08/10/2025
This Election Weirdness
“How’s the election going?” has been one of the most common questions I’ve been asked.
My usual answer? “It’s been interesting”, or more honestly, “It’s all a bit weird, actually.”
Fundamentally, I don’t have an issue with activist groups.
They are entitled to their perspectives on the world, as we all are.
They are free to believe in an anti-vaccine agenda.
They are free to oppose historic COVID mandates.
They are free to deny climate change, oppose co-governance, oppose Three Waters reform, and oppose water fluoridation.
We live in a free society, and that is their right.
They are also free to believe that blanket change is needed in Selwyn, and to seek representation in local government. And they have been actively doing so, though you wouldn’t necessarily know it unless you went looking.
I’ve been reflecting on why the campaigning of those with activist links feels so inconsistent with my values. I’ve concluded that my concern lies in three key areas:
Firstly, how about walking their talk, doing so honestly, transparently, and with full information so that voters are respected and can make an informed choice? These are the very values they claim to stand for. So why the secrecy? Why the contradiction between the rhetoric of openness and the reality of covert coordination? Why the weirdness?
Secondly, the training in persuasive writing techniques, the use of misleading messaging and inaccurate "facts" to win votes. When any group uses secrecy, distortion, or carefully diluted narratives to make extreme positions sound “reasonable” or “mainstream,” they undermine the integrity of our democratic process. It’s the opposite of transparency and honesty.
Thirdly, the deliberate cultivation of division and factionalism within our community. From coordinated social media campaigns and covert candidate training to selective information-sharing, fake profiles used to attack candidates, and silencing dissenting voices through channel control, these are not the actions of groups seeking open dialogue. They are the tactics of control and manipulation.
I came into this election wanting to serve my community, with no political allegiances, no hidden agendas, and no affiliation with any activist organisation or individual. Yet when I asked for accuracy, balance, and context, I very quickly became a target. Bullying tactics followed: false accusations, deliberate misquotes, and smear campaigns by those driving the divide. This felt very weird.
Where is the space for a different perspective? For meaningful discussion and debate?
And this brings me to a broader question that has emerged through this campaign:
Why are so many candidates calling themselves Independent, yet their reasons for standing are clearly tied to activist or “advocacy” organisations?
Do they genuinely believe that active involvement with these groups does not influence their perspective on local governance?
What does Independence actually mean in local government, and why does it matter?
To me, independence means having the courage to evaluate every decision on its merits, based on evidence, reason, and what’s best for Selwyn, not what suits a national agenda or activist network. It means you are willing to consider all information and perspectives, not bound by party lines, pressure groups, or echo chambers. It means putting your community first, even when that’s the harder path.
I’ve heard one of the main protagonists insist that politics and block voting have no place in local government, yet that is precisely what some are trying to achieve. If elected, I want to be confident that every councillor around the table is making decisions that are merit-based, evidence-based, and genuinely independent, not driven by national activism agendas or coordinated alliances.
In my opinion, Selwyn District ratepayers deserve nothing less.
It's not my council, it's yours.
Please make your vote count before 12pm on Saturday 11th October.
Authorised by Sarah Barnsley
[email protected]
