For some reason, the video above isn’t working. I have added it to the bottom of this article.
Yesterday afternoon, I revealed what a few inside Wellington’s political circles have quietly known for days. The leaked email targeting Councillor Ray Chung almost certainly came from Nicola Young. The motive is transparent. With mayoral ambitions of her own, and Andrew Little looming as a potential frontrunner, Nicola Young is manoeuvring to secure the Deputy Mayor position. Damaging Chung’s credibility is a calculated move to clear her path to power.
Hours after my initial report, Ray Chung addressed the situation publicly in a video posted to social media. In it, he confirmed the email, sent privately to three councillors over two and a half years ago, had indeed been passed to media. While Chung himself refused to speculate on who leaked it, his message was clear: “This was done deliberately to discredit me.”
The email leak was not accidental, nor was it in the public interest. It was a deliberate political ambush intended to weaken the only independent candidate running a serious campaign based on policies, not party games. “This attack on me and our team of Independent Together candidates is designed to undermine our campaign,” Chung said. He went on to reveal that since the leak, he has even been verbally abused on the street.
While Ray Chung has taken the high road, refusing to engage in personal attacks and promising to “play the ball, not the person,” those behind this leak clearly do not share the same values. This is dirty politics at a local government level, and it reeks of desperation.
Nicola Young has long postured as a principled centrist, but when power is on the line, her actions suggest otherwise. Multiple sources inside council point to her as the likely leaker, motivated by a desire to stay politically relevant in the shadow of a potential Andrew Little mayoralty. It is a grim preview of what could lie ahead, a city run by backdoor deals and cynical power plays, not public service.
Ray Chung, on the other hand, has been running a campaign focused on real issues: cutting rates, ending political infighting, and getting council back to basics. “Sadly, other teams are more focused on political games than making Wellington affordable,” he said in his video. That contrast is becoming clearer by the day.
No mainstream media attended Ray Chung’s roadshow events, yet they rushed to amplify a smear based on a years-old private email. The political establishment and their media allies are circling the wagons because they know Ray Chung threatens the status quo. He is not one of them, and that is exactly why Wellington needs him.
Wellington cannot afford to fall into the hands of Andrew Little and Nicola Young. The city is still suffering from the disaster of Tory Whanau’s leadership. Wellingtonians cannot let another round of politically motivated, party-aligned politicians take the reins.
The smear campaign against Ray Chung has only confirmed what many voters already suspect. The establishment will stop at nothing to protect its own. It is time to take the city back.
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