Mayoral candidate Barbara McKenzie (see earlier posts) has asked Victoria University Students Association to retract and apologise for defamatory statements made about her.  Lawyers acting on behalf of Dr McKenzie have written to VUWSA seeking action on statements made when they uninvited her from their mayoral debate.  The Association has publicly accused Dr McKenzie of racism and transphobia without supporting details.

Dr Mckenzie comments: “VUWSA have ignored my repeated requests for their reasons for publicly accusing me of “racism and transphobia”.  I suspect they have none, and that their actions are politically motivated.

“I’m committed to a fair, equal and democratic society.  For this reason, I played an active role in the Labour Party, at branch and conference level, in garnering support for homosexual law reform. I later supported the Civil Union Bill.

“I am adamantly opposed to the divided society that is being created by extremists, whose demands impinge on the rights of others, create division and resentment, and thus cause harm to everyone, especially those whom they claim to be supporting.

“I oppose the 14 members of the Wellington City Council, who have not always demonstrated great maturity and judgement, taking it upon themselves to change our electoral system without a mandate.

“Disagreement with my views does not entitle VUWSA to redefine racism and transphobia to suit theirs.  Nor does it entitle them to deprive the student body that they represent of the chance to hear me on matters relevant to the local body election and the running of the city.  Their actions bring VUWSA and the University into disrepute.”

Another Wellington City Council candidate the far left Stuffers have attacked is Nicholas Hancox — so we recommend any readers we have in the Lambton Ward vote for him. Let the Stuffers know their Jacinda government-subsidized hate campaigns against opponents of her regime are unacceptable.