Police were called to a Dunedin candidate meeting where a heckler’s verbal abuse threatened to escalate to violence, reflecting the “sad state of affairs” on the campaign trail, candidates say.
Mayoral candidate Andrew Simms said the incident at Thursday night’s Dunedin Area Citizens Association candidate meeting was an “unsavoury extension” of the abuse those running for council faced.
Mr Simms, who is leading the Future Dunedin ticket, said the abuse was enabled by social media, which some used as a “weapon” to anonymously and surreptitiously attack councillors and candidates.
“Just absolute toxic, highly offensive stuff,” he said.
“But some of it is just a gentle undermining all the time … people haven’t got enough to do perhaps, and they’re making a sport out of attacking people.”
The potential for abuse, often directed at sitting councillors and female candidates, was the overwhelming reason people chose not to run for council, Mr Simms said.
He said he went to bed worried about untrue things he had read about himself, which “eats away at you”.
“I don’t know what we can do about it, but as a community it’s unacceptable and it’s counterproductive because it is stopping good people coming forward.”
Police were called to Port Chalmers’ Pioneer Hall about 7.40pm on Thursday after a report of disorder.
Several witnesses told the Otago Daily Times a man in the audience was disruptive from the meeting’s outset: using foul language, making snide comments and heckling candidates.
Future Dunedin candidate Bruce Ranga was one of 10 candidates on stage and said a few attendees looked scared while some speakers were flustered by the interruption.
The man swore at an older woman who had asked him to be quiet; the woman’s partner stood and said “don’t you talk to my wife like that”, Mr Ranga said.
“I was like, ‘oh man, I’ve just got to get in the middle of this’ … I was really worried for them”.
Mr Ranga said he left the stage and stood in front of the man — telling him he was being disrespectful to the elders and women in the room and asking him to “please stop”.
Mr Simms was in the audience and said those actions defused the situation as “it was kicking off”.
He said he understood people were frustrated but, unlike the man, most still behaved in a respectful manner.
The man at the centre of the incident left before officers arrived — inquiries were ongoing, a police spokeswoman said.
Mayoral candidate Sophie Barker said the amount of abuse directed at elected members had increased significantly in the six years she had been on the council.
She had received messages saying she “should die” for decisions made by council, Cr Barker said.
“It’s a sad state of affairs when people are trying to do their best for our city and get abused.”
“I’m always happy to discuss ideas, but when it turns into personal abuse and name calling it affects not just the person, but their friends and families, especially their teens who see their parents abused online, sometimes in quite a confronting way.”
Cr Andrew Whiley said this year’s election was his sixth and easily the most toxic.
“A lot more online abuse, a lot more anonymous profiles.”
He said he was particularly worried for candidates with children as the abuse his family had previously been subject to, “even in the playground”, was unbelievable.
“We want to get the best people standing for public office,” Cr Whiley, who is running for council, said.
“But if you’re going to be pulled apart in every which way online, and to be honest, these days a lot of campaigning is online, you just go, ‘why?”’
Mayoral candidate Carmen Houlahan said Future Dunedin’s own campaign messaging was critical of councillors and some of the ticket’s candidates had been “vocally anti-council and our CEO”.
“I’ve never seen anything like it before,” Cr Houlahan said.
“It’s feral. There is no need for it.”
Green Party mayoral candidate Mickey Treadwell said he had encountered “vigorous debates” but no abuse — so far, his campaign experience was positive, he said.
Rhetoric about the council “wasting” ratepayer money contributed to the anger towards candidates, he said.
Dunedin Area Citizens Association chairman Lyndon Weggery said he had not seen hostile reactions at the organisation’s previous candidate meetings.
“There were a number of people who tried to reason with [the man], but he just wasn’t in the frame of mind,” Mr Weggery said.
The audience were fairly frustrated by the disruption — “it’s the first time we’ve had that happen, and I sincerely hope it’s the last”.