Wellington mayoralty candidate Ray Chung’s campaign group loses candidate Lily Brown amid email scandal

Under-fire Wellington mayoral candidate Ray Chung has lost a candidate from his campaign group after revelations he sent an email spreading salacious sexual gossip about Tory Whanau.

Lily Brown tonight announced she is withdrawing from the Independent Together team, put together by the group Better Wellington.

“Unfortunately, I no longer feel aligned with the tactics or political approach employed by Better Wellington, and I cannot, in good conscience, continue my association with Better Wellington”, Brown said in a statement.

It marks the fourth candidate to drop out of Chung’s team since it was formed in April.

Brown is now standing as a truly independent candidate for the city’s Onslow-Western Ward.

“I believe in the values of transparency, respect, and genuine community engagement,” she said.

Lily Brown has quit Ray Chung's campaign group and will run as an independent for the Onslow-Western Ward in the Wellington City Council elections.

The Herald last week revealed Chung had sent an email to fellow councillors in 2023 sharing a rumour of Tory Whanau having drug-fuelled “tempestuous sex” and making reference to her having “pendulous soft breasts”.

Whanau denies the incident ever took place and has described the email, titled “A sordid night on the town”, as “creepy”.

She said Chung emailed her an apology this week.

Chung has since called the situation a “blatant political attack” and a “smear campaign”.

The email’s existence had already cost Chung an important backer, with rich-list philanthropist Sir Mark Dunajtschik officially withdrawing his support for the mayoral candidate.

Prime Minister Christopher Luxon condemned Chung’s comments.

“That was unacceptable content in that email, really pretty vile and unacceptable stuff”, Luxon said when asked about it at his post-Cabinet press conference.

Engineering firm director Phil McConchie, Cuba Barbers owner Mike Petrie, and Melissa Moore had all disappeared from the group’s website before Chung’s official campaign launch.

He said at the time that they each left as they struggled to manage the commitments needed to run for council with their own professional demands.

Chung was “not fussed” by the departures and didn’t think it was a bad look for Independent Together. Chung said he is glad they left before they had officially declared their candidacy with the council.

Brown’s bio on the Independent Together page states she has worked at the Royal New Zealand College of General Practitioners for the past five years.

Better Wellington campaign group organiser and Backbencher pub owner Alistair Boyce told the Herald the team wish Brown all the best.

Asked whether she raised concern about the controversial email, Boyce said, “it’s been difficult on everyone”, calling it a “massive beat up”.

“We’re more than happy for candidates to conduct their own campaigns”, Boyce said.

He said the email made everyone uncomfortable, including Chung himself, but said he sent it to “convey a constituent’s deep trouble”.

The local election will be held on October 11. The council’s candidate nominations opened on July 4 and close on August 1.

Ethan Manera is a New Zealand Herald journalist based in Wellington. He joined NZME in 2023 as a broadcast journalist with Newstalk ZB and is interested in local issues, politics, and property in the capital. Ethan can be emailed at ethan.manera@nzme.co.nz.