On Friday afternoon, when I heard that Ray Chung, Mayoral candidate for Wellington, was going to appear with Ryan Bridge on Newstalk ZB’s Drive to discuss the gossipy email he sent regarding Tory Whanau, I thought good on him for fronting. 

7 minutes and 20 seconds later, I was as speechless as Ryan Bridge. 

What a bumbling, embarrassing trainwreck of an interview. 

First there was the comment it had been a hard couple of days for Ray Chung since the email was publicly released. Well, yes, when you’re running in a local body election and caught spreading salacious gossip it can make for a tough day. But considering Mr Chung had been on the phone since 4am on Friday, and spent the day talking to media about the fiasco, you’d expect him to have crafted a tight message by 5pm. 

I expected him to apologise for spreading gossip, clarify what happened, accept responsibility. You known, to demonstrate some, well, leadership potential. Some mayoral potential. 

I’m a big advocate for voting in local body elections. I want to have a say in who runs my city. I know it’s not the cool thing to do and most people can’t be bothered. But I love and appreciate everything my city has to offer and I want it to be a great and affordable place to live. 

But to get people to vote we need candidates who are articulate, smart, and decisive leaders. We need people who understand the political environment, can work with others, and know how to get things done.

Back in 2022, Wellington City councilor Iona Pannett despaired at how toxic and negative the campaigning was in the local body elections. More recently Tory Whanau has called politics an “ugly place”. Some of the issues highlighted by Crown observer of Wellington City Council, Lindsay McKenzie, are that it’s an overwhelmed council, there is public criticism by elected members, and dysfunctional relationships. 

If there was ever a time Wellington needed a candidate who can convince constituents they can as mayor bring this council together and make it function, then it’s now. And yet, here we are. Ten days after candidate nominations opened for local body elections and the dirty politics has kicked off. Did Ray Chung write that email out of genuine concern for his Mayor? Probably not. Has the email’s release being timed to hurt Ray Chung’s campaign.Probably yes. So, no one looks particulargreat do they? Wellington deserves better. 

This isn’t a big enough faux pas for Chung to take himself out of the race. But if he’s going to continue, can I suggest he takes a simpler approach to dealing with issues. When the receipt (as the kids say these days) is there for all to see, apologise and take accountability. You don’t need to over explain, and if you're ever asked whether you've had an orgy - just say no.

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