Leo Molloy talks controversies, Auckland Council, success and failure with Paula Bennett - Ask Me Anything

Leo Molloy is a business owner often described as controversial, a label he disputes. Photo / File

Businessman and former Auckland mayoral candidate Leo Molloy may have built a brand on being a provocateur, but the man himself does not view himself that way.

“I’m never entirely sure I’m controversial and often, when I’m introduced in the media to the general public, they describe me as controversial, but I don’t personally feel like I am.”

In a wide-ranging chat with Paula Bennett for her NZ Herald podcast, Ask Me Anything, Molloy said he simply knows how to insert himself into a conversation, such as poking fun at veganism or electrifying the roof of his Auckland Viaduct bar, HeadQuarters, to stop vandals.

Molloy said he rarely looks at social media himself, but is flagged trending topics by people who work with him and they craft content from there that tends to go viral.

Despite his reputation, Molloy insists there are limits to where he will go.

“I have the handbrake on my tongue 99 per cent of the time. I won’t venture into anything that is anti-Māori, I won’t venture into anything that is anti-trans, I won’t venture into anything to do with marginalising or criticising people of a different sexual orientation to me.”

Politically, Molloy doesn’t align with any one of the major parties, saying his views cover National, Greens, Act and New Zealand First.

He does not deny being opinionated, saying because he sleeps badly, he tends to spend several hours each night reading news and features from around the world that inform his views and he believes gives him the knowledge to talk about different areas.

Some of that led to his desire to run for Auckland mayor in 2022. Molloy said he learned a lot from doing that, and it was a steep learning curve with big costs, but he was motivated by a frustration with Auckland Transport and the work they were doing around the Viaduct.

Molloy polled well during the campaign, though notes that many people wanted a Trump-like disrupter.

“I’m not the slightest bit like Trump, not even one molecule in my body, but I can see why people thought I was.”

He said he outpolled eventual election winner Wayne Brown in every poll, but it became clear the two were cutting into each other in that “disrupter” market, and Molly said his side went to Brown to encourage him to drop out. Instead, according to Molloy, Brown’s team had another poll done from a company in Tauranga, and committed to staying in, so Molloy decided to quit rather than spend another half a million dollars.

He hasn’t ruled out running again, but that would depend on who runs.

“If, for example, you decided not to run, my brand’s so big now that I could probably come in three months before the off now and say, ‘yep, I’m here, I’m a player’ whereas last time I went in about a year in advance,” he told Bennett, who has not ruled out running in 2025.

Molloy does intend to run for Auckland Council at this stage, eyeing the Waitematā seat, and in particular wants to chair Auckland Unlimited and work on improving Port of Auckland and the general waterfront.

“I start thinking, this is why I want to be mayor. There’s so many projects, so much work to be done.”

Listen to the full episode for more from Leo on his beliefs, losing his father young, his friendship with Efeso Collins, and what he’s learned from two marriages and his life in hospitality.

Ask Me Anything is a Herald podcast, hosted by former Deputy Minister Paula Bennett. New episodes are available every Sunday.

You can follow the podcast at iHeartRadio, Apple Podcasts, Spotify, or wherever you get your podcasts.