Reposted by FACT AotearoaZooey Neumann @zoomoo.bsky.social · 03/08/2025Important to keep an eye on - who can we identify in Auckland? 172
Reposted by FACT AotearoaFACT Aotearoa @factaotearoa.bsky.social · 03/08/2025In this year's local government elections, all kinds of people are running. But some of them aren't necessarily who they seem. Charlie Mitchell sets out how the "freedom movement" - riddled with conspiracy theory - is organising, on the down-low: www.thepress.co.nz/nz-news/3607... 1/thepress.co.nzThe quiet campaign: Inside the freedom movement’s bid for council influenceVoices for Freedom and like-minded groups are campaigning for council seats, changing their rhetoric from the pandemic to potholes. 34828
FACT Aotearoa @factaotearoa.bsky.social · 03/08/2025In the end, conspiracy believers who oppose institution they're in probably won't be able to do much to advance their agenda. But they can make quite a mess while they try. And it's not on when they try to slide in without telling the public what they really think. Hopefully they don't make it. /5 060
FACT Aotearoa @factaotearoa.bsky.social · 03/08/2025It's also good to ask direct questions about things like their understanding of the "15 minute city" concept or how councils should be responding to climate change. And if you don't like what you hear, tell other people. 4/ 191
FACT Aotearoa @factaotearoa.bsky.social · 03/08/2025Most candidates have realised that their social media could be a liability now, so recognising the ticket they're running on and their affiliations is the key to figuring out where they're coming from. 3/ 140
FACT Aotearoa @factaotearoa.bsky.social · 03/08/2025And if this story of running as moderates outwardly while espousing conspiracy theory beliefs quietly disturbs you, you are probably wondering, how am I going tell who's who? And how can I inform others? Well, @paulbarlownz.bsky.social has you covered: paultheotherone.com/facts/ 2/paultheotherone.comThese cookies collect information that is used in aggregate form to help us understand how our websites are being used or how effective our marketing campaigns are. 283
FACT Aotearoa @factaotearoa.bsky.social · 03/08/2025In this year's local government elections, all kinds of people are running. But some of them aren't necessarily who they seem. Charlie Mitchell sets out how the "freedom movement" - riddled with conspiracy theory - is organising, on the down-low: www.thepress.co.nz/nz-news/3607... 1/thepress.co.nzThe quiet campaign: Inside the freedom movement’s bid for council influenceVoices for Freedom and like-minded groups are campaigning for council seats, changing their rhetoric from the pandemic to potholes. 34828
Reposted by FACT AotearoaFACT Aotearoa @factaotearoa.bsky.social · 23/07/2025Voices For Freedom have just emailed their members urging them to stand in local body elections. Although they do want members to stand in contested seats, this call for action is specifically to seek out uncontested seats. 1/ 12015
FACT Aotearoa @factaotearoa.bsky.social · 23/07/2025This is why it's imperative that good people stand, not just for uncontested positions, but everywhere, and that we all carefully scrutinise those who do stand. /ends 082
FACT Aotearoa @factaotearoa.bsky.social · 23/07/2025The conspiracy theory movement's biggest successes have been in rural areas and community boards that are poorly contested. This is what happens when they win: www.thepress.co.nz/nz-news/3504... 4/thepress.co.nzThe Press 182
FACT Aotearoa @factaotearoa.bsky.social · 23/07/2025Uncontested seats mean candidates may never be questioned on their acceptance of conspiracy theories like claims that there is a "systematic drive to literally drive people into cities and into debt." (quoted from a VFF newsletter). But a push for default wins is not a push for democracy. 3/ 192
FACT Aotearoa @factaotearoa.bsky.social · 23/07/2025Ironically, they identified one of the main reasons local government is vulnerable to conspiracy theorists winning election. They point out: "For example, in Wairoa, with just 9 days remaining until nominations close for the election, only one candidate has registered for a general ward seat." 2/ 192
FACT Aotearoa @factaotearoa.bsky.social · 23/07/2025Voices For Freedom have just emailed their members urging them to stand in local body elections. Although they do want members to stand in contested seats, this call for action is specifically to seek out uncontested seats. 1/ 12015
Reposted by FACT AotearoaDr Sanjana Hattotuwa @sanjanah.bsky.social · 08/07/2025Studied VFF's handbook for the upcoming local govt election. Unaware of any mainstream political party that's done a comparable production to mobilise partisans. A far-right, white supremacist ideological signalling is written into handbook which weaponises democratic processes against democracy. 85935
