Wellington identity Graham Bloxham arrested again, charged over Wellington Live Facebook posts

Graham Bloxham says three police officers arrested him at his home yesterday over online posts he's alleged to have made. Photo / Ethan Manera

A prominent Wellington identity says he has been arrested for the second time in a week, this time over social media posts.

Graham Bloxham, a controversial social media personality, is known for running the Wellington Live community Facebook page, although he disputes his current involvement.

Last week he was involved in a scuffle with protesters at a rally for Venezuela on Lambton Quay.

Bloxham claimed at the time that he was never arrested, but later admitted he was handcuffed and taken to the police station.

Now, it is posts on the Wellington Live Facebook page which appear to have landed Bloxham in trouble.

It is understood he has been charged in relation to a series of posts on social media that made serious criminal allegations against a Wellington man, who the Herald is not naming for legal reasons.

The man’s employer described the posts as “defamatory”, “extremely damaging”, and “completely false” in correspondence to Bloxham seen by the Herald.

Graham Bloxhom dressed as a banana on the City to Sea bridge, Wellington, during his short-lived mayoral campaign. Photo / Marty Melville

In response to the man’s employer, Bloxham said the comments were not made by him, but rather a team of writers in Karachi, Pakistan, who he said work for Wellington Live.

Police today confirmed to the Herald a man aged in his 50s was arrested and charged under the Harmful Digital Communications Act yesterday.

He has been released on bail and will appear in the Wellington District Court next week.

In a press release, Bloxham said he would “fight this extreme censorship”.

Speaking to the Herald today, Bloxham said he was at home in his “man cave” yesterday when he saw three police officers arrive.

“They just came in and then arrested me immediately, and they were very kind gentlemen,” he said.

The 57-year-old said he has “never been more downhearted”.

Bloxham says he no longer owns the controversial Facebook page and associated sites, which have previously courted criticism for spreading misinformation. Instead, Bloxham describes himself as a contractor of Wellington Live. He says he has sold the page, although it has never been disclosed to whom.

Ethan Manera is a Wellington-based journalist covering Wellington issues, local politics and business in the capital. He can be emailed at ethan.manera@nzme.co.nz.