Wellington mayoral race: Ray Chung not dropping out over lewd Tory Whanau email
Under-fire Wellington mayoral candidate Ray Chung says it has been “a very hard couple of days” after it was revealed he sent a lewd email spreading sexual rumours about Mayor Tory Whanau.
Speaking to Newstalk ZB host Ryan Bridge, Ray said the scandal is “certainly not over yet” but he would not pull out of the mayoral race.
Chung, who is campaigning in the upcoming local body election, wrote to fellow Wellington City councillors sharing rumours of Whanau having drug-fuelled “tempestuous sex” and making reference to her “pendulous soft breasts”.
It was a claim, Chung wrote, that he had heard from a neighbour when out walking his dog.
Whanau told the Herald the email contents are false and that she celebrated New Year’s Eve 2022 with ambassadors from the diplomatic corps and attended a rainbow community celebration.
Asked by Bridge how he first became aware of the rumour, the mayoral hopeful repeated claims his neighbour’s son was “propositioned” in town by the mayor.
Chung said he “didn’t know what to do with this information”, so decided to email it to his council colleagues.
Pushed by Bridge as to why he decided to spread the rumour, Chung said he wanted advice from more experienced councillors.
“This is an issue and it affects the reputation of the city,” Chung said.
As to whether he believes the rumour to be true, he said: “I don’t see why he should actually tell me these things without being some substance behind it.”
He maintains he did not add any of his own words in the email, which included unsavoury sexual remarks and allegations the mayor took illegal substances, but rather simply repeated what he had been told by the person he ran into on the street.
Whanau told the Herald that Chung’s behaviour “is unbecoming for a public official”.
“It’s creepy. It’s gross. If he’s going to stay in the mayoral race, he needs to commit to a clean campaign,” she said.
Rich-list Wellington philanthropist Sir Mark Dunajtschik was a key backer, previously saying he had given Chung a donation “in the range of $20-$25K”.
Today he pulled his support in the wake of the email.
“Assuming the recent media reports, about dirty politics, are correct, I am disappointed. I do not support that behaviour nor will I support any candidates who engage in it,” he said.
“I urge all candidates to engage in a clean campaign and address the important and urgent issues facing the city. They should play the ball, not the person.”
Chung told Bridge he hasn’t spoken to Dunajtschik yet.
“It’s not [about] the money, it’s the fact he may lose faith in me, so that’s more important.”
“You ever had any drugs or done any orgies, Ray?” Bridge asked at the end of the interview.
“Never, sadly,” Chung joked. “The opportunity has never been there and I’ve never been interested in taking drugs.”
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.