Social media ‘pile-ons’ deter election candidates

Twelve years after stepping out of local body politics, Arna Metcalfe was thinking about running again in October’s election, Stuff reports – until watching ‘pile-ons’ on social media over local issues dissuaded her. “One thing I noticed on local community pages was the high level of vitriol towards elected members that people didn’t agree with,” she said. Bonita Bigham, the chairperson of Te Maruata Roopu Whakahaere, LGNZ’s national collective of elected Māori in local government, acknowledged hostile social media could be a deterrent to potential candidates.