Auckland Council has received an "appalling" death threat that was aimed at councillors and referenced the Christchurch mosque shooter.
A comment was made on the Auckland Ratepayers' Alliance Facebook page on Thursday morning that said: "The guy that went on a shooting spree in Christchurch he should of started in Auckland Council those lives don't matter (sic)."
The comment has since been deleted.
Auckland Mayor Phil Goff told Newshub in a statement the issue has been referred to police.
"I am appalled by the death threats that have been directed at council staff and elected members," he says.
"Not only is it unacceptable but also offensive to the victims of the March 15 attacks."
The mosque shooter killed 51 people during the attacks in 2019.
"I am also disappointed that the Ratepayers' Alliance chose to keep the death threats on their page despite repeated requests from the public for it to be pulled down."
Auckland Councillor Tracy Mulholland saw the comment on Thursday morning and says it made her palms sweat. She's also concerned for her personal safety and the safety of her colleagues.
"My life matters… One never knows if they are serious."
Newshub has contacted the Ratepayers' Alliance for comment
A Ratepayers' Alliance spokesperson told NZME the accusations it chose to leave the comment on the page are "totally untrue".
"We couldn't remove something we weren't aware of. It's a cheap shot from the mayor and a blatant and disgusting attempt to smear our organisation," they say.
"As soon as we were made aware of this disgusting comment, we referred it to the police."
Police told Newshub it received a complaint on Thursday morning and it will be making follow-up inquiries. It didn't give any further information.
