MONIQUE FORD/Stuff
Wellington Mayor Tory Whanau confirmed she accidentally walked away from a restaurant without paying but has denied other claims.
As more witnesses to Wellington Mayor Tory Whanau’s behaviour on Friday night come forward, a former holder of her office says the city’s “number one citizen” needs to be constantly alert while the capital’s deputy steps up to defend her boss.
“It’s a sad day for all of Wellington to get their newspaper today and see their number one citizen on the front page with an allegation as was reported,” said former three-term mayor Kerry Prendergast on Monday.
The Post revealed on Monday that staff at Wellington restaurant The Old Quarter said Whanau and a friend came to the restaurant on Friday already tipsy and got progressively drunker. Whanau allegedly asked the waiter, “Do you know who I am” before she and her friend left without paying. The friend got in touch on Saturday and settled the bill.
Whanau, who The Post recently ran a full profile on, has now admitted she was tipsy and that she accidentally left without paying, but denies she asked if the waiter knew who she was.
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Prendergast said, during her time as deputy mayor from 1995, then mayor from 2001 to 2010, she was always conscious of how much alcohol she drank as she was “always the number one citizen, always representing the city”.
Prendergast said she had previously offered Whanau advice on the mayoral role but had not been in touch with her on Monday: “If she wants to get in touch she is welcome.”
Deputy Mayor Laurie Foon, who had campaigned and worked alongside Whanau for nearly a year, said the statements attributed to her “do not fit the person I’ve come to know”.
”Tory is a very real person who loves to enjoy what Wellington has got to offer,” Foon said.
”It’s a great thing for Wellington that our mayor enjoys and understands our hospitality scene.”
It comes as more witnesses to the Friday incident come forward. One man, who asked not to be identified, said he and his 13 and 15-year-old teenagers were sitting near Whanau and her friend and heard a lot of loud swearing: “Lots of words beginning with F.”
He was speaking out in defence of the restaurant’s waiter after Whanau said allegations about her conduct were “simply false”.
He left before the alleged “do you know who I am” comment but another punter that night told NewstalkZB on Monday the mayor asked the waiter, “do you know who I am?”
“I thought, what the hell lady,” the customer said.
Whanau on Monday told Nick Mills on Newstalk ZB she was a “bit tipsy” but said she was nowhere near the stage – as alleged by staff – that she needed to be cut off from being served alcohol.
“[I was] a little bit merry after a few wines and a hearty meal.”
She said she had been celebrating the end of a big win with Let’s Get Wellington Moving (LGWM) staff after a big week for the council.
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Whanau, who campaigned as a LGWM supporter, on Thursday overcame staunch opposition to progress key elements of the $7.4 billion LGWM and also negotiated a deal to see Wellington pursue a sister city relationship with the Palestinian city of Ramallah.
Management and staff at the Old Quarter restaurant on Dixon St have confirmed the pair were “tipsy” when they arrived and staff had considered not serving them, The Post reported on Monday.
The pair were allowed to stay because they were eating. They sat at an outside table where they ate, and drank a bottle of wine, staff said.
It is alleged that they became progressively drunker.
“She came up to me holding her bottle of wine. She said, ‘do you know who I am?’,” waiter Andrew Jenkins told The Post.
Staff were about to refuse to serve them any more alcohol but then realised they had left without paying.
