WELLINGTON: A New Zealand city councillor drew widespread attention after joining an official council meeting from a bathroom, with laundry visible in the background during the live-streamed session.
Councillor Jo Galer logged into a Dunedin City Council meeting on Monday, prompting a light-hearted exchange with Mayor Sophie Barker after the meeting began.
In footage from the meeting, the mayor asked Galer to adjust her camera, saying, “You might want to move your camera. We can see your washing.”
Galer responded by asking whether participants could see her, adding, “You can see my washing, you can see me.”
What happened during the council meeting?
The exchange occurred during a council session in which Galer was addressing issues related to local government reform.
The meeting, streamed on YouTube, quickly attracted attention online after viewers noticed the unusual setting. At one point during the broadcast, a figure briefly appeared behind a door in the background, prompting speculation and humorous comments on social media.
The video has since been viewed thousands of times.
Has the Dunedin City Council faced similar incidents before?
The incident is not the first time the Dunedin City Council has attracted public attention over a virtual meeting.
In 2020, former councillor David Benson-Pope went viral after accidentally appearing on a Zoom meeting wearing a suit jacket but without trousers while cleaning his office.
AFP reported that it had contacted Galer for comment following the latest incident, but no response had been reported at the time of publication.