Wayne Brown was sent 1500 emails from lobby group before sending ‘f… off’ reply

Friday, 3 October 2025

Mayor Wayne Brown says by the time two million further houses are built in Auckland, most of us will be dead.

Wayne Brown got sent 1500 emails from a lobby group before he sent an email telling them to “f… off”.

The Auckland Ratepayers Alliance sent an email asking Brown to sign their ratepayer protection pledge.

Brown continues to deny he has hiked rates.

Auckland Mayor Wayne Brown received 1500 emails from a lobby group that prompted him to send his own email in response, telling them to “f… off”.

On Thursday, it was revealed Brown sent the curt response to a request by the Auckland Ratepayers’ Alliance (APA) after they asked him to sign their “ratepayer protection pledge”.

The pledge, set up by the Taxpayers Union, called on signatories to, “Oppose any measures that will see the total burden of rates, levies and additional council charges exceed the level of inflation and population growth.”

The ARA called on supporters to write to Brown demanding that he sign the pledge, and claimed that “hundreds of incumbent and prospective mayors around New Zealand” had signed it already.

A copy of the email response Wayne Brown sent.

Brown received an email, seen by Stuff, with the headline “Is Wayne Brown planning a rates blow-out?”

On Friday, Sam Warren of the ARA told Herald Now that “last time he checked”, around 1500 emails were sent to Brown asking him to sign the group’s pledge.

In a statement, Warren also said Brown was resorting to “making things up” and “personal abuse”.

Brown is running for a second term as Auckland Mayor.

“Wayne Brown clearly hasn’t even read the pledge before mouthing off. He’s claiming it would stop independent members on the Council’s Audit and Risk Committee — but that’s just not true.”

Warren said Brown was either “confused” or “deliberately misleading” Aucklanders with his comments.

“Limb three of the Ratepayer Protection Pledge requires signers to oppose unelected appointments onto council committees with spending and regulatory powers. Audit and Risk, and advisory committees, clearly lie outside that.”

Brown had earlier responded to the ARA’s pledge, calling it a “PR stunt” in a statement, adding that a rate hike under him was not on the cards.

“Let me be absolutely clear. I take great umbrage at the suggestion that I am ‘planning a rates hike’ — nothing could be further from the truth.”

Brown said he has worked 'extremely hard” to keep rates down, and that his council has the best track record of any urban council this term.

“Grandstanding PR stunts and spam emails are for the keyboard warriors. The real ratepayers are united in wanting common sense, a focus on targeting wasteful spending, and the hard graft of finding savings.”

Brown said he refused to sign the ARA’s “gimmicky pledge” in 2022 and “delivered” on his promise to keep rates down.

Brown spoke with Stuff earlier this week about the mayoralty campaign, saying he has not ruled out stepping down towards the end of his second term if re-elected, allowing Desley Simpson to replace him.

The 79-year-old confirmed for the first time that he might hand over the mayoralty before the full three years are up, though he insisted he had not discussed the possibility with his deputy, Simpson, and stressed he still has plenty to do if he secures another term.

“I haven’t ruled that out, but next year’s a really important year for Auckland,” Brown said.

“There are some great things, important things that will happen, which will have a big impact on the country. We’ll finish at long last the International Convention Centre… and, at long last, City Rail Link will open to the public.”

Voting in Auckland’s local body elections closes on October 11.