By BERNARD ORSMAN
An Indian man calling himself Ava walked into a Sandringham delivery company with bundles of the newspaper "hatchet job" on Auckland mayoral candidate Dick Hubbard, handed over a wad of cash and said "you boys just deliver it".
The Herald yesterday tracked down the delivery source of the four-page reprint of the National Business Review to Circular A1 Distribution Ltd, which operates from the first floor of a rundown building near the Sandringham Rd shops.
Owner Doug Patel said the man, in his late forties, arrived on Monday or Tuesday with 5000 reprinted copies to be delivered around Mt Eden.
The man, whom Mr Patel had never seen before, gave his name as Ava, paid cash and left quickly.
"I said we were too busy but he said 'come on, come on ... he put the money down and said 'you boys, just deliver it'," Mr Patel said yesterday.
Mr Patel, who has been in the delivery business for 40 years, said he got two or three people to put them in letterboxes on Thursday.
The cash-for-delivery revelation is the latest twist in the mayoral campaign. On Friday, the Herald revealed that Mayor John Banks' campaign manager Brian Nicolle was given rights by NBR to reprint the stories. Mr Nicolle has admitted receiving the articles in digital form but denied reprinting and circulating them to smear Mr Hubbard.
Mr Banks has also denied any involvement in publishing the material without saying who authorised it, which is against the law and carries a maximum penalty of two years in jail.
Mr Hubbard is suing NBR for $1.5 million after it ran a five-page report on his business and personal life.
Mr Hubbard said he was seeking advice about circulation of the reprinted articles, including a formal complaint to electoral officer Dale Ofsoske and taking a complaint under the Commerce Act on the grounds the articles contained a large number of errors.
Mr Ofsoske said any complaint under the Electoral Act 2001 had to be investigated by the police, not him.
Meanwhile, the Action Hobson ticket has broken a commitment not to back any mayoral candidate by endorsing Mr Hubbard for mayor.
Council candidate Christine Caughey said it seemed the reprinted articles had been "orchestrated by the Mayor's Act Party campaign team" - a dig at Mr Nicolle's other role as campaign manager for Act.
A C&R Now candidate in Hobson, Chris Diack, said the endorsement destroyed what credibility Action Hobson had left with the anti-eastern highway ticket supporting the pro-highway Mr Hubbard.
Herald Feature: Local Vote 2004
Related information and links
Hatchet-job delivery a cash deal
AdvertisementAdvertise with NZME.