Arps gained notoriety for sharing the livestream video of the March 2019 mosque attacks filmed by the terrorist Brenton Tarrant who murdered 51 people at Al Noor Mosque and Linwood Islamic Centre.
He shared the video with 30 people and asked a friend to modify the video by editing in cross-hairs and a ‘kill-count’.
When interviewed by police he described the video as “awesome”.
Arps was charged with distributing an objectionable publication. He pleaded guilty and was sentenced to 21 months prison in June 2019.
At one of his court appearances, Arps distributed holocaust denial material to journalists and the public.
He was released on bail in January 2020 but sent back to prison for four months in April 2023 due to a range of breaches to release conditions.
About two weeks before he was sent back to prison, Arps threatened his ex-wife’s partner.
He made repeated throat-slitting gestures during a school pick up.
This later resulted in charges of contravening a protection order and threatening to do grievous bodily harm after he was already back behind bars for the breach of release conditions.
He was also charged with perverting the course of justice after sending aggressive and derogatory messages to his ex-wife’s partner in an attempt to get him to drop the charges.
He pleaded not guilty to the charges in September 2023, but was found guilty on all three counts.
Arps has a history of threatening behaviour resulting in criminal convictions.
Before the mosque attacks, he had more than 30 convictions for indecent assault, guns, drugs, burglary, and fraud.
Arps has attempted to stand in an election before.
He drew controversy when he unsuccessfully stood in a parent election to the Te Aratai College board of trustees in 2022.
Arps has registered for the mayoral race under the banner Independent Nationalist New Zealand. He did not return calls from The Star.
Nominations for the mayoralty and council and community board positions close at noon tomorrow.
As of noon on Tuesday there were seven nominations for mayor – Arps, incumbent Phil Mauger, current Heathcote Ward councillor Sara Templeton, Tubby Hansen, Thomas Healey, Nikora Nitro, and Peter Wakeman.
Hansen has stood for mayor in every local body election since 1969. Retired businessman Peter Wakeman is standing for mayor for the seventh time. He has also tried to be elected as a city councillor on several occasions.
Nitro is standing for mayor again after a failed bid in the 2022 election.
Nitro was convicted for receiving commercial sexual services from a 16-year-old boy in 2012.
A vulnerable youth charity he helped operate, the Te Poaka Tipua Charitable Trust, was also found to have links to the sex industry in 2015.
Nitro unsuccessfully stood in the 2021 Coastal Ward by-election.
