Auckland councillor Daniel Newman has called for accountability over allegations of electoral fraud in Manurewa and announced a review of candidate selection processes for his political ticket.
According to a report by the New Zealand Herald, the allegations involve photographs that reportedly show bundles of voting papers allegedly collected from letterboxes during last year’s Manurewa Local Board election. The claims have been referred to police and the Serious Fraud Office.
It is alleged the papers were collected over several nights, taken to an office in Manurewa, completed in favour of certain candidates, resealed and returned to the electoral system.
Police are investigating the allegations to establish whether they are genuine and whether any criminal offending occurred.
“People need to be held accountable for their conduct and behaviour,” Newman said, as quoted by the New Zealand Herald.
“The integrity of elections is paramount and non-negotiable.”
Newman, who represents the Manurewa Ward and leads the Manurewa Action Team ticket, described the allegations as “appalling”, the New Zealand Herald has quoted.
“I don’t know any more about the allegations beyond what’s been published in the Herald, and what’s been published is atrocious,” as quoted by the New Zealand Herald.
He said he had sought assurances from candidates on his ticket that they had complied with electoral laws.
However, Newman said he had “absolutely lost confidence” in one elected local board member over separate historical matters and would lose confidence in anyone found to have been involved in the alleged vote manipulation, as reported by the New Zealand Herald.
He said he would undertake a “root and branch review” of candidate selection processes to ensure unsuitable candidates did not pass through vetting.
The latest claims come after a separate investigation into alleged voting irregularities in the Ōtara-Papatoetoe Local Board election.
A judge previously ordered that election to be re-run after finding voting “irregularities”. However, police have now closed their investigation, saying there was insufficient evidence to pursue charges, as reported by the New Zealand Herald.
Counties Manukau CIB Detective Inspector Shaun Vickers said police had conducted a “thorough review”.
“Ultimately there was insufficient evidence to proceed further, when taking the Solicitor General’s prosecution guidelines into account.
“All files have now been closed,” as quoted by the New Zealand Herald.
Newman said he was disappointed that no one would face prosecution in the Papatoetoe case, arguing that elections needed to provide an “even playing field,” as quoted by the New Zealand Herald.
He also said the allegations highlighted concerns about New Zealand’s continued reliance on postal voting.
Election Services principal electoral officer Dale Ofsoske said he was disappointed charges had not been laid in the Papatoetoe case but said the proper process had been followed. He is now awaiting the outcome of the Manurewa investigation.
Police said inquiries into the Manurewa allegations were continuing, with “nothing further to add at this stage,” as quoted by the New Zealand Herald.
Meanwhile, Manurewa Local Board member Raewyn Bhana has lodged a formal complaint and said she and the whistleblower who supplied the photographs had faced threats to their safety.
Bhana said she received a warning telling her to “watch your back” after she passed the photographs to authorities. She also claimed a “gang hit” had been threatened against the whistleblower, who has reportedly gone into hiding, the New Zealand Herald has reported.
Bhana said the photographs were taken by the man as a precaution.
She is calling for the evidence, including potentially relevant CCTV footage, to be preserved and independently examined.
“These are serious allegations affecting confidence in the integrity of the electoral process. I am not asking Auckland Council to presume that the allegations are true. I am asking that the available evidence be preserved and independently investigated so the facts can be established,” as quoted by the New Zealand Herald.