Wayne Brown brought council into disrepute by calling RNZ worker a ‘Muslim terrorist’

Auckland Mayor Wayne Brown brought the council into disrepute when he described an RNZ worker as a “Muslim terrorist”, an independent commissioner’s investigation found.

“The incident was a form of harassment ... and represented a major departure from expected standards,” Conduct Commissioner Paul Collins wrote.

The investigation was launched after an incident in April.

RNZ reported Brown made an inappropriate remark to one of its staff as the mayor was being escorted into the public broadcaster’s Auckland office.

Responding to the staff member’s comment about security being tight, Brown said words to the effect; “Security can’t be very tight if we’re being escorted by a Muslim terrorist”.

The mayor also commented on the staff member’s beard. The man was of Indian descent.

The comments sparked immediate fallout, with a Muslim advocacy group labelling the statement “downright racism”.

Brown apologised, saying his comments were a poor attempt at humour.

In a memo to councillors yesterday, council CEO Phil Wilson provided a summary of an investigation into Brown carried out under the council’s Elected Member Code of Conduct.

Auckland Mayor Wayne Brown. Photo / Michael Craig

It was triggered by a code of conduct complaint from a member of the public concerned Brown’s actions could normalise the “systematic issue of racism, hate and discrimination”.

The complaint was referred to Collins to determine if a breach had been committed, the severity of any breach, and what sanctions were appropriate.

Interviews were conducted with the complainant and the mayor’s chief of staff.

“The mayor elected not to meet directly with the commissioner but did not dispute the facts.”

Brown’s chief of staff told the investigator “the mayor commented first on the RNZ employee’s lack of identification as a security guard and that he looked untidy”, and that the mayor then said; “you look like you could be a Muslim terrorist”.

Collins found the mayor’s “insulting remark” amounted to a material breach of the code.

“It breached the principle of respect and, although it was a single incident, it constituted harassment.”

Elected members were required to interact with the public in a way that encouraged and maintained mutual dignity, was not derogatory, and safeguarded public confidence in their office.

The mayor’s comment was material “because it brought the council into disrepute and, although it was an isolated incident, it represented a major departure from expected standards”.

The commissioner found a material breach of the code had been committed, which was “itself a form of censure and I do not propose any sanctions”.

Collins found the mayor’s two apologies were sufficient.

“I do not believe a further apology or a public statement of retraction would serve any useful purpose.”

He commented that Brown “will be conscious of the need to repair the damage his remark and the surrounding publicity will have caused”.

The commissioner said his findings should be publicly reported as the matter had already been the subject of media reports and also sparked a complaint.

“It is relevant that the person complained against is the mayor of Auckland, the leader of this culturally diverse city, with substantial prestige and power.

“The public of Auckland are entitled to know that this matter was taken seriously and investigated and that the highest office in the city is accountable in proportion to the material breach.”

In a statement to the Herald, Brown said: “I accept the report findings. I acknowledged at the time that I got this one wrong and apologised. We can now move forward”.

Wilson told the Herald: “The findings, ... noted that while there was a Code of Conduct breach, the mayor addressed the matter at the time with a fulsome apology”.

Responding to the report, councillor John Watson said: “I can think of no previous mayor of Auckland who has had to be censured for behaviour of this kind. It is quite frankly embarrassing”.

He said there had been a raft of other incidents involving the mayor and accusations of “boorish, foul-mouthed and obnoxious behaviour”.

“In reality we are dealing with a repeat offender who thinks he’s entitled to act with impunity. It is civic leadership of the very lowest calibre and deserves to be called out as such.”

Lane Nichols is Auckland Desk Editor and a senior journalist for the New Zealand Herald with more than 20 years’ experience in the industry.