Mayor Tory Whanau has accused Chung of prioritising donors over important council work and community needs.
Chung responded by saying Whanau is “full of s***” and maintains he has a good attendance record at the council.
Wellington mayoral candidate Ray Chung has come under fire after he skipped out on a “pivotal” council meeting to dine with donors at his campaign launch across the road.
On Wednesday last week, the council’s Regulatory Processes Committee met to debate paid motorcycle parking, changes to the Karori cycleway rollout and suburban speed limit reversals.
Chung was present for the first two hours of the meeting but made a partial apology at the start of the meeting, which was supported by all councillors. It did not mention why Chung would be absent.
Chung, who is running for mayor, has confirmed to the Herald he was at the Wellington Club for the official launch of Independent Together, his campaign group.
Independent Together is running 11 candidates in the upcoming local body elections on a shared policy platform of cutting wasteful spending and not increasing rates for three years.
Councillor Ray Chung is defending leaving the council meeting for a campaign event. Photo / Mark Mitchell
His absence has ruffled feathers across the council, including with his independent allies.
Mayor Tory Whanau accused Chung of “prioritising donor meetings over the Regs Committee’s vital work and our community’s needs”.
Ben McNulty, who seconded Chung’s apology, said he didn’t know he was leaving for a campaign event.
“I trust councillors to police their own apologies but was surprised to learn Ray was attending a campaign launch, given those pivotal decisions,” McNulty said.
Mayor Tory Whanau says Ray Chung was wrong to skip a meeting for a campaign event, saying "fancy lunches" are not a priority. Photo / Mark Mitchell
Diane Calvert said she was “concerned that councillor Chung’s absence could have impacted representation for our ward”.
Calvert and Chung represent the Wharangi Onslow-Western Ward, which includes Karori, Northland, Wadestown, Khandallah and Crofton Downs.
Committee chair Sarah Free said while Chung told her he had a function at the Wellington Club, “Ray didn’t tell me it was a campaign launch”.
Responding to the criticisms, Chung said he has good attendance at the council.
“I arguably attend more meetings than any other councillor and this is the first time I’ve ever requested leave of absence to leave a meeting for two hours.
“This is Diane [Calvert] of course, she was the one throwing her toys out of the cot because she wanted me there to be able to vote because the vote might have been critical,” Chung said.
Asked about the mayor’s criticism, Chung said Whanau was “full of s***”.
“How often has she actually taken time off meetings? And yet there’s never been any criticism of her not turning up.”
“If you want to publish it, then you publish it,” Chung said.
Whanau said she would not be talking to Chung about the issue.
“It is incumbent on all councillors to manage their own attendance at committees,” she said.
Councillor Ray Chung has faced criticism from across the council for skipping the meeting. Photo / Mark Mitchell
No votes came up at the meeting due to other issues. The Herald understands this includes a tense shouting match that took place during a publicly excluded adjournment, which was extended to two hours to allow an extended lunch break for members to cool off.
Votes on the Karori connections cycleway review, which has been a key issue in Chung’s ward, were deferred to a future meeting, but he acknowledges he did not know this before deciding to leave.
He said he told committee chair Sarah Free that he was only across the road at the Wellington Club and asked her to text him if any issues came to a vote.
Tense relationships and in-fighting have long been an issue plaguing the council.
Late last year, then Local Government Minister Simeon Brown took the extraordinary step to appoint a Crown Observer due to what he considered financial mismanagement and dysfunction.
Whanau has since said Lindsay McKenzie’s appointment as observer has improved relationships on the council.
McKenzie has noted political positioning and ideologies as issues within the council.
Ethan Manera is a multimedia journalist based in Wellington. He joined NZME in 2023 and is interested in local issues, politics and property in the capital. Manera is always on the lookout for a story and can be emailed at ethan.manera@nzme.co.nz.
