Ray Chung would not speak to why he resigned from the subcomittee.
Photo: RNZ / Mark Papalii
A Wellington councillor who quit a sub-committee a week ago is still at loggerheads with the city mayor over his involvement at a search and rescue operation during Wellington’s floods.
Wharangi/Onslow-Western Ward councillor Ray Chung resigned as chair of the Council Controlled Organisations subcommittee earlier this month.
Chung was at the search area for missing Karori man Philip Sutton on 21 April, who was swept away in floodwaters, after friends of Sutton’s family issued a call for volunteers on a day police had suspended their search. Police later urged the public not to take the search into their own hands.
Mayor Andrew Little said Chung was told before he attended the scene that the search was a police matter. Ultimately, he should not have got involved in a search operation, Little said.
“Cr Chung told me he was being contacted by people who had concerns about the missing person search. I told him the search was a police matter. I told the councillor to contact the Police Area Commander.”
A week on from his resignation, Chung maintains he was not getting involved in the search, and he stood by his actions.
He said he was only heading to the scene to try and prevent volunteers from getting in harm’s way, after finding out members of the public were getting involved in the search.
He would not speak to why he resigned from the subcomittee.
“I absolutely wasn’t getting involved in the search, the mayor knows it, the police know it.
“All I did, was I was doing what I think councillors should be doing, is looking after their constituents, when their constituents need help, you go and see what you can do to help them.”
Chung sent an email, which RNZ has seen, in which he told council officers and the mayor he was going to the scene to try to stop people going into the water there.
Chung said he did not have the area commander’s phone number, so he contacted a police officer from the search and rescue unit, who told him he did not want volunteers doing their own search, and asked Chung to tell them not to get involved.
Police have not confirmed that version of events.
Little said a senior member of police, Wellington Area Comander Dean Silvester, contacted him about Chung’s involvement in the search – including “inappropriate contact” the councillor had made by speaking with the head of the search and rescue unit.
“He contacted me through text to say he was concerned about it, we had a conversation, I took those issues up with Ray, we had ongoing discussions. I have to say my priority at the time was getting council’s response, sorting people out and getting rubbish collections and all that sort of stuff – and I did say it wouldn’t be my top priority at the time.”
Little said he later spoke with Chung, and “expressed a lack of confidence in him”, and Chung subsequently chose to resign.
When asked why Chung’s behaviour was concerning, Little said: “We were in a state of emergency, there was a search that the police had commenced but had suspended for safety reasons, and he along with others, had chosen to get involved and resume the search when it was contrary to the police’s guidance and direction.”
Little said the issue was over as far as he was concerned.
“That’s it, from my point of view, to the extent I had concerns, the issue’s now been disposed of, because he’s no longer in a responsible role.
Wellington Area Commander Inspector Dean Silvester said he spoke with the mayor during the week of Wellington’s severe weather, which is “normal in such an event”.
“No complaint was made.”
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