In launching our Election Central coverage of HB’s local body elections, BayBuzz invited each candidate to publish on our website – at no cost and unfiltered – any material they provided about themselves, their priorities, positions and promises.
One hundred (of 115) have responded with information, virtually all of those also responding to in-depth questions from BayBuzz. We have also published candidate responses to other organisations, like Grey Power and HB Green Party. And will do so for any other group probing the candidates.
As you might imagine, as Editor I’ve seen heaps of stuff come through with which I personally disagree. But it’s all there, unfiltered, as promised … seen by over 40,000 unique visitors.
But today, having just received my voting documents, I need to identify one candidate who has crossed the line (only 1 of 100) from acceptable self-promotion (that is what campaigns are about, after all) and heartfelt issue advocacy to deliberate disinformation, always in the form of totally unsubstantiated accusations of council wrong doing … reaching as far as outright corruption and the potentially illegal.
That candidate is Steve Gibson, standing for Hastings mayor, as well as a council seat.
In his door-knocking, public forums, written communications and even his 150-word official Voter Guide Profile, candidate Gibson has let fly a number of claims and accusations about the Hastings District Council and those doing business with it that he cannot validate and that he has not recanted when flatly, officially denied by the parties involved.
He will allege such incidents repeatedly – in some cases citing as his authoritative source some anonymous resident he has encountered door-knocking – with no evidence whatsoever.
Most recently he provided an ‘announcement’ to be published in Election Central with two allegations of financial wrong doing, noting that HDC had denied them. But then commented in effect that it doesn’t matter whether the allegations are true, they undermine trust.
Indeed they do, but that doesn’t deter candidate Gibson from peddling them door to door … and promoting distrust, hoping to cash in on the alarm. Despite the official denials, he promises a “forensic audit” into his charges if elected and comments, “If dishonesty is uncovered, those responsible will be held fully accountable…”
Until that day – knock, knock, next door – guilty as charged. Interesting, coming from a former police officer.
Gibson claims to have knocked on 20,000 doors. If he came to yours, and described one of his favourite shady deals on the part of HDC and its friends, how would you respond to that … a rueful nod, outrage, scepticism, a box tick for this watchdog?
Well, I’m not your typical resident. I’ve heard enough to investigate several of Gibson’s innuendos, interviewing relevant parties, reviewing written responses and acquiring my own Official Information Act materials regarding them.
My conclusion from weighing all this? Candidate Gibson has been (continues to be) willfully spreading disinformation throughout his campaign. For his councillor opponents, it’s guilt by association. He is doing a disservice to potential voters and the campaign process.
He has even asserted one unfounded “incompetence” claim in his Voter Guide Profile, which will be absorbed by every Hastings voter as they read their voting papers … and stand unchallenged. When, in fact, it’s a big picture success story, as I’ll report in another article.
At a time when people have legitimate concerns about the direction of councils that campaigners should indeed address, there’s an informed and ethical way to go about that … and then unfortunately there’s candidate Gibson’s way.
Recklessly ignorant or deliberately ruthless, I don’t know. But definitely dishonourable.
Hi Tom – it’s only misinformation if it’s not true. Prove it’s not, there’s nothing in your story that does. However, fellow citizens like Steve and others have plenty of true facts to tell about corrupt practices and wasting ratepayers money. Time for a clean out in all HB Councils, it’s been a long time coming.
You realise that statement also means Tom is correct. Even if, as you say, Tom has provided no proof, neither has Steve. Ergo what Tom has said is true, until you or Steve prove otherwise.
As Bay Buzzs own saying goes
“Sunlight is the best disinfectant”.
Steve has obviously been cancelled and denied a right of reply.
Clearly Tom and his council mates fear the truth coming out when Steve gets elected and finally open up the books to the light of day. Of course he can’t get to the bottom of these allegations by simply asking Council nicely!
Steve held Manawatu District Council to account when they failed to “seek tendors” for a $1million upgrade of council offices in lieu of direct procurement to 1 contractor, contrary to Councils own policy.
All strength to you Steve don’t listen to the cowards hiding behind their keyboards.
How much do you think it will cost the ratepayer for council to investigate and ‘prove it didn’t happen’ with every little story that someone heard from Barbara’s cousins girlfriends neighbour?
Would you be comfortable having to prove your innocence if some random person who “knows someone who knew something” said you were a criminal of some sort and sent the police came knocking at your door?
Since Steve was a police officer, then he should know that old chestnut ‘innocent until proven guilty’ is there for exactly that reason. I know having worked in the public sector – and he should also know having been a councillor in manawatu – that there are official information requests to get this information, and the council can’t just say ‘it didn’t happen’, they have to say there is a reason that information is not being released. He has provided none of this, nor any evidence that he has ‘exposed corruption in the past’.
It’s the same plain old electioneering we get at every mayoral election, and the fact he hasn’t popped up to comment on this story when he so actively has on all other mentions of his name on BayBuzz tells me he has no way to defend any of this shoddy behaviour.