FACT Aotearoa @factaotearoa.bsky.social · 24/04/2025That form again: haveyoursay.covid19lessons.royalcommission.nz/royal-commis...haveyoursay.covid19lessons.royalcommission.nz Make a Submission - Page 1 of 4 - Royal Commission of Inquiry into COVID-19 - Citizen Space Find and participate in activities run by Royal Commission of Inquiry into COVID-19 030
FACT Aotearoa @factaotearoa.bsky.social · 24/04/2025The conspiracy theory groups are urging their members to flood the submissions, so why not exercise your democratic rights and submit on behalf of following evidence over reckons. Share your experiences with vaccines and the govt response to the pandemic. 2156
FACT Aotearoa @factaotearoa.bsky.social · 24/04/2025Hey, so you were looking for something to do over the long weekend - how about taking 15 minutes to bash out a quick submission to the Royal Commission. Submissions close on Sunday. haveyoursay.covid19lessons.royalcommission.nz/royal-commis...haveyoursay.covid19lessons.royalcommission.nz Make a Submission - Page 1 of 4 - Royal Commission of Inquiry into COVID-19 - Citizen Space Find and participate in activities run by Royal Commission of Inquiry into COVID-19 12520
Reposted by FACT AotearoaByron C Clark @byroncclark.bsky.social · 28/03/2025www.feijoadispatch.nz/p/free-speec...feijoadispatch.nzFree Speech Union plans hostile takeover of InternetNZAnd it could just be one part of a wider strategy to shape the public conversation 144223
Reposted by FACT AotearoaDonna ☕📚🌸 @ctpuzzlepieces.bsky.social · 01/03/2025🧵If you want to support Internet NZ now would be the time. The framing of this as "censorship" is a reactionary emotive catchcry by oppositional parties. Bully from within tactics do not equate to civil discussion.... www.rnz.co.nz/news/nationa...rnz.co.nzCensorship fears over revamp of InternetNZ's constitutionOpponents of a review of InternetNZ's constitution are planning a takeover, saying the not-for profit is setting itself up as internet judge and jury. 1168
FACT Aotearoa @factaotearoa.bsky.social · 25/02/2025Also note the relevant minister has been meeting fake "antivax" unions over actual existing unions. newsroom.co.nz/2025/02/17/t...newsroom.co.nzBeehive doors shut to NZ's biggest workers' unionToday from The Detail: She says her Government is delivering for workers, but Brooke van Velden won't meet with the biggest worker organisation we have – the Council for Trade Unions. 082
Reposted by FACT AotearoaFACT Aotearoa @factaotearoa.bsky.social · 25/02/2025This story is concerning 👀 www.stuff.co.nz/nz-news/3605...stuff.co.nzCovid Inquiry hit by top level resignationsWhat is going on at the Covid Inquiry? Executive director and two legal counsel quit. 194
FACT Aotearoa @factaotearoa.bsky.social · 25/02/2025We'll just repeat the concerns we expressed in this thread. bsky.app/profile/fact... 141
FACT Aotearoa @factaotearoa.bsky.social · 25/02/2025This story is concerning 👀 www.stuff.co.nz/nz-news/3605...stuff.co.nzCovid Inquiry hit by top level resignationsWhat is going on at the Covid Inquiry? Executive director and two legal counsel quit. 194
FACT Aotearoa @factaotearoa.bsky.social · 05/02/2025So. We know many people have worn out their keyboards and their patience with submissions on all kinds of things to all kinds of forums in the last few months. But we hope you have it in you for just one more: haveyoursay.covid19lessons.royalcommission.nz /endshaveyoursay.covid19lessons.royalcommission.nz Royal Commission of Inquiry into COVID-19 - Citizen Space Find and participate in activities run by Royal Commission of Inquiry into COVID-19 020
FACT Aotearoa @factaotearoa.bsky.social · 05/02/2025OTOH, conspiracy theorists want us to forget the rammed hospitals and mass graves we saw in countries where COVID19 ran wild. We didn’t have this experience in New Zealand, but strangely in this case conspiracy theorists are unwilling to draw a causal link to public health measures working. 15/ 140
FACT Aotearoa @factaotearoa.bsky.social · 05/02/2025Conspiracy theorists have been exploiting this fancy-named “post hoc propter hoc” fallacy with all their might, urging people to report “vaccine injury” cases and then claiming the high number of reports proves their case. 14/ 120
FACT Aotearoa @factaotearoa.bsky.social · 05/02/2025For two things to be causally connected, it takes more than just one thing happening after another thing. There has to be evidence that makes that link plausible. Otherwise you’re just a rooster thinking your cock-a-doodle-do makes the sun rise. 13/ 120
FACT Aotearoa @factaotearoa.bsky.social · 05/02/2025Every day in New Zealand, people fall ill. You probably know someone who called in sick today. So when something new, but common happens - like a COVID vaccination - many many people who would have been unwell anyway are unwell the next day. 12/ 130
FACT Aotearoa @factaotearoa.bsky.social · 05/02/2025It’s great that people have the cathartic experience of telling their story back to government. Stories are useful and help us understand how people feel. People’s experiences are real! But their explanation of their experience may not be real. