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North Shore Mayor Andrew Williams fronted up on Monday after facing a multitude of criticism for his late night texts and phone calls to Prime Minister John Key.
Fast gaining a reputation for some rather odd behaviour, Williams told TV ONE's Close Up that he has been raising a lot of issues lately, that this is a case of shooting the messenger and that the focus on his text messages is a political beat up.
"The issues I have been raising have been getting up the noses of people," he says, referring to his opposition of the Auckland super city and stance on leaky homes.
"I'm still pushing to sort out the super city, and I'm one of the few that is doing so."
Williams suggests that the focus on his text messages is a
political beat up, coming from the Act party.
"Act is in behind this," he says. "They do not like what I'm doing
to Rodney Hide, I'm putting pressure on Rodney Hide, as a result
the messenger gets shot," he says.
Williams told Close Up that much of the information circulating is not correct, and that the last time he texted the Prime Minister was two months ago.
Williams says he does not recall texting Key at 3:30am, as has been reported.
"I don't recall it and I'm not sure if it happened," he says.
Although he agreed that he sent many messages late at night and some were to all the North Shore MPs.
"He is a Member of Parliament for North Shore...maybe on one occasion I might have," he says.
"If there was one text at 3.30am in an eight month debate over the super city I don't think that's a big deal."
Earlier on Monday, Key described the texts as aggressive and obnoxious, but that he was not expecting an apology from Williams.
Key told Breakfast that Williams tends to "rant and rave" in long messages largely about the super city changes in Auckland.
"The problem I have is I have to leave my phone on at night ... just in case there's a serious issue and someone needs me, and occasionally I have been woken up," Key says.
Key says the texts are often quite lengthy.
"Once you start getting through the first bit it's turn off material."
In October Williams also reportedly emailed his mayoral predecessor George Wood about 11.30pm describing him as a "buffoon" and a "disgruntled, failed has-been", as well as leaving abusive messages on his voicemail.
Cabinet Minister Wayne Mapp says he has received messages from him at unusual hours also
