Death Threat Councillor Stays In New Plymouth Mayoral Race

Friday, 26 September 2025, 9:05 pm
Article: Craig Ashworth - Local Democracy Reporting

A New Plymouth councillor threatened with assassination says he’ll continue his run for mayor and promotion of Māori wards. Sam Bennett was at a candidates meeting last week and says an angry man aged around 70 approached him in the foyer of Moturoa’s St James Presbyterian Church. 

“He said: ‘If you keep supporting f-----g Māori you’ll be the next Charlie Kirk’,” said Bennett. 

US right-wing activist Charlie Kirk was shot dead at a university rally two weeks ago. A stunned Bennett asked the man’s name and said the harasser instead cursed him again and left. Bennett said the threat was disturbing, and sparked discussion with family about quitting New Plymouth District Council’s mayoral race. But “a tsunami of support, locally and from across the motu” had convinced him not to step aside. “If I don't stand up to these cowards then they have won – and I will not let them win.” He’ll also continue advocating to keep Māori wards, which face extinction via referendum in this year’s poll. “People that say those sorts of things, they're targeting mana whenua, right? “They know I'm a staunch supporter of mana whenua – have been since we first established a ward.” 

Bennett said he worried others might be in danger so laid a complaint with the police about the death threat, although he hopes the threat was hot air. The former firefighter, union rep and ambulance officer admitted he was scared. “These people are unstable and they are unpredictable, so you can't take them lightly. “How can I be sure I'm not going to turn up to a candidates night and somebody's going to have a crack at me with a rifle?” “It epitomises this whole divisive and hateful election campaign.” 

A founding trustee of Hobson’s Pledge leads the Taxpayer Union-aligned New Plymouth District Ratepayers’ Alliance and has repeatedly accused NPDC of race-based policy and co-governance by stealth. “It's a cycle of fear,” said Bennett, “and that cycle needs to stop.” Bennet is due to speak at the Taranaki Daily News mayoral candidate debate on Thursday night, and the paper has worked with NPDC to beef up venue security. The council’s TSB Showplace lead Fraser Ross said security was already planned for the event. “Following recent developments, we’ve taken the additional step of increasing our security presence to ensure everyone feels safe and supported.” 

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