Ray Chung
Ray Chung | |
|---|---|
| Wharangi/Onslow-Western general ward councillor | |
| Assumed office 15 October 2022 | |
| Personal details | |
| Political party | Independent Together |
Rayward Chung[1] is a New Zealand politician. He was elected to the Wellington City Council as a councillor for the Wharangi/Onslow-Western general ward at the 2022 election,[2] having also stood for mayor that year.[3] He is again standing for mayor in the 2025 local election.[4]
Local government politics
Ray Chung ran as a councillor for the Wellington City Council during the 2016 and 2019 local body elections.[4]
First term, 2022–2025
During the 2022 Wellington City Council election, Chung was elected as the councillor for the Wharangi/Onslow-Western general ward.[2] He also ran for the position of Mayor of Wellington, coming fourth place with 12,670 votes.[5]
2025 election campaign
In May 2024, Chung confirmed that he would be running for the Mayor of Wellington at the 2025 Wellington mayoral election.[4] On 6 June 2025, Chung launched his mayoral campaign as part of the centre-right Independent Together ticket. Independent Together campaigned on a platform of zero rates increases for the next three years. Though Chung ruled out cutting "core council services" such as parks, swimming pools, libraries, community facilities, he indicated he was open to slashing Council staff numbers.[6]
On 11 July 2025, Radio New Zealand reported that Chung had shared in 2023 an email with three other councillors about an alleged sexual encounter between mayor Tory Whanau and a third party. Whanau condemned the email, calling it a "malicious and sexist rumour". Chung said he had no idea if the rumour was true but found it "interesting" so shared it without fact checking.[7][8]
The Mayor's Office confirmed Whanau had provided the controversial email to media,[9] and Whanau herself later revealed she had been in possession of the email for a few months; following the dossier and rumours about her being spread online by Graham Bloxham, another mayoral candidate, she felt it appropriate to share the email publicly.[10]
Chung described Whanau's release of the email as a "blatant political attack".[9] Following the email's release, The Post revealed that Chung had been urged by members of IT to step back from the campaign out of concern for his mental wellbeing.[11] A representative for Better Wellington claimed Chung had been receiving abusive late night phone calls which had left him exhausted and was the reason he "sometimes talks waffle."[11]
Following the email, Chung initially said he would not apologise to Whanau as the email was never intended for her,[8] and because "she had never apologised to him", including over an incident two years prior when she chose not to give him proxy votes at a Local Government NZ conference.[11] Chung later said he would apologise when pushed by the New Zealand Herald.[8] On 14 July, Chung published a video statement in which he acknowledged and regretted sending the email, and that he had received abuse from members of the public.[9] The day following the video statement, Chung sent an email directly to Whanau apologising for sending the original email.[9]
Personal life
Chung is a second-generation Wellingtonian, his maternal grandparents having moved there from Zengcheng, China.
He grew up on Jessie St in the Wellington suburb of Te Aro.[12][13]
References
- ^ "Ray Chung". voteforit.nz. Retrieved 24 July 2025.
- ^ a b Wong, Felicity (17 November 2022). "Getting to know them". Scoop. Archived from the original on 23 November 2023. Retrieved 24 July 2025.
- ^ Gourley, Erin (26 April 2022). "Ray Chung wants to bring business sense to Wellington's mayoralty". The Post. Stuff. Retrieved 24 July 2025.
- ^ a b c Hickman, Bill (14 May 2024). "Wellington City Councillor Ray Chung announces second mayoralty bid". Radio New Zealand. Archived from the original on 11 July 2025. Retrieved 24 July 2025.
- ^ "Election 2022: Final results for the position of Mayor". Wellington City Council. Archived from the original on 11 July 2025. Retrieved 9 August 2025.
- ^ "Wellington mayoral hopeful Ray Chung promises to slash council jobs". Radio New Zealand. 6 June 2025. Archived from the original on 11 July 2025. Retrieved 9 August 2025.
- ^ "Ray Chung defends sending gossip about Tory Whanau to other councillors". Radio New Zealand. 11 July 2025.
- ^ a b c Fisher, David (10 July 2025). "Exclusive: Wellington mayoral candidate Ray Chung's sex and drugs gossip about Tory Whanau". New Zealand Herald. Archived from the original on 10 July 2025.
- ^ a b c d Gibbens, Krystal (14 July 2025). "Wellington Mayor Tory Whanau says she has received apology from Ray Chung". Radio New Zealand. Archived from the original on 14 July 2025. Retrieved 17 July 2025.
- ^ Laughton, Harriet (18 July 2025). "Tory Whanau on why she shared Ray Chung's email". The Post. Retrieved 9 August 2025.
- ^ a b c Hunt, Tom (11 July 2025). "Wellington mayoral candidate Ray Chung urged to take break amid horror week". The Post. Retrieved 10 July 2025.
- ^ "Ray Chung - Candidate for Wharangi/Onslow-Western Ward". multiculturaltimes.news. 22 September 2019. Retrieved 24 July 2025.
- ^ "Councillor Ray Chung". wellington.govt.nz. Wellington City Council. Retrieved 24 July 2025.