Being escorted out of a council meeting with tape across his mouth was just the beginning.
Benedict Ong has been mired in controversy since he became an Ōtepoti Dunedin city councillor in October 2025. The Dunedin-born former investment banker moved back to the city in June last year, and immediately began his campaign to run for both mayor and council. While his efforts to become mayor were unsuccessful, Ong was the 12th-most popular candidate voted onto council.
Since then, however, Ong’s name has rarely been out of the headlines. As The Spinoff noted in March, the first six months of Ong’s term were filled with a series of dramatic events, including making a code of conduct complaint against a fellow councillor, having a code of conduct complaint laid against him, and being escorted out of a council meeting while wearing tape over his mouth. In the three months since the mouth-tape incident, Ong’s eyebrow-raising antics have continued. He’s been asked to resign, leaked confidential information, read aloud from Kafka while “on trial” at a council meeting, and, most recently, had another code of conduct complaint laid against him.
Let’s take an (updated) look back at the past few dramatic months for Ong and the Dunedin City Council.
August 2025
Nominations for the local elections close on August 1. One of Ong’s early campaign ads states that he was born in Dunedin and raised in Sydney and Malaysia, and earned a bachelor of commerce from the University of New South Wales. Ong returned to Dunedin around July, having spent much of his professional life in Singapore, but his candidate profile states that his principal place of residence is not in the Dunedin area.
In a Facebook post, 42-year-old Ong says he has 25 years of experience in financial analysis, finance and economics. “I am a former international private banker-investment manager, and former corporate advisory, debt & equity capital markets and M&A investment banker,” he writes. He promises no rate rises if he is elected, thanks to an unexplained “first-of-its-kind financial innovation” that draws on his global corporate financial expertise.
Ong has an official campaign website (which has since been placed in “maintenance mode”), but there is little to no background information about him online. There is, however, a TikTok account from early 2024 called MMA Style Investor, where a man who may or may not be Ong compares financial investing to MMA wrestling. At the time of writing, the account has zero likes and only two followers, one of whom is “thedrunkenanus”.
September 2025
Voting begins on September 9, and Ong is actively committed to campaigning. His social media shows him meeting locals in pubs and supermarkets, and he frequently refers to Dunedin as “the most special city”. His posts range from extremely wordy promises about economic expertise to photos at McDonald’s. “I am a man on a mission,” he writes in one post. “I am one man having gone across my hometown Dunedin’s community. I am relentless.”
Ong appears at a mayoral debate on September 16, alongside the city’s resident vampire. “Ong struggled to keep the microphone anywhere near his mouth, but said he’d like to expand the airport,” The Spinoff writes. “He ignored the bells to stop talking, and held up a statutory declaration that he wanted to read. ‘No,’ came cries from the audience.”
On September 18, Ong styles himself as a paperboy to deliver free copies of the Otago Daily Times (ODT), featuring a paid promotional advert for his local election campaign. “I have purchased 1,000 copies of the Otago Daily Times to hand out today and will be paper boy on my skateboard to deliver these… Please message me if you would like a free copy of the ODT and I will add you to my skateboard delivery route today (numbers permitting).” The weekday edition of the ODT retails at $2.70 per copy.
October 2025
Ong’s message of economic leadership and a grassroots campaign sees him successfully elected to Dunedin City Council on October 11, placing 12th of 14 successful candidates with 2,596 votes. He is one of more than a dozen Asian New Zealanders newly elected to councils around the country, and one of six new Dunedin city councillors. “It is a very proud moment for me,” an impassioned Ong tells the ODT. “I am looking to collaborate closely and receive guidance from all at the council table.”
In the mayoral race, Ong comes eighth in the field of 16 with 1,248 votes, compared to winner Sophie Barker’s 16,874. It is later revealed that Ong spent $44,098.72 on his campaigns, the second-highest spend of all candidates and nearly $20,000 more than Barker.
Just days after the election, ElectionNZ passes a complaint to police alleging Ong breached electoral laws during his campaign. The complaint refers to alleged “treating” of free newspapers. Police announce they will not pursue the matter further.
Some scepticism arises about Ong’s banking background, including from councillor Lee Vandervis, who questions Ong’s credentials. A Stuff article on October 15 reveals that two people who nominated Ong in the local elections were strangers Ong met on the street – which is within the rules. Both Stuff and ODT confirm details of Ong’s employment history.
