Avery Smith @averysmith.bsky.social · 08/07/2026What's the purpose of paying taxes? Are they a burden extracted from individuals, or a mechanism for collective care? Our research examines how the Taxpayers' Union constructs the purpose of taxation, and what that means for Aotearoa. tinyurl.com/WhoCountsANZ #NZPolitics #Aotearoa 1103
Reposted by Avery SmithVincent O'Malley @vomalley.bsky.social · 08/07/2026Here's the trailer for NZ Wars: Stories of Waerenga-a-Hika, available this Saturday from 12pm. www.rnz.co.nz/video/nz-war...rnz.co.nzNZ Wars: Stories of Waerenga-a-HikaSATURDAY, 12PM. NZ Wars: Stories of Waerenga-a-Hika combines the accounts of iwi historians and Dr Vincent O'Malley to tell the story of Waerenga-a-Hika. 13014
Avery Smith @averysmith.bsky.social · 07/07/2026Taxpayer citizenship narrows democratic belonging in Aotearoa, but critique alone isn't enough. In our final video, we argue for an alternative: a model of citizenship grounded in universal rights, collective responsibility, and the constitutional promises of Te Tiritiyoutu.be- YouTubeEnjoy the videos and music you love, upload original content, and share it all with friends, family, and the world on YouTube. 384
Avery Smith @averysmith.bsky.social · 06/07/2026The Taxpayers' Union doesn't just advocate for lower taxes. Our research found they actively construct a political identity, 'taxpayer citizenship', that promotes who deserves rights in Aotearoa. Here's what it's made of. 🔻 buff.ly/MIayuwQ #NZPolitics #Aotearoa #TaxpayerCitizenship 31914
Avery Smith @averysmith.bsky.social · 05/07/2026Actions speak louder than words. Our research found the NZTU is largely silent when it comes to Te Tiriti, but campaigns hard against every attempt to enact its promises. Any serious account of citizenship in Aotearoa has to start with Te Tiriti. Video 4 in our series. 🔻youtu.be- YouTubeEnjoy the videos and music you love, upload original content, and share it all with friends, family, and the world on YouTube. 395
Avery Smith @averysmith.bsky.social · 04/07/2026Here's the strategy: The Taxpayers' Union finds one example that sounds wasteful, then presents it as the 'tip of the iceberg'. When this is highlighted over and over, all government spending starts to sound like waste. But who decides what counts as waste? tinyurl.com/WhoCountsANZ #NZPolitics 22212
Avery Smith @averysmith.bsky.social · 03/07/2026Wonder what never gets called 'wasetful' by the Taxpayers' Union? Billions in government spending get a free pass while research grants, mātauranga Māori, and local government get targeted. Our research shows the pattern. 🔻 buff.ly/MIayuwQ #nzpol #Aotearoa 65323
Reposted by Avery SmithKyle Matthews @kylermatthews.bsky.social · 02/07/2026In the third video in our series on the NZ Taxpayers' Union, 'Who Counts as a Taxpayer' we take a dive into how the NZTU talks about the public service, particularly the language of the 'bloated bureaucracy'. www.youtube.com/watch?v=uTc7... #nzpolyoutube.comWho Counts as a Taxpayer? Video 3- Slashing the "Bloated Bureaucracy"YouTube video by Who Counts as a Taxpayer 01312
Avery Smith @averysmith.bsky.social · 02/07/2026The NZTU calls itself a 'union'. We analysed two years of their campaigns and found they reframe public servants not as delivering essential services, but as bureaucratic excess. Unions fight for workers; our research finds the NZTU fights against them. youtu.be/uTc7EbaoUg8?...youtu.beWho Counts as a Taxpayer? Video 3- Slashing the "Bloated Bureaucracy"YouTube video by Who Counts as a Taxpayer 254
Avery Smith @averysmith.bsky.social · 01/07/2026We studied the New Zealand Taxpayers' Union for two years and identified five key findings about how they construct citizenship in Aotearoa. Swipe to see what we found — and why it matters for democracy here. Full report: buff.ly/MIayuwQ #NZPolitics #Aotearoa #TeTiriti #TaxpayerCitizenship 44934
Reposted by Avery SmithKyle Matthews @kylermatthews.bsky.social · 30/06/2026In the second video of our 'Who Counts as a Taxpayer' series we look at the NZTU's PR strategy which calls out small elements of waste as the 'tip of the iceberg' of a 'culture of government waste', encouraging us to it as indicative of all government spending. www.youtube.com/watch?v=wnge...youtube.comWho Counts as a Taxpayer? Video 2-The Tip of the IcebergYouTube video by Who Counts as a Taxpayer 196
Reposted by Avery SmithColey @coleytangerina.bsky.social · 01/07/2026Given how small Aotearoa is, everyone knows someone who's 'gone down the rabbithole' in recent years. At safetytoolkit.nz, we’ve done our best to summarise the issue as sensitively as possible, while keeping things within scope for what organisations need to know when they’re being targeted. 33116
Avery Smith @averysmith.bsky.social · 01/07/2026You're absolutely right! Anything that doesn't fit into a very narrow conception of citizenship is marked as irrational and wasteful. We get into some of that in the next few videos on waste and Te Tiriti, but you might like to read our report too tinyurl.com/WhoCountsANZtinyurl.comOSF 110
