Wilson took action yesterday amid a growing scandal involving allegations of vote rigging and stolen ballot papers in last year’s local body elections.
He has written to board chairwoman Heather Andrew to advise that an expert external observer will be appointed next week to monitor the board’s operations.
Wilson told the Herald the move was unprecedented for Auckland Council. He was not aware of any such measures being taken across the super city before.
The appointment was necessary because of the fraud allegations and rising relationship tensions on the board, Wilson said.
“There are questions that arose about public confidence and even whether the board can function in terms of making decisions.”
A whistleblower has sent photos to the Serious Fraud Office and Auckland Council that allegedly show stolen ballot papers for the 2025 Manurewa Local Board election.
He was concerned at claims teams of people had stolen ballot papers over seven nights last year. It’s alleged the papers were taken to a Manurewa office, opened, ticked in favour of certain candidates, then resealed and posted back to the electoral officer.
Photos purporting to show bundles of stolen papers emerged last week from a whistleblower. They have been forwarded to police and the Serious Fraud Office.
It’s claimed the whistleblower is now in hiding because of threats of a “gang hit”.
Wilson said the allegations risked undermining public confidence in the democratic process and integrity of the voting system.
He urged police to “please, please, please investigate this and get to the bottom of it”.
Asked if it was possible some sitting candidates on the Manurewa board had won their seats by cheating, Wilson said this was a possibility.
Auckland Council CEO Phil Wilson says the vote-rigging allegations risked undermining public confidence in the democratic process. Photo / Corey Fleming
“From my perspective that is the very reason for us to take any evidence we are aware of to police.”
He said allegations of impropriety around the election results were unfairly tarring all eight elected members and two local ward councillors, Daniel Newman and Matt Winiata, “with the same brush”.
It was therefore critical that the claims were thoroughly investigated by the appropriate authorities so the matter could be resolved.
Once appointed, Wilson wanted the observer to get an understanding of the board dynamics, then report back in about a month on “whether the board’s ability to function is compromised to the extent that further and more drastic action is needed”.
A whistleblower claims the photos depict voting papers for the Manurewa Local Board election that were stolen from letterboxes.
The next step could involve Local Government Minister Simon Watts putting a Crown observer in place, “and ultimately there’s the question of a commissioner”.
However, Wilson said he didn’t want to “jump too fast” and preferred to give the board a chance to carry out its democratically elected responsibilities on behalf of its community.
The electoral fraud allegations raised questions about the postal voting system, Wilson said. The council’s Governing Body supported a change for future elections because of the perceived level of risk.
Watts told the Herald any issues with the integrity of local government elections were deeply concerning.
“The council has notified me that it has referred the matter to police and the Serious Fraud Office. As inquiries are now being undertaken by the relevant authorities, it would be inappropriate for me to comment further at this time.”
‘People need to be held accountable’
Manurewa Ward councillor Daniel Newman says he is appalled by the claims of electoral fraud. Photo / Michael Craig
Yesterday, councillor Newman said he was launching a review of candidate selection processes to weed out potential bad eggs from his political ticket.
“People need to be held accountable for their conduct and behaviour,” Newman said.
“The integrity of elections is paramount and non-negotiable.”
Newman said he expected candidates and their volunteers to comply with election laws.
He had “sought assurances” from his own candidates in relation to the claims and “received those assurances”.
An even playing field was essential to ensure the best candidate prevailed rather than someone winning a seat “by cheating”.
Police are leading the investigation but told the Herald inquiries were continuing and there were no updates at this time.
Similar claims emerged last year relating to the Ōtara-Papatoetoe Local Board election in which four members of the Papatoetoe Ōtara Action Team swept to office.
After allegations of widespread theft of voting papers and fraudulent use of stolen ballots, a judge ordered that election to be re-held.
The Papatoetoe allegations were also forwarded to police.
Counties Manukau CIB Detective Inspector Shaun Vickers confirmed to the Herald the investigation had been closed because of a lack of evidence and there were no arrests.
Lane Nichols is Auckland Desk Editor and a senior journalist for the New Zealand Herald with more than 20 years’ experience in the industry.
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