A complaint has been made to the police about the threats, Cairns says.
‘‘It’s the first time it’s ever happened. This is now my fourth council election, but it's the first time somebody has threatened to take my life,” he says.
‘‘All I am trying to do is serve the community.’’
Cairns is seeking a second term on the Waimakariri District Council in the October 11 elections, having previously served on the Kaiapoi-Tuahiwi Community Board.
He says the threats have been made on social media.
‘‘The level of disinformation we are now seeing, and with the capabilities of AI allowing people to post videos of you saying things that you didn’t say, is all very concerning.
‘‘This is making this election very different from previous ones.’’
Earlier this month, all of the election signs from a number of candidates outside a supermarket in Kaiapoi were torn off a fence.
Cairns said it is quite concerning someone would decide to remove all the signs of every candidate.
‘‘It will cost candidates to replace them again. Stealing signs, disinformation, and threats to life make for an interesting, and challenging time ahead for us all,’’ Mr Cairns says.
‘‘My concern is you have voters out there trying to make an informed decision about who to vote for.
‘‘What they can’t work out is what’s correct or not correct about the candidates.’’
He says lately someone on a local community noticeboard accused him of accepting money from the council to take Kaiapoi Ted around the community.
‘‘I’m going what? No! My wife Shirley and I have been doing it to promote the local Kaiapoi shops, and we have now extended that all the way through to Pegasus/Woodend to try to help those businesses.
‘‘We do not receive any funding from anyone — we’re doing it just to help the district.’’
He said all he can do about the threats is go to the police and make a complaint. He also advised others to do the same if they are being threatened.
‘‘If anyone else feels threatened, I strongly advise them to go to the police.
‘‘I am concerned there may be others out there feeling threatened.
‘‘If they do then contact the police.
“Threatening people is just not on. It is not the nicest thing to go through.
‘‘We are just elected members, and like everybody else out there.
‘‘We are just trying to do the best job that we possibly can for our communities.’’
