• Graham Bloxham, a Wellington mayoral candidate, appeared in court charged with failing to stop for police. 
• Judge John Walker remanded Bloxham for two weeks to continue discussions with his lawyer. 
• Bloxham admitted using his phone while driving but denied the charge of failing to stop, claiming the street was busy. 

The controversial owner of a Wellington Facebook page and candidate for the Wellington mayoralty has appeared in court, describing the experience as scary and intimidating. 

Graham Bloxham, who announced in January that he was running for Wellington mayor, was arrested earlier this month and charged with failing to stop for police. 

He made his first appearance in the Wellington District Court today. 

Judge John Walker remanded Bloxham for two weeks at the request of his lawyer, so she could continue discussions with Bloxham. 

An application from media to photograph Bloxham inside the courtroom was declined. 

Speaking outside court, the mayoral hopeful donned a red cap with the words “Make Welly sane again” written on the front with black ink. 

Wellington mayoral candidate Graham Bloxham outside the Wellington District Court after his appearance today. 

Bloxham said it was “a bit scary in court”. 

“It’s totally intimidating, but it’s a service that’s being provided and it’s a wicked city.” 

He would not say how he intended to plead to the charge, but said he was hoping for a compromise with police. 

Bloxham admitted he was using his phone to take a photo of the Terrace Tunnel while driving, which prompted police to pull him over. 

He rejects the charge of failing to stop, saying the street was busy and there was nowhere to pull over. 

“It was a really rough time, I would say that the police officer was brutal, it’s not something that I want to go through again”, he said. 

Bloxham is due to reappear on June 13. 

The Herald was first alerted to his arrest after he posted on a Wainuiomata community Facebook page detailing the incident. 

“Yesterday I got pulled over, arrested for failing to stop after he said I was driving dangerously, thrown in the back of a Skoda and my car was impounded fir [sic] 6 months,” the post, from Bloxham’s personal Facebook account, read. 

“The copper cuffed me so hard my wrists nearly bled, and I can hardly feel my thumbs nearly 24 hrs later. 

“WTF is going on with WLG Police. Has anyone had anything like this.” 

The post, which was soon deleted, included a photo of a marked wrist, which appeared to be Bloxham’s. 

In a now-deleted post by Graham Bloxham, he said he was handcuffed "so hard my wrists nearly bled". Photo / Facebook 

When contacted by the Herald about the incident, Bloxham initially said it was posted on behalf of someone else, before claiming it was fake. 

“If yiu want to post faked stuff over to u. But I’ll never employ you if u do,” he said in a statement. 

Another photo posted to the Vic Deals page appeared to show Bloxham’s distinctively branded miniature car on the back of a tow truck. 

Graham Bloxham's unique vehicle was impounded after the incident. Photo / supplied. 

When police and the courts confirmed the incident, Bloxham admitted he had been arrested. 

When Bloxham announced his mayoral campaign earlier this year, he said he’s “always loved politics and I love this city, I’ve had speeding tickets, parking tickets, all sorts of things, I’ve lived and loved in this city”. 

He said at the time that he had sold the Wellington Live Facebook page, but the companies register shows Graham Harold Bloxham as the current sole shareholder of Wellington Live Limited through holding company In Your Pocket Media Limited. 

Ethan Manera New Zealand Herald journalist based in Wellington. He joined NZME in 2023 as a broadcast journalist and is interested in local issues, politics and property in the capital. Ethan can be emailed at [email protected].