Matua Kahurangi: Did National-aligned Councillor Nicola Young collude with Labour to take down Ray Chung?

A political hit job appears to be unfolding within Wellington City Council, and the fingerprints of dirty politics are all over it.

Two and a half years ago, first-term councillor Ray Chung sent a private email to three colleagues he considered long-time friends: Nicola Young, Tony Randle, and John Apanowicz. The email recounted a conversation with a constituent about alleged behaviour by Mayor Tory Whanau. It was never intended for public consumption, and it was sent to personal inboxes, not the media.

Now, with council elections on the horizon and Andrew Little announcing his candidacy for mayor, that old email has suddenly surfaced in the hands of journalists.

So who leaked it? Inside council, several elected members are pointing directly at Nicola Young as the source. Young has deep ties to the National Party. She is the daughter and sister of former National MPs, and she is no stranger to backdoor political manoeuvring.

But what would she stand to gain by sabotaging Ray Chung, a fellow centre-right councillor?

According to insiders, Young is eyeing the Deputy Mayor position and sees her path there through Andrew Little’s campaign. She was one of the first councillors to publicly endorse Little when he launched his campaign. The theory is that leaking damaging material about Chung serves two purposes: clearing a rival from the field and proving her loyalty to Labour’s preferred candidate.

If that is true, it would mean a National-aligned councillor is actively working against her own bloc and cooperating with Labour for personal gain. That is not just cynical. It is calculated and self-serving.

Even more galling is the staggering hypocrisy at play.

While Ray Chung is being attacked for privately emailing three trusted colleagues about a matter raised by a constituent, Nicola Young herself took to Sean Plunket’s national radio programme to publicly demand Tory Whanau resign. She cited rumours of a video allegedly showing Whanau drunk and behaving inappropriately. The rumour was not confirmed, and no evidence was produced. Yet Young broadcast the claim nationally anyway.

Somehow, that was acceptable. But Chung forwarding concerns via private email? That is what gets the outrage and media scrutiny. The selective outrage and coordinated pile-on are not just obvious. They are revealing. This is not about protecting standards. It is about protecting political control.

Ray Chung has made it clear he is not backing down. Despite the orchestrated attacks, he is vowing to stay in the race and expose the rot at the core of Wellington’s political establishment.

So the question now becomes inescapable. Did Nicola Young leak Ray Chung’s email to curry favour with Labour? Are we watching, in real time, the machinery of Wellington’s political class turning against anyone who dares to step outside the establishment fold?

This is not just dirty politics. It is cowardly, opportunistic, and exactly why the public is losing faith in local government.

Ray Chung may have been naïve to trust his colleagues, but his fight to stay in the race is shaping up to be a much bigger fight - one against the entire Wellington political machine.

Listen to Sean Plunket (The Platform) on this link > https://matuakahurangi.com/p/did-national-aligned-councillor-nicola

Matua Kahurangi is just a bloke sharing thoughts on New Zealand and the world beyond. No fluff, just honest takes. He blogs on https://matuakahurangi.com/ where this article was sourced.