Whakatāne District Council Kāpū-te-rangi Māori councillor Toni Boynton.
Whakatāne District Council Kāpū-te-rangi Māori councillor Toni Boynton.
At least two newly elected councillors in the Eastern Bay of Plenty will be accessing newly available support to have security systems installed in their homes after facing harassment and threats during the local government elections.
Whakatāne District Council’s Kāpū-te-rangi Māori ward councillor Toni Boynton, who has just been electedfor her second term, said she had received threatening and sexually explicit messages during the election period.
She had filed a report to the police against one member of the public for harassment after he followed her around at a public event.
“Though they couldn’t really do anything,” she said.
“I know that I have a huge amount of support out there as well. I’m really grateful that the vast majority of people have been very positive toward me about the work that I do.”
Boynton said she would be accessing support available to her as an elected member to have security equipment installed at her home.
In June this year, the Remuneration Authority announced an allowance of up to $4500 would be available during this term to cover elected members installing and monitoring a security system at home, plus $1000 per year for maintenance.
At the time, then Local Government New Zealand chief executive Susan Freeman-Greene said the rise of fringe groups, anonymity of online forums and polarising coverage was feeding increasing abuse of people elected to both central and local government.
Another councillor planning to take advantage of the allowance was newly elected Bay of Plenty Regional Council Kōhi Māori ward councillor Mawera Karetai.
Bay of Plenty Regional Council Kōhi Māori councillor Mawera Karetai.
“Already, (abusive) mail has been delivered to me at the regional council, that I hand straight to the chief executive and she sorts it out,” Karetai said.
Karetai said she had been threatened with violence and had to call the police a couple of times during the election period after being harassed.
“It’s racial and extremely political and right-wing. Police wouldn’t allow me to go to one of the candidate events in the Whakatāne district because they didn’t think I would be safe.
“Lots of the others, especially women, get targeted. Imagine being the sort of person who can behave like that and think it’s okay.”
The threats had at one time extended to her 15-year-old son, Jack Karetai-Barrett, when he walked to Tauranga to campaign for Māori wards.
