Benedict Ong: Dunedin City Councillor's wild seven months

Dunedin City Councillor Benedict Ong has made quite the name or himself in the seven months since he was elected to council. 

He has put tape on his face, read aloud from Franz Kafka's The Trial, leaked confidential documents, and he's now facing his second code of conduct complaint. 

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Episode Transcript

Speaker 1 (00:00):
As you know on the show, we have been following
the drama involving tape face the Dunedan City councilor Benedict
On for quite a long time. He's only been in
council for seven months, but he's already put tape on
his face and protest read aloud from Kafka's the trial.
Boring leaked a bunch of confidential documents and he's now
facing his second Code of Conduct complain, second in seven months.

(00:24):
As such, we thought it was past time that we
just got him on the show to explain what the
hell is going on?

Speaker 2 (00:28):
And he's with us high Benedict, Yes, I had a
I have to say thank you for highlighting the most
special city all across the great country of New Zealand.
And it's the weekends coming up, so you know where
the best place to spend your weekend is Dunedin. Well,
of course, I mean you've been talking about Dunedin. Where

(00:48):
else would it be?

Speaker 3 (00:49):
Exactly? Quite right? Now, what is going on?

Speaker 1 (00:51):
Why are you causing so much trouble? Why do you
keep on leaking stuff when you keep being as.

Speaker 2 (00:58):
Well? First and foremost, our public assets are owned by
our public community and our public community would like to
know what is taking place with our public community assets.
The second thing is from the context of anyone who
has been in financial services. I was a former investment banker.

(01:20):
When you are looking at something that's going to be
open for a public asset or any private asset, it's
good to say, hey, maybe because we are the most
special seaty in the country, there's going to be a
great deal of demand for that asset. And so in
looking at that and looking at the ways that we

(01:42):
can partner with our crown institutions for a lot of
different assets. That has just come to light as being
coincidentally mentioned, but it's our public community assets and our
public community wants to know what's taking place with that.

Speaker 1 (01:57):
Are you sugesting that in some way the council that
you are involved with is hiding things from the public.

Speaker 2 (02:05):
I will say, firstly, our Council is a generational institution
and it needs to be a generational institution because it
has served for generations and it will serve for generations.
But we know that the highest in authority, well at
least on the council executive side, is someone who is
one individual on a one year contract. So simply does

(02:27):
that mean that we are a generational institution when we
have a concentration of authority under two individuals. Simply for
two individuals, what I'm trying to get one who is elected,
one who's.

Speaker 3 (02:39):
What's the point of all the trouble that you're causing? Though?
Have you done anything of any value?

Speaker 2 (02:43):
Like?

Speaker 3 (02:43):
Have you done any good?

Speaker 2 (02:45):
I have done a tremendous amount of economic good. I
have three economic objectives and arrows for our city. Now
think of our city. We are doneed and limited in
the contexts of owning multi billion dollars of commercial business assets.
They've taken many years a great amount of money to

(03:06):
be put together, but they are not operated with the
commercial financial mindset that would deliver more back to our community.

Speaker 1 (03:15):
Omnit is without constantly getting in trouble.

Speaker 2 (03:19):
I would like to think. So I am not the
one that's trying to get myself in trouble. I'm just
simply trying to deliver. Are you sure economically?

Speaker 3 (03:27):
Are you sure?

Speaker 1 (03:27):
Because emails you or the chief executive emails you and says, hey,
please don't share this.

Speaker 3 (03:32):
You share it.

Speaker 2 (03:34):
We are both public elected members and it's on public
community assets. All I can say is if it's not
shared with our generational media institution that's one hundred and
sixty four years old, then it can be shared true
various information acts that our community members will rightly demand

(03:56):
to know. True.

Speaker 1 (03:56):
Okay, hey, so yesterday or on Wednesday, you copied in
a bunch of media into your email and then suggest
that there was an existing legal case currently ongoing face
by counsel that the rest of that the right payers
don't know about.

Speaker 3 (04:11):
What is that?

Speaker 2 (04:13):
Well? I said that because simply I thought it was
quite ironic that I was being threatened with potential legal
action from potentially our council CEO, and I was just
going to ask, wait a minute, is there some legal
action that we should know about in our community that
has come about from our council CEO. Well, I want

(04:35):
to protect with a legal disclaimer myself in saying that statement.
But it's something.

Speaker 1 (04:42):
That you know about that you're trying to suggest other
people might want to know.

Speaker 2 (04:45):
About it is right for our community. You don't know
what's taking on publicly with our Well, I can say
there is a specific legal act that has been put
forth and by him, one former executive of our city

(05:10):
council and.

Speaker 1 (05:11):
Who is Why will you leave it at that, because
in you're just as bad as the rest of them.

Speaker 2 (05:18):
Well, you know, I think that's something that we can
talk about in and across our other media institutions, because
that would have more time to be well covered, well documented.
It's going to go on into many, many pages because
I think that legal cases, why do you name them?

Speaker 3 (05:35):
Name them? Name them?

Speaker 2 (05:39):
There is an existing legal case that I understand we
are facing. I am not sure because I'm blocked now
from the latest details. It's publicly stated. I am barred
from public available information.

Speaker 3 (05:52):
You obviously so are you making the stuff up? Or
do you know is this heresay? Or do you know.

Speaker 2 (05:58):
This is not hearsay? This is something that was provided
to us and there was also.

Speaker 1 (06:06):
Are they suing for a lot?

Speaker 2 (06:10):
I am not prevy to the specific numbers. There is
a key by.

Speaker 3 (06:14):
Benedict, thank you. Do you know what I was hoping for? More?
Weren't you hoping for more? I was hoping for.

Speaker 1 (06:18):
Because because if you've been following this on the Bye Benedict,
if you go Benedict tape face ah, whyfe have been
fascinated by this is because we couldn't quite peg whether
Benedict was just a trouble maker who was causing everybody
a headache, or if he was actually a warrior for
transparency and truth we needed to get behind because he

(06:41):
was doing God's work. Well, I mean, he's a troublemaker,
isn't he Like I wanted him to do a better
job than that, and then he ended up withholding the
information that he was trying to.

Speaker 3 (06:51):
Hint it anyway, what's the no, You're not a worry
I'm annoyed by him. I'm annoyed because I'm let down.
He's let me down. For more from Heather to Duplasy,
Allen Drive, listen live to News Talk SETB from four
pm weekdays, or follow the podcast on iHeartRadio