Fourth code of conduct complaint laid against Dunedin councillor Benedict Ong

A fourth code of conduct complaint has been laid against controversial Dunedin city councillor Benedict Ong.

Ong has already been suspended from some duties and been asked to resign after three earlier complaints were upheld.

The fourth complaint was made after he refused to retract claims on social media the city's forests were secretly being put up for sale.

Dunedin City Council chief executive Richard Briggs told him the were false and the posts needed to be taken down before a deadline last Wednesday.

Ong publicly alleged the mayor and other councillors colluded against the interests of the city with no evidence to support the claims, Briggs said in a letter Ong sent to media shortly after receiving it.

Briggs told Ong he wanted to give him the opportunity to avoid any further costs to ratepayers by going through a fourth code of conduct complaint

Instead, Ong doubled down and posted a similar claim within hours of the deadline.

He previously told RNZ he stood by his posts and would not take them down, claiming the complaints were being weaponised against him.

On Thursday, just over a week since the missed deadline, Briggs told Ong he had submitted a complaint "regarding recent public commentary you made on Facebook concerning City Forests Limited, the Mayor, other elected members, and a Council-engaged adviser and his firm".

The email was leaked by Ong to media.

"Until the preliminary assessment has been completed, it is important that this matter is not discussed publicly or through the media, to avoid prejudicing any subsequent investigation that may be required," Briggs said in the leaked email.

Jordan Boyle was named as the investigator appointed to undertake the preliminary assessment.

Ong has been approached for further comment.

A council spokesperson confirmed the complaint related to the public Facebook posts.

"An independent investigator will be contracted to determine if there has been a breach of the Code, and there will be no further comment about this complaint until that investigation is completed, and Council considers its outcome," they said.

Benedict Ong's tilt to become Dunedin's electorate MP was unsuccessful on Saturday.

He received 265 votes in the preliminary count with Labour's Rachel Brooking reclaiming the seat with 16,088 votes.

He has previously claimed he had been subject to "false, malicious coordinated political attacks" since he was elected to council last October.

During his time as councillor, he has been trespassed from the University of Otago following students complaints, stood for the Dunedin electorate as an independent, claimed he would never resign, and subsequently confirmed he would resign as councillor if he did not win the Dunedin electorate.

He originally confirmed plans to resign on 31 December, but has since said on Facebook his "most definite resignation" would be in October 2027 to spare the community the cost of a by-election.