Local Government New Zealand says it is hearing more and more stories of council members feeling unsafe because of their line of work.
Josephine Bartley outside a vaccination centre in Panmure which was vandalised Photo: Supplied / Twitter / Jo Bartley
Auckland councillor Josephine Bartley, of the Maungakiekie-Tāmaki ward, was verbally abused at a vaccination centre over the weekend.
She visited Pasefika Family Health Group in Panmure on Sunday after its shopfront window was smashed by a man with - according to police - personal health issues.
Bartley said she had finished dropping off some food and speaking with staff when, back at her car, she was approached by three men, who were calling her "scum" and also threatened to vandalise her car.
"I don't get shaken easily because you know, I've heard people unhappy with me before, but never like this," she said.
She has been advised not to attend events alone and to stop using her car because - like many elected representatives - it has her photograph and name on it.
"That puts me at risk even more so just to be really careful out there ... I'm just going to carry on, but I won't be using my car, but I will carry on."
Auckland Mayor Phil Goff said there should be zero tolerance for that kind of behaviour.
"To threaten the councillor who's working her heart out to try to get as many people in her community as protected as possible...that's not just disgraceful behaviour, that's criminal behaviour."
Manukau ward councillor Alf Filipaina said it was cowardly and he hoped the perpetrators would be found and held to justice.
He appreciated people had different opinions but this was not how they should be expressed.
"Let's have a debate where there is courtesy and room to listen to each other's views. You don't need to resort to violence, whether it be against threats or physical damage, wilful damage."
Local Government New Zealand chief executive Susan Freeman-Greene said Bartley had been doing amazing work to encourage Pasifika to get vaccinated - work that saved lives.
It was a sad situation as was part of a growing trend to attack the person, not the issue, she said.
"Sadly, we're hearing more and more that our members and members of our local government whānau generally are feeling unsafe. They're receiving intimidation and abuse, which is such a problem."
Freeman-Greene said local officials were dedicated and passionate and doing incredible work for their community, especially during the pandemic.
Such behaviour has a broader impact on civil discourse, preventing people from taking up a public role, she said.
"We're losing our ability to have honest, mature conversations on the actual hard issues, and that is having some broader impacts like it's stopping people speaking up and it stops people standing for these really important roles."
Freeman-Greene said her organisation was considering how to support councillors' wellbeing.
Everyone has a responsibility to think about how they communicate with their community leaders, council staff, elected members and councillors, she said.
Police said in a statement that they took any and all reports of offending seriously, and would investigate as appropriate.