If you think he is the guy to be mayor and want to vote for him, power to you – But don’t dress it up as conspiracies and attack journalism. I am more than happy to support him if he can produce one shred of evidence of any of his claims, but so far this just reinforces my cynicism towards any politician who wants to be mayor and the ego that drives them
I trust Steve — the ex-prosecutor with a proven record of exposing corruption — over the other three candidates who sat on council and rubber-stamped a 15% rate hike. These same councillors blindly allowed council to spend $1 million on a Hastings building and then sell it last year for just $150,000. That’s an $850,000 loss of ratepayers’ money.
Just saying!
You might want to read this follow-up post … and re-consider.
https://baybuzz.co.nz/steve-gibson-the-innuendo-candidate-part-2/
Over $2mil in social value gained from that transaction. That is a huge return for our community.
Hastings has a one of the highest rates of housing deprivation in New Zealand and this is one tax payer who is quite happy to pay for those in need. Just Saying!
Our council is even award winning in this area. They’re not perfect, but the callous, unfounded, and distasteful misinformation from Steve is downright appalling.
From HDC:
“We strongly refute any notion of corruption or underhandedness with these property transactions. Council purchased the building with broader outcomes in mind. Those outcomes were achieved with the creation of Kuhu Mai, and the subsequent sale price was supported by market evidence, and based on no development opportunities with a sale price higher than what was achieved.”
As for Kuhu Mai, the programme now located at St Andrew’s Hall and led by Warren and Sarah Heke is currently serving about 170 homeless people, with many of those now receiving medical care for the first time in ages. A report by Impact Lab covering the period 1 Aug 2022 – 30 April 2023 calculated the hub had generated a total social value of $2,636,432, with a social value per person engaged of $22,728. It’s won national award recognition from Local Government NZ.”
Agree with long time coming and concerned ratepayer, central government not local government is responsible for ‘homelessness’. Selling our assets to help people who can’t help themselves, that’s a poor decision. Double dipping, or even triple when you count how the taxpayer pays their benefits. It’s not on. People work for their money and it gets taken away for those who don’t etc. Then more rate rises to pay again for more poor planning and decisions. Good luck Steve, Tom’s personal allegiance to the councils is clear for all to see.
Oh, Timtam. Like the biscuit, much better dunked. Your views are lovely, but ‘just saying’, people make their own way in life. If they choose to be drips, best that they flow out to sea to join the rest of the ocean rather than us continuing to try to catch them in the watering can and nurture them for them to pour on out again and again.
Hey TimTam, would you look at that, a quick search and look what was found https://www.connectcommunity.org.nz/hub/
Tom, do your job right, or not at all. Goodbye, Sandra. So much damage in a few terms milking your ratepayers. Congratulations (shame).
All these, oh so sympathetic, people, effectively saying people are homeless by choice, have no earthly idea.
And supporting claims by saying “just because he can’t prove it doesn’t mean it’s not true” sounds just like the angry little puppets who voted in the orange knob in the States. And look what’s happening there. Their country is on the verge of civil war.
Try finding your humanity.
Personally, when Mr Gibson came to my house, I found his claims, at best ignorant. When I challenged them he had no evidence and no true position. He was simply spitting sparks in hope of starting a fire. Even my son was less than impressed with his veracity.
And we come from a family of cops, including a prosecutor. We are well aware of how fallible they are. And how unaware of the reality of poverty and homelessness they can be.
Aside from any disinformation Steve Gibson may spreading about HDC, I would like to express deep concern about his ability to work with or govern different people. In a recent exchange with Mr Gibson he told me that ‘we’ didn’t colonise this country but civilized it! This was not the only racist comment he made, he also compared his ancestors’ struggles as low-paid farm workers with that of slaves. I found this deeply troubling, insensitive and ignorant of those who have suffered real slavery. When I asked him what he meant by “Elite Māori” he provided one single example of one single group of Māori engaging in perceived corruption.
“So what is an “Elite Pākehā”? I asked (a term I have never heard to describe a successful white person). His response was a little flustered but he ultimately settled on “someone who went to a private school”. He was quick to state that he worked for everything he has, adding that he had been discriminated against, throughout his career, as a white male. I think we should be voting for someone who can represent all of us, not someone who punches down on Māori, the homeless, the poor, the rich, anyone with kids at Woodford, Iona, or Lindisfarne, or anyone else.
Power to you Concerned Citizen and Julie, but politely disagree. Look around you, elite Maori are openly inviting civil war in our country. It belongs to us all, not the construct made up in the last few years. Freedom of speech is your current right but watch out if they have their way, you will become a second class citizen in your own country. As for calling someone you don’t agree with ‘an orange knob’, where is your ‘humanity’? You are probably one of the ones that openly supports the side who starts a war but won’t choose to end it? You probably think anyone thst disagrees with you deserves a bullet? That’s the real problem with the world at the moment. Take good care.
Having read through the comments above I’ve decided to vote for Steve.