On October 18, just one week after the election, the ODT reports that Dunedin City Council chief executive Sandy Graham had invited Ong to a meeting to discuss ways to ensure a safe and professional work environment, having received feedback “from several people who have felt uncomfortable in recent interactions” with him. Ong forwarded Graham’s email to the ODT.
November 2025
Ong confirms he is not AI, but will work like he is.
December 2025
Ong suggests to the ODT that he should chair a new committee that will oversee council funding sources. Mayor Barker responds by saying Ong has not directly approached her about the matter and it would be “a stretch” for a first-term councillor to chair a committee.
On December 19, Ong makes an official complaint about the conduct of councillor John Chambers, alleging that Chambers made discriminatory comments about Dunedin’s South Asian community at a workshop held on December 12. Chambers – a former ED doctor heavily involved in the campaign to save Dunedin Hospital – says he is “shocked” by the complaint. Graham appoints independent investigator Steph Dyhrberg.
To mark the festive season, Ong dresses up as Santa and visits a supermarket for “mmm milk and cookies”.
January 2026
Having been asked by Graham not to compromise the investigation into his code of conduct complaint by speaking publicly, Ong speaks publicly about the case. Posting a lengthy statement to Facebook on January 13, he asks Chambers to apologise and accuses Graham of not acting according to her responsibility as chair of the December 12 workshop (by not responding to the code of conduct breach). Days later, Barker tells councillors that she was the chair of that workshop, not Graham, and that Graham was not in the room at the time of the alleged incident.
On January 30, the council votes down Ong’s proposal to give naming rights for public assets to people or businesses that have made “significant philanthropic and corporate contributions”. Councillor Steve Walker says he struggles to understand Ong’s notice of motion. On Facebook the following day, Ong suggests that Walker should consider improving his English comprehension skills.
February 2026
On February 5, Graham files a code of conduct complaint against Ong. Dyhrberg is again appointed to investigate. “Our Council CEO Sandy Graham has lodged a Code of Conduct complaint against me. This is no big surprise,” Ong says on Facebook. The following week, the ODT reports that Ong is refusing to cooperate with the investigation.
Ong’s code of conduct complaint against Chambers is dismissed on February 11, with Ong providing a transcript of the investigation to the ODT. Dyhrberg finds the complaint insufficient to proceed, and observes that Ong is “resistant to participating openly in the complaint process, despite it being his own complaint”. On Facebook the following day, Ong writes that he does not “consider the ‘independent’ investigator and her ‘findings’ to be independent”.
On February 16, Ong’s movement in the council building is temporarily restricted to allow a health and safety assessment to be undertaken, after concerns Ong is “accosting staff” (a claim Ong categorically denies). Ong tells the Herald the restriction is a retaliatory response to his efforts to “advance what he described as innovative debt financing proposals aimed at freezing future rates rises”. Graham says this is incorrect.
On February 19, the ODT reports that Ong is hiring a personal assistant. The same day, Ong films a video of himself walking into the Dunedin City Council buildings with grey tape over his mouth, before quickly walking back out again.
The following day, Ong is escorted from a council meeting by several other councillors, while wearing tape over his mouth. Following an email from Barker to Ong where she expresses concern over his conduct, Ong is handed a letter written by Barker stating that Ong has been “extremely disrespectful” to her (including forwarding the email to the ODT 11 minutes after she sent it) and has refused to remove disparaging comments online about Graham. Ong is barred from several meetings and stripped of his role as deputy lead of the technology portfolio. The letter states that Barker will reconsider Ong’s privileges if he apologises and removes the disparaging comments. Councillor Andrew Simms tells the ODT he is concerned for Ong’s welfare.
On February 22, Ong posts Barker’s letter on social media.
Ong tells Stuff he will keep wearing tape over his mouth whenever he visits the council. On February 24, Ong appears on the council meeting livestream without tape over his mouth. On February 26, Ong posts a series of photos to Facebook that show him at the Dunedin Public Art Gallery, wearing tape across his mouth.
“Dunedin Public Art Gallery, can you stock ‘Councillor Ong duct tapes’ for sale at the gallery store and online store as the ‘ultimate political performative art’ piece?” he asked.
On Tuesday, March 4, a DCC spokesperson says neither the mayor nor the chief executive has received an apology from Ong.
