Councillors hit back at Mayor Wayne Brown's 'Pacific victims' remark

A South Auckland councillor says she doesn't buy into the racist rhetoric that "brown people are lazy", after mayor Wayne Brown accused her of playing a 'Pacific victim' card.

Two Manukau ward councillors have clashed with Brown after he claimed they are not showing up to do the work.

Councillors Lotu Fuli and Alf Filipaina pointed to official data that shows they have outperformed him in attendance.

“It’s a bit rich for him to talk about attendance when his is quite low,” Filipaina says.

In response, the mayor said the councillors were "doing what they always do, being Pacific victims".

The comments follow a public grilling from Brown last week over councillors not attending meetings in person.

An Auckland Council meeting, amid ongoing debate over councillor attendance and representation. Photo/file.

“My attendance is 92 per cent, Lotu’s is 98 per cent, and the mayor’s is 88 per cent," Filipaina says.

Brown dismissed the figures as “very selective” and says councillors were “playing the victim” while neglecting workshops, where he says most of the work happens.

"It's just rubbish. And so whoever's given you those, a very selective use of statistics, that," Brown says.

The mayor claimed the councillors attended very few workshops.

“They are doing what they always do, being Pacific victims. They’re always victims.”

He also criticised remote participation from the councillors.

“Lotu in particular mostly attends digitally and doesn’t turn her phone on, doesn’t turn her picture on, so we don’t know where she is.”

Fuli says the mayor’s comments were “not only wrong, but damaging”.

“Don’t buy into that racist rhetoric that brown people are lazy. Fact-check them. My record stands for itself, I’m there all the time, I’m out in our community all the time.”

She says the mayor’s remarks echoed attacks made against former mayoral candidate Fa’anānā Efeso Collins.

Manukau ward councillor Lotu Fuli has defended her attendance record amid criticism from the Auckland mayor. Photo/file.

“They used that against him so much, I think because he’s brown."

Fuli says Brown had himself missed a key six-hour Governing Body meeting the previous week.

“He didn’t attend online, he didn’t attend at all. He was absent - and that was a really, really important meeting.”

Brown says he had a family issue, so couldn't attend.

Fuli called the mayor’s decision to single out councillors “very unusual”.

“He was going through them one at a time, making disparaging comments... is this because it’s election year and the media’s there?”

Filipaina says he had both knees replaced but continued serving the community regardless.

Manukau ward councillor Alf Filipaina says he continued serving his community while recovering from surgery. Photo/file.

“I go online. That’s exactly what we’ve been doing, representing our community.”

He questioned the mayor’s motivation.

“He’s just making everything political now because he doesn’t want people on the Governing Body table that are going to disagree with him.”

Fuli agreed: “He doesn’t like the fact that he can’t bully me and Alf. We’ve actually been bold, we voted against the cuts he’s proposed.”

Fuli says the impact of the mayor’s claims extends beyond council chambers.

“It’s perpetuating that myth that brown people are lazy. That we’re not turning up. That Manukau doesn’t have a strong voice. But the fact is, we’ve been bold. Alf and I have stood up when others didn’t.”

Councillor Josephine Bartley, the only other Pacific member on the Governing Body, had an 86 per cent attendance rate and confirmed she had taken bereavement leave.

Auckland Mayor Wayne Brown has drawn criticism over comments about South Auckland councillors and their attendance. Photo/file.

Brown defended his connection to South Auckland.

"I’ve got more votes than either of those do in South Auckland. So I represent everywhere - and I employ people in South Auckland.”

He rejected claims of racism and bias. “Everything’s picking on Pacific and South Auckland. It’s bulls**t, you know. That’s not true.”

No Governing Body meeting this term has failed to reach quorum. Only two committees, Performance and Appointments, and Finance and Expenditure, have done so, and the mayor was absent from at least one.

Auckland Council data shows that in the last quarter, Fuli attended 94 per cent of meetings, with another 4 per cent recorded as council business.

Filipaina attended 88 per cent, plus 4 per cent on council business.

Auckland's mayor attended 79 per cent, with 9 per cent on council business, totalling 88 per cent.

- LDR is local body journalism co-funded by RNZ and NZ On Air.