Avery Smith @averysmith.bsky.social · 30/06/2026In our analysis of two years of NZTU material, we found the same pattern again and again: a single example of small-scale "waste," framed as proof of widespread misuse of public funds. It's a rhetorical move with real political consequences. Video 2 in our series.🔻 #NZPolitics #Aotearoa 2178
Avery Smith @averysmith.bsky.social · 30/06/2026This is important and timely work given the upcoming submission deadline on the "Definitions of a Man and Woman" Bill. 020
Avery Smith @averysmith.bsky.social · 30/06/2026Many thanks to @sanjanah.bsky.social for intellectually engaging with our work and contextualising it with his own. Read our report where we delve into how the New Zealand Taxpayers Union uses ‘fiscal responsibility’ to assert a neoliberal, settler colonial agenda. tinyurl.com/WhoCountsANZtinyurl.comOSF 194
Reposted by Avery SmithKyle Matthews @kylermatthews.bsky.social · 29/06/2026Today my colleagues and I are releasing the first outputs from our research 'Who Counts as a Taxpayer? The Taxpayers' Union and Citizenship Rights in Aotearoa'. It's an in depth look at how the New Zealand Taxpayers' Union associates citizenship rights with paying tax www.youtube.com/watch?v=CFuQ...youtube.comWho Counts as a Taxpayer? Video 1YouTube video by Who Counts as a Taxpayer 14827
Avery Smith @averysmith.bsky.social · 29/06/2026Read the full report here tinyurl.com/WhoCountsANZtinyurl.comOSF 000
Avery Smith @averysmith.bsky.social · 29/06/2026Are rights conditional on paying tax? Our new research studied the NZTU for two years and found a consistent pattern in who they say deserves rights in Aotearoa. First video in the series 🔻 @kylematthews.bsky.social #NZPolitics #Aotearoa youtu.be/CFuQGniJT7Y?...youtu.beWho Counts as a Taxpayer? Video 1YouTube video by Who Counts as a Taxpayer 173
Reposted by Avery SmithDr Bex @drbex.bsky.social · 12/03/2026Latest from me - a disturbing shift in government reporting from being evidence based to being based on political rhetoric: open.substack.com/pub/drbex/p/...open.substack.comThe propaganda is going wildIt's not just the covid inquiry - it's in reporting and consultations too 22711
Reposted by Avery SmithChanda Prescod-Weinstein 🌌 @chanda.blacksky.app · 23/02/2026Please please please even if you can't call, recirculate these posts so who can make the call see it 06684
Reposted by Avery SmithMohan J Dutta @mohanjdutt.bsky.social · 15/02/2026Documenting the hate infrastructure of the Free Speech Union. It is an entire ecosystem of Neo Nazis and white supremacists. culture-centered.blogspot.com/2026/02/free...culture-centered.blogspot.comThe Free Speech Union's Hate Infrastructure: How "Debate" Becomes a WeaponMohan Dutta, Culture-centered approach, CARE, Massey University, Mohan Jyoti Dutta, Prof Mohan Dutta, Mohan J. Dutta, Communication for social change 13121
Avery Smith @averysmith.bsky.social · 22/01/2026In order to dehumanize, you first must lose your own humanity. 000
Avery Smith @averysmith.bsky.social · 22/01/2026Their cruelty knows no bounds. A 5 yo in a bunny hat. Used as bait. 000
Avery Smith @averysmith.bsky.social · 08/01/2026This is unfortunately true. Remain human enough to let your heart break ❤️🩹 010
Avery Smith @averysmith.bsky.social · 08/01/2026This is sadly a predictable outcome. Black, Brown, Muslim, and Indigenous folks have already dealt with this reality. It’s the consequence of being constructed as the other. I talked to scholars about this on the final episode Unsettling Extremism open.spotify.com/episode/3umc...open.spotify.comFinal Episode 010
Avery Smith @averysmith.bsky.social · 08/01/2026‘Noem earlier called the incident an “act of domestic terrorism” against ICE officers’. The state is weaponising the term terrorist against those who would hold them to account. It’s not about actions but the ability of those in power to define those actions. May the loss of Renee not be in vain.stuff.co.nzUS protests spread after killing of woman by ICE officer, while Trump administration doubles downMinneapolis is on edge following the fatal shooting of a woman by a federal officer taking part in the Trump administration’s latest immigration crackdown, with protesters venting their outrage, the g... 100
Avery Smith @averysmith.bsky.social · 07/01/2026Tina, believe me, the honour was mine. Thanks for coming on the podcast and supporting the kaupapa of the centre. 010
Avery Smith @averysmith.bsky.social · 07/01/2026@joannakidman.bsky.social @mrxdentith.com @byroncclark.bsky.social @tinamakereti.bsky.social @maxsoar.bsky.social @kylermatthews.bsky.social @ 030
Avery Smith @averysmith.bsky.social · 07/01/2026As He Whenua Taurikura closes its doors, this final episode distils years of research into a narrative about what extremism really threatens: not just physical safety, but the fundamental human need to belong and our ideas of peace. open.spotify.com/episode/3umc... #populism #GRT #islamophobia 1137
Avery Smith @averysmith.bsky.social · 28/12/2025Looking for other folks on here celebrating #kwanzaa I am really part of the diaspora celebrating all the way out here in New Zealand. Let’s connect! 030
Reposted by Avery SmithMax Soar @maxsoar.bsky.social · 17/11/2025Another example in the "AI is not a band-aid for capitalism it's just more capitalism" bucket 021
