.
Asked if he should have better oversight of the campaignβs social media, he said: βIn fact, I should keep an eye on it, because I haven't actually looked at what they say.
βI absolutely agree that sort of thing [the references to McNultyβs children] should never, ever be brought up. Why would we mention his children? I mean, I don't understand what the children have got to do with it.β
He added: βWhen I've had discussions with Andrew, they've been very congenial. We've talked about things that we believe in and things that we actually want to change for Wellington then. It actually does seem like we've got a lot more in common than we have differences.β
Yes Russell, agree, this government are fucked.
View: https://bsky.app/profile/russelnorman.bsky.social/post/3ltiwretzyc2k
View attachment 13720
Discredited wiz. Next.Discredited shock jock reporter talking about irrelevant nonsense.
Donβt even know what weβre supposed to make of itβ¦ next
Nope. But it's not a shitpile right wing misogynistic bullying homophobic transphobic racist echo chamber. Which is great for meJust an observation but is bsky.social some kind of dystopian tunnel where you can rage at everything that happens on the planet is the fault of someone else.
Big Russ, another Ozzie grifter who couldn't make it over there, jumped med school, couldn't win a seat here either and did SFA other than jab a top job with Greenpeace. Probably should expect a comment like that
And actually truly, it really is the fault of the right. Everywhere at the moment. You guys need to get out more and turn off 1zbJust an observation but is bsky.social some kind of dystopian tunnel where you can rage at everything that happens on the planet is the fault of someone else.
Big Russ, another Ozzie grifter who couldn't make it over there, jumped med school, couldn't win a seat here either and did SFA other than jab a top job with Greenpeace. Probably should expect a comment like that
Donβt get your panties in a knot Top8Nope. But it's not a shitpile right wing misogynistic bullying homophobic transphobic racist echo chamber. Which is great for me
Just a more left leaning platform, not as overrun with bots and AI as Meta and X, not yet anyway.Just an observation but is bsky.social some kind of dystopian tunnel where you can rage at everything that happens on the planet is the fault of someone else.
You should hear 3ZB, talk about dystopian tunnelsAnd actually truly, it really is the fault of the right. Everywhere at the moment. You guys need to get out more and turn off 1zb
Why knot? But true. It's too much to ask for any kind of actual fact in these interactions.Donβt get your panties in a knot Top8
Far more factual too.Just a more left leaning platform, not as overrun with bots and AI as Meta and X, not yet anyway.
That's not very niceIβve said it before & Iβll say it again, Hipkins is a weak gutted dog.
A male or a female one though?Iβve said it before & Iβll say it again, Hipkins is a weak gutted dog.
They make some effort at moderation and filtering the bots, unlike @threads, that's a cesspit.Far more factual too.
Typical Act voter, obsessed with genitalsA male or a female one though?
He probably doesnβt know what the difference isβ¦
I just like quoting the great Sticky, I donβt even know what a weak gutted dog is actually meant to represent.That's not very nice
Me either now you mention it haha. Sticky's outraged at how Kyle Flannagan is being bullied, what a hypocrite.I just like quoting the great Sticky, I donβt even know what a weak gutted dog is actually meant to represent.
The last time I listened to ZB was when Buzz O Bumble was on! My dad said he was a Communist.You should hear 3ZB, talk about dystopian tunnels