Mayoral debate shoving match
Auckland mayoral candidates came close to ‘‘a brawl’’ at a debate on Tuesday night, after a screaming war of words descended into a shoving match.
David Hay, who earlier informally pulled out of the mayoral race and threw his support behind Phil Goff, was abused by rival Alezix Heneti of Orewa, as he tried to make a speech at the debate, which was hosted by Auckland University Students’ Association at university bar, Shadows.
Hay arrived late from another meeting, but was given permission by a students’ association representative to make a 30-second statement.
However, Heneti took umbrage, and a fracas ensued, with her repeatedly yelling into a microphone at Hay: ’’You pulled out! You don’t deserve the right to be here!’’
She then climbed off the stage and tried to snatch a microphone out of his hand, waving pages of paper in his face in a heated exchange.
Aotearoa Legalise Cannabis Party candidate Adam Holland dressed in a kaftan - then commandeered the mic to yell ‘‘vote for me! Vote for me!’’.
As 22-year-old mayoral candidate Chloe Swarbrick stepped in between Hay and Heneti, Holland continued his commentary: ’’There’s going to be brawl! Ooh, I can feel a brawl!’’
And just in case the debate hadn’t become a complete farce, Holland began screaming ’’Allahu Akbar’’ - Arabic for ‘‘God is great’’ - as Heneti and Hay continued to yell at each other.
Swarbrick later told One News that Heneti ‘‘was pushing me aside quite a bit’’, but with seven years of karate and two years of Muay Thai under her belt, she wasn’t afraid to intervene.
Hay - who was booted out of the Green Party in 2014 after challenging then-leader Russel Norman announced his support for Goff on Saturday, and called for Auckland’s voting system to change from First Past the Post to Single Transferable Vote, a system used by other councils, saying the status quo created an unfair twohorse mayoral race.
Hay posted a video of Tuesday’s fracas online, and said he’d planned to make a statement on the voting system at the debate, before he was shouted down. He said the debate turned out to be the most exciting one so far on the campaign.
‘‘Great political theatre!’’ he said.