In a powerful interview, Mayor Tori Whanau has revealed she’s been the target of relentless rumours and online harassment throughout her term. Tori says it has been a campaign of character assassination towards herself and other politicians, especially wahine Māori and progressive politicians that want to fight for the rights of our marginalised communities.
She’s now taking legal action under the Harmful Digital Communications Act and considering defamation claims, aiming to hold perpetrators—including elected officials and online trolls—accountable.
Despite stepping down as mayor, Tori isn’t leaving politics. She’ll run for a council seat in the Māori Ward, determined to protect key initiatives like water infrastructure.
To safeguard future female politicians, she’s proposing legislative reforms, public accountability, and stronger collaboration between local government, police, and Parliament—working alongside academic experts to confront the rise of political disinformation.
“I’m speaking out to highlight the problem. So that we can start to look at legislative support to try to get rid of this behaviour.”
