Controversial Dunedin councillor Benedict Ong to run for Parliament

Controversial first-term Dunedin city councillor Benedict Ong has announced a run as an independent candidate in the November general election, saying bans against him have left him unable to do his council job. Ong announced his bid in a social media post, less than a year after he was elected to the Dunedin City Council. He described the bans against him as "wrongful and false" and said he had been hit by "malicious falsehoods and political attacks".