Dunedin councillor Jo Galer attended a New Zealand city council meeting remotely via Zoom from a bathroom on Monday, with laundry visible behind her. According to local media outlet Otago Daily Times, Galer was abroad during the video conference.
Mayor Sophie Barker interrupted to warn Galer, suggesting she might need to move her camera because her laundry was visible. Galer asked if they could see her, adding that if they saw her laundry, they saw her as well, before proceeding with her presentation.
Council members were discussing the city's position on potential municipal mergers in the Otago region and proposed local government changes. Movement was also spotted behind a half-open door in the video, where a dark figure and a hand appeared for a few seconds, though the person's identity remains unknown.
Previous viral incident
Galer is a relatively new member of the Dunedin City Council, having been elected in a by-election in May 2026.
This was not the first time a Dunedin City Council online meeting went viral. In 2020, then-councillor David Benson-Pope appeared on camera wearing a suit jacket and shorts while cleaning his desk with a duster, unaware his camera was active.
