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“The Mask Falls: Unveiling the “Better Wellington” Cartel” - 16 December 2025

Ivor Jones The Māori Green Ltn

16 Dec 2025 — 8 min read

They thought they could hide in the shadows of the Companies Office. They thought a “zero rates” slogan would distract us from the smell of old money and decaying colonial entitlement.

But the Ring sees all. The taiaha of truth strikes not at the person, but at the kaupapa—and the kaupapa of “Better Wellington” is a mauri-depleting extraction machine designed to return our city to the landlords.

Today, we expose the network. We verify the connections. We name the names.

The Hidden Connections

The Bob Jones Tentacle: Tirohanga Ltd is not just a company; it is the fingerprint of Sir Bob Jones, the man who once suggested Māori should lease our existence.
The Ghost in the Machine: The Houghton Limited does not exist on the register, yet it funneled $5,000 into the campaign. Who is hiding behind this ghost?
The Property Cartel: Eyal Aharoni, Sir Mark Dunajtschik, Craig Walton. These are not “concerned citizens”; they are the landed gentry fighting to keep their grip on the city’s soil.
The Film Industry’s Right Turn: Jamie Selkirk, Oscar-winning editor, dropping $50,000. The “creative capital” myth is shattered when its elites fund austerity.
The “Independent” Lie: Wayne Coffey funding both the group and the candidate separately. This is not independence; this is a coordinated takeover.

Background: The “Independent Together” Farce

In the lead-up to the 2025 election, a group calling itself “Better Wellington” emerged, backing the “Independent Together” ticket led by Councillor Ray Chung.

Their pitch was simple:

“Zero rates increases”, as detailed on their website and candidate profiles. It sounds appealing until you ask who pays the price. Zero rates mean zero investment in water, zero investment in housing, and zero investment in the community services that whānau rely on. It is the classic neoliberal trojan horse: austerity for the many, asset protection for the few.

But behind the billboards and the populist rhetoric lay a war chest of $157,000—a staggering sum for a local ticket, as revealed by the NZ Herald. And now, thanks to the NZ Herald and our own investigation, we know exactly whose pockets that money came from.

Deconstruction via Mātauranga

From a mātauranga Māori perspective, money has mauri. It carries the intention of its source. When money flows from those who have historically extracted value from the land and its people, it brings with it a take (cause) of domination. The “Better Wellington” campaign was not woven from the flax of community aspiration; it was forged in the fires of corporate anxiety. The donors listed below represent a whakapapa of wealth that views the city not as a kāinga (home), but as an asset class.

Analysis: The 5+ Hidden Revelations

1. The Bob Jones Connection: Tirohanga’s Dark Money

The campaign received $35,000 from Tirohanga Ltd, as reported by the NZ Herald. The Herald notes this company has been “removed from the companies register”. However, a deeper search reveals the truth: Tirohanga Holdings Limited is very much alive, and has historically listed Sir Bob Jones as a director, as confirmed by Te Ao Māori News.

The Revelation: Sir Bob Jones is not just a property tycoon; he is a vocal opponent of the Waitangi Tribunal and a purveyor of anti-Māori rhetoric, as seen in his controversial writings. His money powering a mayoral bid is a direct assault on the mana of our city. Ray Chung even paid tribute to Jones at his campaign launch, calling him a “mentor”, as noted by the NZ Herald. The connection is undeniable: this was the “anti-woke” capital trying to buy the mayoralty.

2. The Ghost Donor: The Houghton Limited

Transparency is the first casualty of dirty politics. The campaign declared $5,000 from “The Houghton Limited”—a company that does not appear on the New Zealand Companies Register, according to the NZ Herald.

The Revelation: This is verified “dark money”. In a system that requires strict declaration, the acceptance of funds from a non-existent entity is a breach of the public trust. Is it a shell? A typo? Or a deliberate obfuscation to hide another player? The Ring detects a void where truth should be.

3. The Property Cartel: Aharoni, Dunajtschik, Walton

The donor list reads like a roll call of Wellington’s landlords.

Eyal Aharoni (Primeproperty) gave $10,000, confirmed by the NZ Herald. Aharoni is behind some of the largest developments in the city, as noted in reports on his projects.
Sir Mark Dunajtschik gave $25,000, as verified by the NZ Herald, though he later “soured” on Chung after the email scandal.
Craig Walton (BBV Ltd) gave $10,000, also listed in the NZ Herald.
Malcolm Gillies (Gillies Group) gave $5,000, confirmed by the NZ Herald.
The Revelation: This is a coordinated block. $50,000+ from the property sector alone. These are the forces that resist affordable housing, oppose tenant protections, and lobby against the “bureaucracy” that stops them from paving over Papatūānuku.

4. The Film Industry’s Right Turn

We often paint Wellington’s film industry as a bastion of liberal creativity. Yet, the largest single donor was Tory Holdings Limited, owned by Jamie Selkirk, the Oscar-winning editor and collaborator of Peter Jackson, who gave $50,000, as revealed by the NZ Herald.

The Revelation: Wealth protects wealth. Even the “creatives,” once they reach a certain tax bracket, align with the property cartel. This shatters the illusion of a united “progressive” Wellington culture sector.

5. The “Dirty Politics” Machine

The campaign didn’t just spend money; it spent mana. Ray Chung was embroiled in a scandal involving an email detailing “unsavoury sexual rumours” about Mayor Tory Whanau, as reported by the NZ Herald. The “Better Wellington” social media pages launched vicious attacks, labelling Councillor Rebecca Matthews a “retard” and “grift monkey”, a hateful act documented by the NZ Herald.

The Revelation: This toxic behaviour is not accidental; it is a feature of the “anti-woke” playbook funded by these donors. The money from Jones and Selkirk didn’t just buy billboards; it bought a platform for hate.

The Bankrollers: Who Funded Ray Chung’s “Better Wellington” Campaign

Sector Dominance: The Money Behind “Better Wellington”

Campaign War Chests: Better Wellington vs Others

Implications: The Cost of “Zero Rates”

The “Zero Rates” promise was the bait. The hook was a council compliant to the wishes of Tirohanga and Primeproperty.

Quantified Harm: A zero rates increase in an inflationary environment is a cut. It means slashing the Living Wage for council staff, as Chung promised to “slash jobs” according to RNZ. It means deferring water infrastructure repairs and stalling the Māori Ward partnership.
Action Pathway: We must demand the Electoral Officer investigate “The Houghton Limited”. We must boycott the businesses that fund hate. We must support the mana whenua representatives who stand against this tide.

Rangatiratanga in Action

The “Better Wellington” bid failed. Ray Chung lost the mayoralty in a landslide to Andrew Little, as reported by the NZ Herald. Only two of their candidates made it to the table. But the network remains. The money is still there, waiting for the next election, the next puppet.

We have exposed them. We have verified their connections. Now, we must organize. Rangatiratanga is not just about sovereignty; it is about freedom from the influence of dark money and hidden agendas. We see you, Bob Jones. We see you, Eyal Aharoni. And we are watching.

Tihei mauri ora!

Ivor Jones The Māori Green Lantern Fighting Misinformaton And Disinformation From The Far Right

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