Wellington mayor Tory Whanau says attendance criticism is ‘gendered’
Wellington mayor Tory Whanau has labelled criticism of her leadership as “attempts at trying to attack my character”.
Whanau has faced scrutiny for her absence at civic events and meetings, including a meeting of the regional mayor’s forum.
But the mayor thinks the focus on her attendance is undue, and largely because people don’t like what she represents as a young Māori woman in council.
“Actually, I gave an apology to a couple of big meetings for quite serious reasons and now it’s turned into ‘absent Mayor’ when that is absolutely not the case,” she said in an interview with Newshub Nation.
Oh dear.
The moment you start blaming resentment towards your leadership along purely Identity lines, it’s kinda the beginning of the end.
Tory’s ill judged interview on The Nation (why does anyone go The Nation – it is poorly watched and will only hurt you if they get a ‘gotcha’), Tory laments not being able to party and sees any criticism of her as targeted because she is a Māori woman.
While there certainly is a segment of NZ who are naked bigots, the culture war resentments that her former Green Party are stoking is a wider issue here than Tory’s gender.
Now while those allegations can be made towards 90% of the feral abuse thrown at Jacinda, Tory ain’t no Jacinda and her attempt to martyr herself in this manner is eye rolling in the extreme.
As the former Green Party Chief of Staff, she is connected to their woke crusades whether she likes it or not, but it is her desire to party and justify her absences from her Mayoral duties that are going to be the biggest problem for Tory…
“I’m 40, I’m single, I love our hospitality scene and every couple of weeks I love to head out with my mates and hit a couple of bars and there’s certainly nothing wrong with that,” she told Newshub Nation.
“Saturday night should I be in the office? Well no, that’s just silly.
“I’m entitled to a private life. I’m entitled to have a little fun with my mates and there are some people who take issue with that,” she said.
…As Mayor, she is a public servant and defending her absences from official duties because she needs a social life will antagonise her electorate as much as her claim that any criticism of her is because she is a Māori woman.
If she is making these excuses this early in her Mayoralty, it is a bad omen for the future.
The interview was very ill judged, how she has decided to defend herself is poorly judged and her justification for not making appearances, while painfully Millennial, will go down like a lead balloon with everyone else.
Who are her advisors? The Green Party?
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Only watched part of her interview. When mayors start defending themselves effusively or aggressively on television, it’s not a good look, especially when seemingly based on the identity politics which have become not just wearying, but socially divisive. I blame the Greens for this.
But it was the meagre grants of apparently $500 each from the Mayoral Relief Fund, to the damaged and deprived survivors of the terrible Loafers Lodge fire, which shocked me too. It’s winter now, and becoming colder by the day. Op Shops can provide great buys, but not when items of clothing and shoes are needed instantly, and second- hand underwear is never available, let alone the very personal requirements which individuals may need for themselves, as well as the sudden unexpected expenses involved in finding and establishing a new place to call home. The City Mission appears to be providing much-needed support, but the seemingly culpable Wellington City Council should be more realistic, and the so-called Ministry of Social Development, cannot be relied upon to to perform in the responsible and compassionate way which one would expect in a decent society. Tory is young, and perhaps that’s why she hasn’t appreciated the big picture here. She’s welcome to enjoy herself and to party, but kindness and generosity to intensely vulnerable persons whose lives have been so shattered, would be the hallmark of a good mayor, IMO.
Being Green, woke crusades are part of her DNA. And who could not see this coming?
Obviously the shit has hit the fan when the Nazi’s of the 21st century, “white men”, started asking questions about road closures, parking loss, 30km/hr speed limits, “pop up” Marcel Marseau slams closing main roads and bike lanes everywhere. I.e. Green/urban liberal aging – uni student – orgasmic nirvana that Auckland came perilously close to experiencing, especially if Simon Wilsons fantasies were anything to go by. All the while smashing these Nazi’s and any other person remotely affected with 12% rate rises she promised she wouldn’t do and dedicating only a 3rd of the budget she promised, for water infrastructure replacement. Cost of living crisis anyone?
You know she’s toast when she started trotting out the gender race cards. She ain’t got nothing!
Wellington’s Green Party mayors have been disastrous. What have they actually achieved? (Other than inexplicably ripping out the trolleybus lines.) I can only think of the failures, and continued decay and decline, not any actual achievements.
Is Tory Maori? I hadn’t noticed.
Like old white men don’t hit the gin and tonic at the gentlemen’s club when they ran the city.
What is it with many women and Maori in leadership positions.
Especially elected ones with a left leaning.
Anything not positive is met with victimhood statements.
Jacinda was a prime example. To be fair she was not the apologist , but many, including Bomber trotted out the…you are picking on her because she is a women…
What a load of bollocks.
Harden up or dont play in the sandpit.
Wayne Brown is getting shit because he is a white male.
Dont see anybody moaning about…. he is being picked on because of his gender or race.
I am so sick of women getting into prominence trying to play the strong effective woman showing concern for all vulnerable with great force; and at same time the victim woman with people not being fair to her, and demanding that everyone be in obeisance to the woman goddess who can never be wrong, never be criticised. The play ends up being a function of the ‘it’s all about me and getting my rights that I have just determined’, and if you aren’t with me, you’re against me. Method can also be applied, with added quirks, to other genders, and gender-benders.
End of rant!
Grey Warbler Playing the victim is very much a woke ploy, with all sorts of people like Prince Harry and spouse doing it, including tossing out racist accusations and gender machinations to try and garner sympathy, and power. It’s a dynamic we neither need nor can afford in local government. They all need to grow up or go.
I would rather watch the Platform with Mike Laws on one of his shifts than the Nation. Hey at least she was honest.
I watched the first part of the interview; I did not get that she was partying instead of attending council meetings , just that she felt disapproved of for the former and criticised for the latter.but not that she was partying when any meeting was in progress. Two seperate issues I think.
I’m sure there’s plenty of criticisms to make but lets restrict them to reality eh!
D J S
David Stone. Whanau featured in some publication partying for her 40th in a specially made slightly revealing frock; Ardern accepted freebie designer clothes allegedly to showcase New Zealand frocksters when she could have showcased them equally well by paying for them. This is celeb type behaviour which it’s hard to imagine Fran Wilde or Annette King indulging in, although I think ghastly Paula B also came close, boasting to a National Party conference about the high cost of her shoes. Newly elected Golda Meier turned up to address the UNO wearing the only reasonable dress which she owned, an old shabby black verging on green; looks like she had different priorities.
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