Candidates and agendas
Wild conspiracy theories, peddlers of misinformation – should we be worried about local government going off the rails after the October election, or will common sense win the day? By Tracy Watkins and Virginia
They peddle conspiracy theories and debunked pseudo-scientific claims about vaccines and Covid being part of a plot by a worldwide cabal; some of them believe in a day of reckoning including trials and Nuremberg-style executions for politicians, the media and others they see as traitors. And they’re standing for a seat on your local council.
Should we be worried that local government is about to be overrun with people who want to impose discredited views on the rest of us? Or have colourful characters spouting misinformation and wild, unproven, conspiracy theories always been part of the local body election scene?
Former Porirua City mayor Nick Leggett says it’s par for the course that people with all sorts of motivations will run for council seats, but the power lies with voters.
‘‘Fundamentally we have to trust communities. Humans are good at sniffing out people with odd or extreme views seeking to undermine our democratic institution.’’
He says the great thing about local body politics is that candidates’ beliefs are far better conveyed to voters than is the case at general elections, and while a ‘‘smart individual’’ could be relatively disruptive around the council table, they’d struggle to make any significant changes.
‘‘What people need to remember is you need 50 per cent of the vote to pass anything and I just don’t see that as being likely.’’
Leggett says that although candidates who peddle and spread disinformation should be exposed by the media, the public is being given a chance to send a strong message to those seeking seats.
‘‘Isn’t this a way to democratically test some of their positions? I suspect some of these people will love to be martyrs when they inevitably go down in flames but nonetheless we’ll all be able to point to it and say ‘there’s the results’. Ultimately we have to trust democracy.’’
Outgoing Kā piti mayor K Gurunathan agrees, adding it’s council staff who guard things like district and long-term plans.
‘‘It takes a long time to go through these processes, which can be a pain in the arse, but there are checks and balances in place.’’
He says it’s imperative candidates are transparent about their motivations and beliefs but as that’s not happening, the media must continue to highlight them.
‘‘Chase them down, report their methodology of infiltration and expose them so democracy has a chance.’’
Ultimately, though, he believes we need only look to the group that occupied Parliament grounds to realise how few
New Zealanders are involved in the spread of conspiracy theories and disinformation.
‘‘The system always pushes out the weirdos. We shouldn’t be panicking but we should be concerned and alert. It’s not just here, the Western world looks to America as the pedestal of democracy and look what’s happening there.’’
The Stuff documentary Fire and Fury has exposed a call by Voices for Freedom, one of the groups represented at the antimandate and anti-vaccination protests at Parliament earlier this year, to wield more power locally, by standing candidates at the upcoming local body election.
Although there is no Voices for Freedom ticket, a number of candidates have been revealed in recent weeks as having links to the group, whose leadership and guest speakers have called on members to ‘‘make New Zealand ungovernable’’, including by disrupting local councils.
But while some candidates are open about their affiliation, others have taken down social media posts and other material that might draw attention to their views.
Massey University academic and elections expert Grant Duncan says the big worry is candidates who may not be what they seem.
Although he suspected the views of some might make them unelectable, that should not stop them from trying to win the argument by being transparent.
That was the democratic process.
With hindsight, for instance, there was arguably a ‘‘legal and political’’ case that the vaccine mandates went too far.
‘‘So why can’t they just make that argument? In other words, they have a valid point, which they could make rationally if they chose – but instead, they’re trumpeting incredible extra-legal claims about trials and execution etc. So these people are beyond the pale.’’
The right of anyone to stand for office should be respected, however. ‘‘Every citizen has a right to stand for office – but if you’re going to stand for office, voters have a right to know what you stand for.’’
Voting in the local body elections gets under way from September 16, closing on October 8.