A New Zealand Herald reporter says he is still waiting for an apology from Auckland mayoral candidate Wayne Brown, for comments Brown made about him.
New Zealand Herald reporter Simon Wilson says Wayne Brown's comments about him were "a horrible thing". Photo: Supplied
Brown was caught on camera saying, if elected, he would stick pictures of Simon Wilson in urinals so people could "pee" on him.
The footage was revealed on Newshub Nation on Saturday, and showed Brown also calling Wilson a "prick".
When asked what he thought about the comments, Wilson said "it hurts - it's a horrible thing".
"I was shocked. I'm doing my job. My job is to follow this election and to ask the questions about the candidates and to test their fitness for office, that's my job, and really you expect that people will understand that in the process, not that you'll be thought of in that way," he told Morning Report.
Brown had not apologised, but rather "explained it by saying that I called him 'an angry old white man', which actually isn't true. I did call him an angry man - I've got a piece about the angry men standing for office, but I didn't say what he said".
Brown told Newshub Nation he thought he was "off-camera" when he made the comments, and he "certainly didn't mean to do that in a way that would become public".
Auckland mayoral candidate Wayne Brown. Photo: David White / STUFF
He said Wilson had "picked" on him and had "launched into it from day one".
Wilson said he was just doing his job.
"He said I've been after him from day one, but actually I've been asking questions about his, and other candidates', ability to do the job, the character and personality they bring to it, and I've been doing no more than that."
"It hurts. I was shocked. I'm doing my job" - Simon Wilson
The focus should be on the mayoral contest and not on him, Wilson said.
"This is not a contest between me and Wayne Brown. It's a contest now down to the wire between Efeso Collins and Wayne Brown. I'd hate to think that focus was lost."
Efeso Collins, who is also running for Auckland mayor, said Brown's comments were "undignified" and "not comments fitting of an Auckland mayor".
Brown has been approached for comment.