Did Tory Whanau cop worse abuse than most?

Friday, 2 May 2025

Afterr much toxic abuse a security plan was set up for Wellington mayor Tory Whanau.

Cycle lanes, tipsy nights out, a dog in the office. Outgoing Wellington mayor Tory Whanau was dogged by controversy, in both her personal and professional life. With it came criticism and abuse.

It was clear that abuse took a toll, with Whanau - who this week announced she was no longer seeking re-election as mayor - saying she was looking forward to being less of a target should she be elected as a councillor.

Labour-endorsed Andrew Little also acknowledged the effects of that ongoing vilification, crediting Whanau for getting on with the job in the face of relentless online abuse.

While criticism of public leaders was healthy and necessary in a democracy, there was a difference between criticism and abuse and Whanau had been at the sharp end of some “pretty vile stuff.”

“There’s a level of toxicity that is completely uncalled for, but there’s a large part of social media where that is tolerated. There’s a cowardliness to it…and it should be called out. It is to her credit that she got on with the job in spite of it.”

In a wide-ranging interview with The Post, Tory Whanau discusses the abuse she suffered, the council unity she failed to achieve and how she should have had a term on council before diving into the mayoralty.

Abuse and harassment of politicians, at both local and central government level, has become commonplace, and more so since Covid. It ramps up as elections loom.

In 2022, the year Whanau was elected, The Post reported that Wellington councillor Teri O’Neill and council colleague Nicola Young had shared a list with female colleagues of about six phone numbers that should be blocked due to concerning and threatening behaviour.

Wellington mayor Tory Whanau digging some of her own dirt.

Whanau, meanwhile, deleted her Twitter [now X] account, saying it had become “a bit of a toxic fest”. Concerning behaviour had ranged from being called 'Jacinda's w….' through to, almost-weekly, men 'sliding into my DMs [direct messages on social media]' asking for a sexual relationship. 'It is gross, I end up blocking a whole bunch of men.'

A security plan was set in place which ensured she would have a minder at events and an unmarked car so people didn’t know where she was.

Whanau has been a controversial mayor whichever way you look at it. A boozy night got the critics going, so too her focus on policies ratepayers argued were “nice to haves”. And as politicians themselves are wont to say, politics can be “robust”.

Thomas Nash says the abuse Whanau received was “despicable”.

Whanau has previously claimed criticism of her was “gendered” and that what she represented —young, progressive wahine Māori — made people uncomfortable, leading to 'attempts at trying to attack my character'.

Whether the opprobrium was elicited because of her mis-steps or because of the high profile role is subjective, but there’s no denying much of it was highly personal and played a part in her decision to quit.

Green party colleague and Wellington regional councillor Thomas Nash said the level of abuse Whanau was subjected to was “despicable”.

“And it's worth reflecting on what has ended up being the focus of attention from critics. It has tended to be the disputes, the so-called scandals, things that haven't actually really been about her work and the things that she has delivered.

“There is a much more intense, brutal and frankly, rude and unacceptable level of abuse that is directed towards women in politics. I'm a man in politics, and yeah, people throw insults around, but it is absolutely nothing like the sort of personal comments that have nothing to do with your work and your ability to do the work.

Diane Calvert believes the issues faced by the mayor were of her own making.

“So it is worse for women. And I think for Māori women, and for women of colour generally, it's a whole new level of abuse.”

Wellington Central Green MP Tamatha Paul, a former city councillor who worked with previous mayor Andy Foster, agreed saying Whanau received “online hate” about her appearance and other personal aspects that a male in a similar position would never have to deal with.

“Criticism of Andy was far more focused on his work than what he was doing at the weekend…that just distracts from the job.”

Conversely, councillor Diane Calvert, who has been a vocal critic of Whanau and her political decisions, believed the attacks on the mayor were of her own making, with her staunchness around certain policies fanning the flames.

“Yes, it can sometimes get nasty and that’s not called for, but it’s mostly about the performance and if you don’t perform then you open yourself up to even more critique.

“This is not about what you do in the privacy of your own home, or at a friend’s house, or even in the council lounge, it’s about what’s being done in public.”

She had also left X but said Whanau wasn’t naive to the issues faced by politicians, having been chief of staff for the Green Party at Parliament, “probably an even tougher environment [than council].”

“Everybody gets criticism. You know, Wayne Brown gets criticism, I get people calling me different names. But if you’re willing to put your views out there, then you have got to stand up to the critiques as well.”

Local Government New Zealand’s [LGNZ] chief executive Susan Freeman-Greene said it had seen elected membersabused more often, both online and in person.

That ranged from threats of physical harm via social media to local leaders and their families being harassed and intimidated in public.

“It’s unacceptable and is something that LGNZ has been taking very seriously. We need to keep people in public office safe, so they can focus on doing the best job they can; and it’s especially important in an election year that people who are considering standing can feel confident about the safety of local democracy.”