Questions raised after Mike ‘Chewie’ Bennett arrested following challenge to Paul Henry at Dunedin event

Video: BHN Podcaster Mike “Chewie” Bennett was removed from Paul Henry’s Dunedin event by private security before being arrested by police outside the Glenroy Auditorium and taken to Dunedin Central Police Station. (Supplied / BHN / Mike "Chewie" Bennett)

Questions are being raised over how a political Q&A in Dunedin escalated into the arrest of podcaster Mike “Chewie” Bennett after he challenged comments made by ACT candidate Paul Henry.

The Big Hairy Network co-host attended Henry’s event at the Glenroy Auditorium on Thursday night. Stuff reported he was removed by private security before being arrested by police outside the venue and taken to Dunedin Central Police Station.

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Image: Mike “Chewie” Bennett standing inside the Dunedin event, where he said he had been quietly taking notes on his phone before later questioning Paul Henry during the Q&A session. (Supplied / BHN / Mike "Chewie" Bennett)

Before the confrontation with Henry, Bennett said he had been standing quietly at the back of the auditorium taking notes on his phone when a police officer approached him from behind and questioned what he was doing.

“I turned and I looked at him and I said, is there a problem?” Bennett recalled.

“He says, what are you doing on your phone? And I said, I’m taking notes. And he goes, what are you taking notes for?”

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Bennett questioned why taking notes had attracted police attention.

“I was like, well, am I not allowed to take notes? He goes, well, it’s unusual behaviour.”

The encounter has added another layer to questions surrounding what happened later in the evening, when Bennett participated in the question-and-answer session.

During the Q&A, he challenged Henry over claims that New Zealand had once been braver and more ambitious, asking when the country had supposedly begun to decline.

Henry replied that things had started changing around 15 to 20 years ago before recounting an anecdote about a Palmerston North engineer who he said earned less than a beneficiary living nearby.

“I’m sorry, there’s no way that that is true,” Bennett responded. Private security then removed him from the auditorium.

Henry has disputed Bennett’s account of the exchange, saying the podcaster was yelling interjections and accusing him of lying. The ACT Party later released video of the confrontation, which was covered by the New Zealand Herald.

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Image: Outside the Glenroy Auditorium, Mike “Chewie” Bennett was detained by police after refusing to provide his details for a trespass notice, before being taken to Dunedin Central Police Station and later released. (Supplied / BHN / Mike "Chewie" Bennett)

Outside the venue, police sought Bennet’s details for the purposes of issuing a trespass notice. He questioned why his details were required, noting the Glenroy Auditorium was a council-owned venue and saying he was already leaving and had no intention of returning. He was told the trespass would last until 9pm, roughly an hour.

After refusing to provide his details and turning to leave, Bennett said two officers placed him in an armbar and walked him towards a police vehicle as protesters followed and demanded to know why he was being arrested.

When one protester called out, “What’s he being charged with?”, Bennett responded with a reference to the famous Australian arrest clip.

“Eating a Chinese meal!”

Bennett was subsequently taken to Dunedin Central Police Station. Officers said he either have to provide his details or remain in a cell until police established his identity. He eventually complied, describing the situation as an unnecessary escalation, and was later released.

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Image: The picture shows a group of protesters gathered outside the Dunedin event, where attendees and members of the public had assembled as proceedings unfolded inside the venue. (Supplied / BHN / Mike "Chewie" Bennett)

The available information does not establish that Bennett was arrested for asking Henry questions. The arrest followed his removal from the event and his initial refusal to provide details for the trespass process.

The wider questions remain over why a well known figure and podcaster taking notes attracted police attention in the first place, and how challenging a claim during a political Q&A escalated into removal, trespass action and an arrest outside the venue.

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