KEY POINTS:
Mayors are coming under pressure from the Chinese Government not to support a cultural show being held in Auckland - because some of the cast are members of the Falun Gong spiritual movement.
All seven mayors in the Auckland region received invitations to the Divine Performing Arts show at the Civic Theatre - billed as a peaceful celebration of ancient Chinese culture - yet none will attend.
Some of the mayors received phone calls from the Chinese Consulate advising them not to attend the show and pointing out the Falun Gong connection of some of the performers.
Previously North Shore City Mayor George Wood had confirmed his attendance at the event, but later withdrew the offer after the Chinese Consulate contacted him about the group's Falun Gong associations.
"I felt uneasy about the whole thing," he said yesterday. "I've got more to do than get into a situation where I'm going to be the meat in a sandwich."
Mr Wood said he spoke to the arts group and was left with the impression that what the Chinese official had told him was true.
"I don't know what Falun Gong is and I have never really understood the merits of either side of the argument but I realised attending wasn't in my best interests."
He felt misled by the original invitation but he was "not going to subject my wife to being harangued" by attending.
He said he had a "fairly good relationship" with China.
The group, which includes members of the Falun Gong peace movement outlawed by China, is due to perform in Auckland tonight.
A spokeswoman said that during their four-month world tour the group had experienced "severe interference" from Chinese officials in the United States, Canada, Europe, Australia and now this country.
The incident comes just one week after Chinese journalist and Falun Gong follower Nick Wang was evicted from Parliament when a Chinese official instructed a Diplomatic Protection Squad officer to remove him.
A spokesman for Auckland Mayor Dick Hubbard said he would not attend the event because of a previous engagement but confirmed that the consulate had contacted the mayor's office.
Local dignitaries have not been the only ones to feel the consulate's pressure.
Publicist Charlotte Cuthbertson said the Chinese Herald cancelled an advertisement for the show after bowing to consulate pressure.
Yesterday a representative for the newspaper confirmed the advertisement did not go ahead but refused to say why.
Ms Cuthbertson said that although some members of the performing arts group were Falun Gong practitioners, the show itself was not a Falun Gong production.
She said the New York-based group experienced interference from the Chinese Government wherever they went, most recently in Australia.
Last night United Future leader Peter Dunne said the incident was a "reprehensible intervention in our democratic way of life".
"I don't think it's appropriate for diplomatic representatives of the Chinese Government to be telling New Zealanders, be they members of Parliament, mayors or individual citizens, what they can and cannot do."
Last week New South Wales politicians were contacted by the Chinese Consulate and urged not to attend the Sydney premiere, prompting Australian Greens MP Ian Cohen to speak out on the matter.
The Chinese Consulate did not return the Herald's phone calls yesterday but its website contains a section titled "Why Falun Gong is a cult", which explains in detail the consulate's objections to the group.
Wellington-based Chinese journalist Nick Wang, who was told he could not cover an event in Parliament attended by Deputy Prime Minister Michael Cullen and China's Vice-Premier, Zeng Peiyan, has denied being a member of Falun Gong and is an accredited member of the Press Gallery with an identity card and a pass giving him access to Parliament and the Beehive.
Speaker of the House Margaret Wilson said she was disturbed by reports that the Chinese Embassy had called for a journalist to be removed.
Body And Spirit
* Falun Gong is a quasi-spiritual group that was labelled a cult by the Chinese Government, which has cracked down it for the past eight years.
* Falun Gong blends aspects of Buddhism, Taoism, meditation techniques and traditional physical exercises and in China has tens of millions of followers.
