Ray Chung maintains political ‘smear’ claim, accused of searching for conspiracy

Monday, 14 July 2025

Under-fire Wellington mayoral candidate Ray Chung is being called on to stop “searching for conspiracies” after blaming Labour, the Greens and “complicit media” for an alleged “smear campaign” he could provide no evidence of.

Chung, on stage at an Independent Together (IT) public meeting in Miramar on Monday evening, continued to defend his position after earlier saying he was victim of a “blatant political attack”.

He alleged a “smear campaign” run by Labour, Greens and “complicit” media but, speaking afterwards could offer no evidence of his claims. “I have feedback from people who've been telling me what's what the plan is, and people from inside these organisations [Labour and Green],” he said.

Labour candidate Andrew Little on Tuesday morning said all the pressure on his opponent in the past week were the results of Chung’s actions and those of Chung’s campaign. The last week has seen a lewd gossip-based email emerge that Chung wrote about mayor Whanau, the revelation of a dossier on opponents and a team member having to walk back a misleading claim.

“It is concerning that instead of taking accountability he is playing the victim and searching for conspiracies,” Little said.

“I am running a clean and positive campaign focused on serious leadership and change at council. Ray Chung’s actions and those of the people behind him speak for themselves. I urge them to clean up their act.”

Prime Minister Christopher Luxon described the email as “pretty vile and unacceptable”.

“Ultimately, as to who the good people are willing to choose to vote for, that’s up to them,” said Luxon, when asked about it at a post-Cabinet press conference on Monday.

On Tuesday Chris Bishop, who is MP for Hutt South, told reporters that he was “embarrassed, as a Wellingtonian, about the whole affair.”

“It really saddens me that local government in what is New Zealand's second biggest city, and a really important city, and my hometown, has descended into this level of, you know, ridiculousness.”

He said the city should be focussed on its “really big challenges around housing, around transport, around fiscal rectitude”.

“I think Wellingtonians are appalled by it, and I am too.”

Independent Together candidate Paula Muollo opened Monday’s meeting by saying the group did not condone “inappropriate comments or language”.

“Ray has acknowledged his deep regret for this lapse of judgment. Accountability really matters, but what we should really be focusing on is … progress for the city,” she said.

Whanau, who is Green Party-backed, freely acknowledged she released the 2023 email Chung sent to three council colleagues – Nicola Young, Tony Randle and John Apanowicz – detailing gossip he said he heard from a neighbour about an alleged night of sex and drugs the mayor had. She denies the claims, for which Chung has produced no evidence.

“I decided to speak publicly and take a stand against unethical and dirty politics because our city deserves elected members who uphold the highest standards of respect, honesty, and integrity,” Whanau said on Monday.

She confirmed Chung had apologised via email.

Young told The Post she received the “tawdry” email and deleted it straight away. She did not pass it on to Whanau nor anyone else. Randle said he did not pass the email on. Apanowicz did not respond to calls.

It has been a torrid week for IT and financial backer Better Wellington, which started with candidate Lily Brown admitting to sharing misleading information about mayoral candidate Andrew Little, followed by the revelation of a dossier commissioned by people linked to the campaign attacking Labour candidates.

The council is reviewing complaints it has received about Chung’s email, with some calling for a code of conduct investigation.

Crown observer Lindsay McKenzie, whose term finishes at the end of July, also weighed in.

He said while the email saga did not fall within his remit, he had a “stake in seeing that the gains of the past seven months or so are not lost and council successfully navigates its way to the end of this term of office”.

“Despite their focus on the election ahead, candidates who are councillors have been reminded that they are still elected members, are still being remunerated and should be focused on the duties and obligations that go with that status.

“I have sought reassurances that elected members will stay focused on the interests of the community they are there to serve”.

Meanwhile, council candidates and others have found themselves on a list of Better Wellington “supporters” without their knowledge or actual support.

Teal Mau, who is running in the Pukehīnau/Lambton ward, said it was “rude awakening” when approached by The Post to ask if he was a supporter of Better Wellington, as claimed on the group’s website under the tab “our supporters”.

“I’m just surprised we are on there,” said Mau, who planned to contact the group to get his name removed. His wife, Sophie, was also listed without her knowledge, he said.

“We are not associated with it.”

Mayoral candidate Rob Goulden is also on the list and said he had “taken an interest” in the group nine or 10 months ago, but he was a firm independent and not a supporter.

Former city councillor and business man Rex Nicholls, the husband of former mayor Dame Kerry Prendergast, only found out about his apparent support when contacted by The Post. His support had been for Independent Together when it was focused on running for council seats as opposed to mayor.

But after IT fired a woman running the group, “I thought, ‘bugger that, I’m no longer interested’”, Nicholls said.

“It has become a mayoral campaign for Ray.”

Chung and Better Wellington spokesperson Alistair Boyce did not return calls for comment on Monday.

The email fallout saw philanthropist and developer Sir Mark Dunajtschik pull his support from Chung’s campaign, but not all backers have been lost.

John Swan, a retired lawyer, said he would continue to back Better Wellington and its Independent Together candidates, including Chung.

“Ray is a very honest, upfront, hard-working politician and deserves continued support,” he said.

Prominent hospitality figure Jeremy Smith, whose name is listed as a Better Wellington supporter on the group’s website, said he signed up for the group and went to the Independent Together, but “I never ended up backing them”.

The group’s ideas were “brilliant” but the execution would be “more challenging', he said.