Pro brigade likely to be vandals: Nash

Napier Labour Party candidate Stuart Nash.

UPDATED 9.00am: Napier Labour Party candidate Stuart Nash has complained to police after a string of what he says are deliberate, sophisticated vandalism attacks on his "No to Amalgamation" signs in the city.

The signs have been vandalised several times in recent months and Mr Nash says the effort being put in suggests people with a pro-amalgamation agenda are responsible, rather than "someone walking home from the pub".

Mr Nash's campaign volunteers have repaired several signs after vandals applied large adhesive vinyl stickers to them, altering the anti-amalgamation message to read: "Yes to Amalgamation". The same signs were vandalised in February and April.

"First the vandals attacked the signs with red spray paint. Then they cut out part of the message and returned again to paste another message over our signs," he said.

"Now, they've gone to the trouble of designing, printing and applying large vinyl adhesive stickers - the kind used on motor vehicles. These are sophisticated, determined attacks and not random acts. It's hard to believe these attacks aren't being co-ordinated by people involved in the pro-amalgamation lobby."

He wanted pro-amalgamation groups to condemn the vandalism and advise their supporters to avoid such acts.

Damon Harvey, a spokesman for pro-amalgamation advocacy group A Better Hawke's Bay Trust, said the trust did not condone the attacks, support or have any involvement in such activities.

Mr Nash said he accepted neither the trust, nor the National Party, were involved.

"But it's someone who obviously believes the stance of A Better Hawke's Bay," he said.

"This is a very deliberate, calculated act. They would have to go to quite a bit of time and effort and also money to get this done. That's why I've gone to the police."

He repeated an offer he made last month of a $500 reward for information leading to charges.

"The irony is these attacks just give more oxygen to the amalgamation issue ..."

Police had told him they would try to check CCTV cameras for suspicious activity.