March 2026
On March 10, the ODT reports that Dyhrberg’s investigation into the code of conduct complaint against Ong found he committed a “very serious” breach, and that he “tried to smear a witness in a conduct case he was pursuing”. Ong, who did not cooperate with the investigation, tells the ODT he made no attempts to discredit a witness.
Dunedin City Council meets on March 25 to vote on whether to accept Dyhrberg’s findings, and Ong is given 30 minutes to speak directly to the council. He reads aloud from Kafka’s The Trial, a 1925 novel about a man prosecuted by an inaccessible authority. The council votes 10-2 to accept that Ong breached the council code of conduct. He is stripped of several council representative roles, and invited to resign. Ong says he is not going anywhere.
Ong gives a three-hour interview to the ODT on March 28, but reveals little about his life prior to entering local politics. “At the end of the interview, Mr Ong said he thought he would be re-elected thanks to young people voting for him, and tears started to roll down his face, just as the bells from the clock tower started to chime,” the ODT’s Mary WIlliams writes.
April 2026
On April 2, council staff offer to meet with Ong to help him prepare a presentation about his concept of innovative debt financing. A few days later, Ong’s is banned from posting on his Facebook page for a month after he shares an apparently AI-generated image that features Barker and himself. Meta says the ban is due to “copyright issues”.
Ong walks out of a council Te Pae Māori committee meeting on April 9 in frustration at a lack of speaking rights. Ong is not a member of the committee, and Graham confirms to the ODT that he is welcome to attend but cannot speak at the meeting. Ong is not impressed. “There is no point that I am live-streamed sitting at the table in the meeting, silent involuntarily and unable to contribute based on Chief Executive Graham’s stern authority and instruction to me on the protocol she and Her Worship The Mayor have set for the meeting,” he writes.
On April 15, the ODT reports that Ong is offering to personally fund 10 Dunedin enterprise startups for a minimum of $10,000 each. He describes himself as an “angel investor”.
In March, Ong had nominated himself for a director role on the NZME board. On April 22, the motion to support his nomination is opposed by 98.15% of shareholder votes.
On April 20 and 21, Ong forwards a lengthy email chain to journalists that contains confidential, commercially sensitive details about a proposed hotel at Dunedin’s Forsyth Barr Stadium. Councillor Simms tells the ODT that Ong’s breach of confidentiality has jeopardised $50 million of potential economic investment and development in the city, while Barker says she believes Ong has breached the council code of conduct again. Ong does not apologise. “The forced public transparency by our council on discussions with a developer for our stadium will ensure the developer accelerates their current discussions with council,” he tells the ODT.
Later that week, Ong is forced to withdraw his claim at a council meeting that the hotel stadium has been approved.
Ong ends the month by leaking details about a new code of conduct complaint against him, despite being warned about confidentiality. The complaint, filed by Graham, alleges that Ong breached the council code of conduct by disclosing confidential information in two emails he sent to journalists on April 20 and 21. Dyhrberg is once again appointed to investigate. Ong tells RNZ he stands by his decision to leak the most recent email, and on Instagram, complains that Barker and Graham are sending ratepayer revenue out of the city by using a Wellington-based investigator, rather than supporting local industry.
He also promises to read from Kafka’s The Castle “at my next trial”. Spoiler: The Castle is 101-year-old unfinished work that ends mid-sentence with “it was difficult to understand her, but what she said –”.
May 2026
On May 1, Ong tells The Platform’s Michael Laws that he hopes to serve on the council for decades to come.
On May 7, Ong leaks a confidential report about his history of leaking confidential reports. Dyhrberg’s preliminary assessment into Graham’s code of conduct complaint was sent to Ong for his feedback, which he then forwards to media. In it, Dyhrberg finds it likely that Ong’s repeated breaches of confidentiality were deliberate, and that a full investigation is warranted. Ong tells RNZ that “this was a false attack against him”. The following day, Simms tells the ODT that Ong is “a dangerous individual intent on harming our city and our community”.
That same day, Graham imposes further restrictions on Ong, in an effort to prevent further unauthorised releases of confidential or sensitive information. The hearing into Ong’s code of conduct is scheduled to be held behind closed doors this Monday, May 18.
On receiving Graham’s email, Ong immediately forwards it to the media.
