Election billboards vandalised: Debbie Ngarewa-Packer and Ryan Hamilton hit out
Te Pāti Māori leader Debbie Ngarewa-Packer has hit out after a racist slur was scrawled across her election billboard.
She posted a photo to social media this afternoon, that appears to show the N-word spray-painted across the sign in white.
Ngarewa-Packer said smaller parties did not have the resources to easily replace damaged billboards.
“What happens when rich parties’ billboards get destroyed? They get more. They get back-ups, they get private land which makes accessing their boards harder,” she said.
“What happens when small parties’ boards get targeted? Well I guess you’ll be seeing us with some not so fun tattoos across our faces while our grassroots whānau try their best to clean us up.”
Ngarewa-Packer said her billboard team was her husband and a handful of “hearty” supporters who volunteered on top of other commitments.
“I can handle being defaced ... as long as you all get enrolled, vote & get this govt out.”
She claimed there was “a correlation between the Govt we have & the behaviour emboldened by them”, adding some of that behaviour was now “playing out here”.
Election sign vandals ‘cowards’ – National MP
A National Party MP whose election billboards have been “repeatedly” damaged also hit out, branding the vandals “cowards”.
Hamilton East MP Ryan Hamilton addressed the taggers in a fiery video posted to his social media accounts yesterday.
“I’m not going to be intimidated by it... So I’m going to keep coming,” he said.
The billboard, which features Hamilton and National Party leader Christopher Luxon, was spray-painted with the word “fascist”.
“See you next Tuesday, real funny,” Hamilton quipped, referring to another message written in sprawling, bold orange.
“You know, someone probably comes around in the middle of night, in the shadow of darkness, like a coward, with a hoodie on and their spray paint can.
“Why don’t you give me a call or an email and we’ll talk about it instead of being a coward and going on to private property and vandalising it?”
Hamilton said he had “plenty more signs”.
He then plugged National’s election slogan, saying: “We’re determined to fix the basics and build the future,” before the clip abruptly cuts off.
In a message accompanying the video, Hamilton reissued his invitation to talk.
“If you disagree with me or want to discuss something, pick up the phone, send me an email, or come and have a conversation,” he wrote.
“Don’t go around under the cloak of darkness vandalising other people’s property.”