Alleged unsolicited emails of a political nature appear to have earned a ‘tut-tut' from the Department of Internal Affairs.

The beneficiary of advice from DIA is the Rotorua District and Ratepayers Inc.

Sources say RDRR has been spoken to by DIA because of purported breaches of the Unsolicited Electronic Messages Act, 2007.

Reynold Macpherson, the RDRR secretary, who says in his weekly bulletin to his followers he is taking a break, called the inquiry a ‘trivial political stunt'.

'I explained to the DIA this was a vexatious complaint by a person who freely gave his email address for follow up reports at a meeting in Ngongotaha and that he was deleted from our address list the moment the complaint was relayed to us.

'This inquiry is a trivial political stunt on behalf of that person, now a declared candidate for council.”

The DIA has contacted RDRR offering the following advice:

'The Department has reviewed complaints and entered into correspondence with Rotorua District Residents and Ratepayers Incorporated in order to provide them with information and guidance regarding their compliance with the New Zealand legislation and their commercial electronic marketing practices.”

Rotorua Now understands complaints were lodged following Ngongotaha Houses Area public meeting the RDRR staged last year at which a presentation was delivered.

Soon those people who had provided their addresses but who were not aligned to the group began to receive regular correspondence from the RDRR comprising their political views unrelated to the SHA.

The recipients of the emails were apparently encouraged to pay to join the group.

The Act says people must clearly consent to receive regular emails, and allowed to unsubscribe.