Unleashed

Grant McLachlan is a researcher and writer who has exposed dirty politics at local and central government level. With a background in law and town planning, he moved to the sleepy seaside suburb of Snells Beach to convalesce. Walking his dog along the esplanade provided routine and social interaction with the large dog walking community.

A group of beachfront Boomers had other ideas. Under the guise of the ratepayers' association and Neighbourhood Support, they chipped away at banning the predominant activities of beach users. The priggish, Nimby killjoys targeted everyone from developers, picnickers, motorhomers, recreational boating, to dog walkers. Whipping themselves into a lather, they lobbied for draconian measures, then formed vigilante patrols to enforce them.

When Grant researched and exposed the pensioners' schemes, the vigilantes tried to silence him. With the help of politicians, officials, and the media, the pensioners' repeated attempts to stitch up Grant climaxed when a little old mother of a cop threw a camera at Grant, breaking his nose, and she then fled the scene. Realising the plot, Grant withheld footage of the incident. The police charged Grant with assault and robbery.

With Grant 'silenced' on bail for over two years as he awaited trial, the pensioners and politicians behind the plot escalated their agenda. Grant used the trial, stalled until after the local and general elections, as an opportunity to finally get answers that the plotters tried to obstruct.

The racket tried to portray an isolated incident witnessed by independent witnesses. But it wasn't an isolated incident. It was the sixth of nine plots typical of dirty politics in New Zealand's most corrupted community: Rodney.

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Unleashed delves into decades of political scheming. If there was a political scandal over the past 50 years, the chances are that there was a connection with the Rodney area.

"If Mr McLachlan hadn't taken those four photos, would anyone even consider his version of events?"- Tudor Clee, R v McLachlan, Auckland District Court, 9 February 2024.

Grant McLachlan is a New Zealand-based writer. Grant is a prolific investigative writer of fiction and non-fiction for newspapers, books, and screen. A former hearings commissioner, barrister, and solicitor, Grant has worked in the public and private sectors, ranging from a Parliamentary researcher and campaign director to a planner and infrastructure specialist. His columns in New Zealand newspapers and his pro-bono work has assisted many people involved in disputes with central and local government authorities.

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