Latest news with #RayChung
RNZ News
29-07-2025
- Politics
- RNZ News
Graham Bloxham drops out of Wellington mayoral race
Graham Bloxham. Photo: Supplied Wellington mayoral candidate Graham Bloxham has announced he is quitting the race. It appears Bloxham has announced he is quitting before submitting his nomination, which has not appeared on the Wellington City Council website. Bloxham runs the Facebook page WellingtonLive and has faced controversy in recent months after being arrested for failing to stop for police , and being told by the Employment Relations Authority to pay a former employee $30,000 . In a LinkedIn post, Bloxham said he will not be running for the mayor of Wellington. "After much research 'talking to the neighbours cat over the fence', I feel I can do a much better job outside of council." He said his family did not want to deal with personal attacks on him. "I have looked back and tried to imagine what it might look like, and reflected on the impact on my family. Neither want to deal with the personal attacks on their father." Nominations for the mayoralty close midday on Friday. Other candidates include Andrew Little, Ray Chung, Diane Calvert, Karl Tiefenbacher, Rob Goulden, Josh Harford, William Pennywize, Donald McDonald, Alex Baker and Kelvin Hastie. Sign up for Ngā Pitopito Kōrero , a daily newsletter curated by our editors and delivered straight to your inbox every weekday.
The Spinoff
18-07-2025
- Entertainment
- The Spinoff
The Weekend: Nothing unites the masses like a deeply embarrassing man
Madeleine Chapman reflects on the week that was. 'Each day on twitter there is one main character. The goal is to never be it.' This tweet from 2019 plays out in my head every time someone, anyone, becomes the main character of the day in New Zealand. Twitter in 2019 moved fast, and the main character from Monday, where tens of thousands of people were dunking on them, could very well be forgotten by Wednesday. This week, Ray Chung proved that in New Zealand, if you're embarrassing enough you could be the main character for a whole lot longer. If you aren't across the Chung train wreck, congratulations and stay blessed. If you are, you may have clocked that he managed to embarrass himself every step of the way. And nothing unites the masses like a deeply embarrassing man. There was the first rumour, sure. Embarrassing to fall for a schoolyard rumour when you're seven decades into life but not the greatest sin in the world. Then the refusal to apologise. Then the blaming of other councillors and media for quoting his own words in public. Then the being owned by would-be ally Sean Plunket live on air. Then the shambles campaign event. This man just cannot stop being embarrassing. Ray Chung is Drake in the Drake vs Kendrick beef. Except there's no Kendrick. Or maybe Kendrick is the semblance of common sense. Ray Chung is Drake, and I have never gladly thought about Drake in my life. Here's hoping for a new main character next week, for everyone's sake. The stories Spinoff readers spent the most time with this week A rare and compelling example of Main Character syndrome lasting a whole week. Feedback of the week 'I wish they'd de-extinct Jaffas, Snifters and Tangy Fruits instead. The biodiversity of the cinema snack bar has been severely depleted in recent years and introduced species like M&Ms have multiplied out of control. How are we to enjoy Sir Peter's next film (if he ever makes one, he seems to have gone off it a bit as of late) without the proper sweeties to complement it?' 'I once lived on an island which had a population of eight. Things got out of hand in the birthday celebration department and individual inhabitants had to be restricted to one celebration per annum.'
1News
18-07-2025
- Politics
- 1News
More candidates quit Ray Chung's campaign group
Two more Wellington council candidates running under the Independent Together ticket have left the group following mayoral candidate Ray Chung's email about Tory Whanau. In a press release, the group confirmed that Andrea Compton and Dan Milward had left their organisation to campaign independently of it. It follows fellow candidate Lily Brown's announcement on Wednesday that she would not run with the group either. She said she did not feel aligned with tactics employed by Better Wellington who has helped run Independent Together. The changes meant that the number of candidates that stood under Independent Together had reduced from nine to six. ADVERTISEMENT In a statement Milward said that he was surprised by "recent allegations and the subsequent media coverage storm". He said that at an Independent Together roadshow event on Tuesday his wife was threatened by "agitators". "I knew it was time to take a different approach. "I'm proud of what we have achieved together but this is the right call for me, my family, and my community — it's time to run the 'Dan Milward Campaign'". Independent Together said the media scrutiny on its team had been intense. "The extent of it has been unnerving on our business and community minded candidates. "While the team feels the loss of both Andrea Compton and Dan Milward, we acknowledge the impact this is having on both of their families." ADVERTISEMENT They said that threats and bullying tactics from "the political establishment won't work on Independent Together candidates anymore". Compton said standing independently offered her the best opportunity to connect directly with her community. "This election is about listening, offering practical solutions, and having the courage to stand by what you believe in." Ray Chung sent an email, seen by RNZ, to three fellow councillors in early 2023 recounting a story he'd been told by his neighbour about the neighbour's son allegedly having a sexual encounter with the mayor. The email surfaced last week. Whanau rejected the contents of the email and said it was false and contained a "malicious and sexist" rumour. She has since received an apology from Chung.
