New Wellington Mayor Tory Whanau has been ruffling feathers with her approach, coming under criticism this week for not turning up to important events.
Newshub Nation's Rebecca Wright sat down with her to investigate the criticism surrounding her mayoralty.
Whanau said she finds it amusing her lack of attendance has "become a bit of a thing".
"Actually, I gave an apology to a couple of big meetings for quite serious reasons and now it's turned into 'absent Mayor' when that is absolutely not the case," she said.
Whanau said that the criticism is "gendered. And I know that people are going to be uncomfortable with hearing that but let's be real here.
"I'm a young wahine Māori. I'm progressive and unapologetically so."
She said what she represents makes people uncomfortable, leading to "attempts at trying to attack my character".
"It's a shame but it's from a minority, and I'm still excited about the outpouring of support that I've received from the community."
Whanau has come under criticism because she is a party lover, something she said should not be negative.
"I'm 40, I'm single, I love our hospitality scene and every couple of weeks I love to head out with my mates and hit a couple of bars and there's certainly nothing wrong with that.
"Saturday night should I be in the office? Well no, that's just silly.
"I'm entitled to a private life. I'm entitled to have a little fun with my mates and there are some people who take issue with that," she said.
With regard to the meetings she has missed, Whanau admitted "I should have been there. I gave an apology on the morning of.
"That's not ideal. Wouldn't do that again."
Criticism against her is now playing out in how meetings are running, with Whanau saying she was "yelled down and roasted" at a meeting with the Oriental Bay Residents Association on Tuesday.
"The meeting took a turn. There were just a few gentlemen who got up and was just kind of yelling me down, giving me a bit of a roasting, so to speak, and wouldn't let me answer.
"That's when things got tense. That's when the hollering started and that's when I just kind of had to go."
Attendees disagree with her characterisation of the audience.
But Whanau said "I think all women can understand" what it feels like "being yelled down by a group of men with a privileged background.
"It was really unpleasant but I was actually just more disappointed because it was taking up air."
She is seeking a resolution to the disagreement, however.
"I'm here to represent the next generation of leaders, the next generation that I'm trying to set up the city for and our most vulnerable. So I can't change who I am," she added. "I'm not going to change my values and I'm not going to change the policies that I campaigned on."
Watch the full video for more.
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