Lower Hutt mayoral debate turns nasty amid allegations of assault against former councillor

Concert promoter Phil Sprey who is standing for a seat on Hutt City Council. Photo / Sotheany Ream

The rough and tumble of politics reared its head at a Lower Hutt mayoral debate this week when a council candidate allegedly shoulder-barged a former councillor.

Concert promoter Phil Sprey, a larger-than-life figure standing for a seat on the Hutt City Council, allegedly came up behind former councillor Max Shierlaw at the end of the meeting on Monday and gave him a good shove with his shoulder.

A complaint was laid with the police, who spoke with both parties and resolved the matter without any action.

Sprey said there was nothing to it, saying it was one of those things in the heat of the political spectrum and he had no further comment.

Former councillor Max Shierlaw said he was standing in an aisle talking with some people after the meeting when Sprey walked up behind him, barged him in the back and walked off saying something like "the knives are out".

"It wasn't an accidental kind of push. It was a clear deliberate barge in the back," said Shierlaw, who reported the matter to the police.

Asked why Sprey might want to barge into him, Shierlaw, a three-term former councillor, said: "He's on [Mayor] Ray Wallace's ticket and I don't support Ray Wallace."

Shierlaw's version of events was backed by councillor Josh Briggs and council candidate Chris Parkin, who both said they saw Sprey shoulder-barge Shierlaw.

Briggs said as he saw Sprey walking the down the aisle, his body, face and arms tensed, he took a couple more steps and shoulder charged Shierlaw.

"I turned to him and said 'what is that about' and he turned back to me and he said 'the knives are out' and kept walking," Briggs said.

Parkin thought the incident could have been because of Shierlaw's vocal opposition against the mayor.