The Upper Hutt City Council has trespassed failed Wellington mayoral candidate and controversial social media figure Graham Bloxham from its offices.
By Justin Wong of Local Democracy Reporting
A council spokesperson confirmed a trespass notice was issued late last week but did not elaborate.
Bloxham, most well known for running social media site Wellington Live, entangled himself in Upper Hutt’s mayoral race – won by Peri Zee over incumbent Wayne Guppy – after he dropped out of the running for the Wellington City job at last year’s election before nominations closed.
Bloxham endorsed Guppy, posting a video interview with the eight-term mayor, but said he did so on his own volition. Guppy paid Bloxham’s company Wellington In Your Pocket more than $9300 for social media and advertising services in the election three years before, but Guppy said he wasn’t involved in the 2025 campaign.
Bloxham accused Zee of "pumping up you ‘aggressive troll’ follower base" [sic] around the assumption he was running Guppy’s campaign.
"That is defamatory. And I will take steps, legally if necessary if you continue. I hold you ‘Personally’ responsible," he wrote in an email, copying in a reporter from The Post.
Bloxham did not respond to a request for comment on the trespass notice.
In an official information request for council communications mentioning him by name, forwarded to a reporter, Bloxham said: "Peri Zees [sic] has repeatedly said she feels unsafe around me. I have not done anything to cause this un usual [sic] behaviour from a public leader, believe this is done by Zees, to give her worship a victim stage".
Police arrested Bloxham and two others after a scuffle at a protest against the US military operation in Venezuela in front of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Trade on Lambton Quay in mid January, but did not file charges.
Bloxham live-posted details from a private Wellington City Council media training session last November, when councillor Ray Chung left an open phone line to him for 40 minutes.
He has claimed to have sold Wellington Live, but remained the forefront of its social media posts. There have been no new posts on its Facebook page since January 13.
The next Upper Hutt council meeting is April 1 at 3.30pm.
– Local Democracy Reporting is local body journalism co-funded by RNZ and NZ On Air
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