NZ Herald
17-07-2025
- Politics
- NZ Herald
Ray Chung vile email scandal: Two more Independent Together candidates quit
At 9:05pm last night, Northern Takapu ward candidate Andrea Compton said in a statement she too was ending her association with the group. Within the hour Pukehīnau Lambton ward candidate Dan Milward also quit the group. 'Like many others, I was surprised by the recent allegations and the subsequent media coverage storm' he said. 'When my wife was threatened by the agitators at our final roadshow event in Wellington CBD on Tuesday night, I knew it was time to take a different approach.' Wellington City Councillor Ray Chung at a rally. Photo / Mark Mitchell Videos posted to social media have seen public meetings held by the group descend into chaos with hecklers and event organisers clashing. When contacted for comment, Chung said he 'didn't know' about the departures. He was at the Local Government New Zealand conference on Thursday and said he hadn't communicated with anyone all day. In a statement, an Independent Together spokesman blamed the media scrutiny over the email scandal - rather than the lewd email itself - for the departures. 'The political machinations at play have an enormous psychological impact for all of the candidates', the statement said. 'The accompanying media coverage and the scrutiny on the team has been intense.' They are not the first to leave the group. Engineering firm director Phil McConchie, Cuba Barbers owner Mike Petrie, and Melissa Moore had all disappeared from the group's website before Chung's official campaign launch in June. Wellington mayoral candidate Ray Chung at his campaign launch. Photo / Ethan Manera. Chung said at the time that they each left after the group was launched in April, as they struggled to manage the commitments needed to run for council with their own professional demands. Chung said he was 'not fussed' by the departures and didn't think it was a bad look for Independent Together. He said he was glad they left before they had officially declared their candidacy with the council. Tory Whanau said Chung emailed her an apology on Monday, the same day Prime Minister Christopher Luxon slammed Chung's comments. 'That was unacceptable content in that email, really pretty vile and unacceptable stuff', Luxon said when asked about it at his post-Cabinet press conference. The email's existence has also cost Chung an important backer, with rich-list philanthropist Sir Mark Dunajtschik officially withdrawing his support for the mayoral candidate. Chung has called the situation a 'blatant political attack' and a 'smear campaign'. Six candidates, including Chung, remain on the Independent Together ticket for the upcoming Wellington City Council election. Ethan Manera is a New Zealand Herald journalist based in Wellington. He joined NZME in 2023 as a broadcast journalist with Newstalk ZB and is interested in local issues, politics, and property in the capital. Ethan can be emailed at
RNZ News
16-07-2025
- Politics
- RNZ News
How friendly fire torpedoed a mayoral campaign
Ray Chung sent the email with nasty allegations about Whanau in it to three fellow Wellington councillors, but never asked her about the story or verified the gossip with the original source. Photo: Supplied It was shaping up to be a rather dull, straight-forward mayoral race. Current Wellington mayor Tory Whanau had quietly opted not to re-stand, without fuss, making room for a new frontrunner in former Labour minister Andrew Little. The focus was on rate rises, the golden mile, bike lanes, and restoring faith in council leadership. It was safe, steady, and, well, a little dry. But now the capital's mayoral contest has morphed into something else entirely - a bare-knuckle political brawl, drenched in scandal and whispers of dirty politics. "It's just sordid and it's just a bit gross and it's very high school," Joel MacManus, the Wellington editor of the left-leaning The Spinoff, tells The Detail. At the centre of the latest firestorm is mayoral candidate Ray Chung, a self-described straight-shooter whose campaign took a serious hit last week when a leaked email he had written surfaced - one that critics say paints a picture of his manipulation, smear tactics, and a political hit job. "I think Chung is an erratic figure. I've described him as Trump without the tactics, Winston Peters without the wit, and Wayne Brown without the brains," says MacManus, who has been watching the unfolding scandal closely and has written opinion pieces on it. When asked if the email scandal could be called dirty politics, MacManus replied: "You certainly can, but if we are talking about the origin of dirty politics in the way we talk about it, that Nicky Hager book, that was a type of politics that had strategy and tactics and underhandedness. This is, you know, a lot clumsier and stupider than that." Chung sent the email with nasty allegations about Whanau in it to three fellow Wellington councillors, but never asked her about the story or verified the gossip with the original source. Whanau says it is not true; she can prove she was elsewhere on the night named; and she's seeking legal action. The email was leaked to her and she handed it over to the media last week to highlight the abuse she and other female politicians endure. The mayoralty race was now spiced up, front-page news. "Well, the bizarre thing is, it's simultaneously the most boring campaign and the most chaotic one," says MacManus. "Andrew Little could very easily walk this in without proposing anything particularly controversial, without any particularly notable policies, so, in one way it's dull, and yet in another way, it's going to be fascinating because I think there's going to be a lot more rocky stuff to happen, I think there's going to be a lot more interesting chaos and scandals along the way. "I think it is going to be a fun one to watch, even if the outcome is fairly predictable." The email cost Chung an important backer, with rich-list philanthropist Sir Mark Dunajtschik officially withdrawing his support for the mayoral candidate. Prime Minister Christopher Luxon has also waded into the scandal, condemning Chung's comments. "That was unacceptable content in that email, really pretty vile and unacceptable stuff," Luxon said. Chung has since apologised to Whanau in an email. In a video released to social media, he admitted he had regrets, but he also claimed to now be a victim in the scandal. But MacManus expects more "dirty politics" in the coming weeks. "I am absolutely expecting more to come out.... just because I think there is a very strong chance that Ray Chung, just knowing who he is as a person and a candidate, will continue to do things like this." Now, as the campaign heats up, the stakes could not be higher. Wellington is not just choosing a mayor. It is choosing what kind of city it wants to be - principled or pragmatic, progressive or proven, forgiving or fed-up. Check out how to listen to and follow The Detail here . You can also stay up-to-date by liking us on Facebook or following us on Twitter .
