Auckland Mayor Wayne Brown responded to social media comments in a new Christmas video.
Auckland Mayor Wayne Brown responded to social media comments in a new Christmas video.
Auckland Mayor Wayne Brown celebrated Christmas by responding to his online critics and admirers in a new video.
The mayor said he “sifted through [his] comment section” and found enough opinions “to build a second harbour crossing out of sheer hot air”.
In the clip, Browndonned a Santa hat and read opinionated social media comments regarding his mayoralty while sitting on a leather chair in a decorated living room with a picture of Stephen Joyce nearby.
Against my better judgement... I sifted through the comment section to see what gifts of feedback you had for me this year. From the good and the bad, to the downright bizarre. There's enough opinions on here to build a second Harbour Crossing out of sheer hot air. pic.twitter.com/cVBZFpA98N
Brown prefaced the video by saying he was “talked into doing this” against his better judgement and pointed out his achievements, including the lowest rates rise in the country and the new Karanga Plaza pool, before reading his first comment.
Auckland Mayor Wayne Brown responded to social media comments in a new Christmas video.
A Reddit user asked, “How many days can Wayne Brown go without saying something stupid?” to which he responded, “I think you meant, ‘How many days can I go without listening for somebody stupid, which is you, James’.”
One Facebook user dubbed him “mayor ’back door’ Brown” and said he had no business acumen.
“I haven’t got much business acumen. I turned down what I was earning to come in as mayor and rescue drongos like you,” Brown replied.
Not all comments were negative. One praising Auckland Transport’s new initiative to cap weekly fares at $50 earned a quick “good on you”, while a user named Tammy asked Brown to be Wellington’s mayor for “even one day a week”.
“I’m sorry, Tammy – if you’re in Wellington, your best chance is to leave,” was Brown’s response.
At the end of the clip, the mayor said he didn’t realise there were “so many idiots wasting their time” and wished viewers happy holidays before saying he was off for a beer.
In a Facebook post, Brown said, “Let’s end 2024 with a chuckle and a reminder that democracy isn’t always polite, but it’s never boring.”
Brown also posted a photo of himself carrying a paddleboard for Christmas with the caption, “Don’t do anything dumb while I’m gone.”
Merry Christmas darlings. I'm off for a paddleboard. Don't do anything dumb while I'm gone. pic.twitter.com/VhjbueITlX
Sources inside the Brown camp told the Herald the mayor plans to stand again and policy work is under way.
An August poll conducted by Curia canvassing a range of council issues showed a net satisfaction of 25%-plus for Brown, with 42% of the respondents saying he was doing a good or very good job. Just 17% of respondents thought Brown was doing a poor or very poor job. The rest thought he was doing an average job or were unsure.
In a statement, Brown said he plans to get through the festive season before thinking about next year.
