Silly Hat Party "King" Flynn Nisvett ran for mayor of Dunedin at this year's local body elections, securing 67 votes. Photo / via sillyhatparty.org.nz
Silly Hat Party "King" Flynn Nisvett ran for mayor of Dunedin at this year's local body elections, securing 67 votes. Photo / via sillyhatparty.org.nz
Vampires and clowns were some of the more unconventional candidates to appear on the ballot paper in the local elections.
Despite their eccentric personas, these political hopefuls had limited success across the country.
The Silly Hat Party put up two candidates this year, their “King” Flynn Nisvett ran formayor in Dunedin, while party consort Josh Harford took on big names in the Wellington mayoral race.
The party says they’re “formed on the basis of a highly serious future” and “believe that the clowns currently running this country lack what it takes to deliver sustainable, lasting change that will see the future generations better off”.
Both candidates failed to win, with Nisvett receiving 67 votes, but party consort Harford performed slightly better and won 196 votes.
Nisvett congratulated Sophie Barker on her victory, but claimed his campaign was doomed from the start after RNZ called him “untraditional” and the Herald “made me out to be some kind of freak”.
Wellington candidate Harford said he was “baffled” by the result and that “Kiwis don’t even care about their future”.
He also added that he hates his life and feels betrayed by Wellingtonians after his loss.
Josh Harford said he was "baffled" by the result in Wellington after he wasn't elected mayor. Photo / Silly Hat Party
The race for Dunedin mayor had an eclectic mix of characters, with Nesvin having to go up against a vampire on the ballot.
Ruthven Allimrac of the Radical Action Faction said he’s a local vampire that has seen “200 years of unlife” and has seen “the climate crisis, rise of fascism, and the cost of living spiral out of control” during this time.
Allimrac promised to “establish a renters union and punish landlords who over-price and poorly maintain their properties through fines and rent freezing, make all buses free and electric as a first step in fighting climate change, and create a citizens assembly to give Ōtepoti’s citizens a true voice in council”.
Allimrac fared slightly better than Nesvin, securing 298 votes.
Back in the capital, Labour’s Andrew Little secured victory with more than 34,000 votes, but still had to fight off a challenge from Pennywize the Rewilding Clown.
Pennywize ran primarily on an eco-based platform, with a focus on rewilding the city.
James Barber ran as William Pennywize in the Wellington Mayoral race.
“If you want a Pōneke where kiwi, pūkeko and kereru have become a backyard nuisance then Pennywize is your clown.
“If you want a Pōneke where we’ve Made the Basin Swamp Again, where moa and tuna transport us in a new PT system and where hokioi menace us from the skies then Pennywize is the clown for you.”
Pennywize won 228 votes, 32 more than Josh Harford from the Silly Hat Party.
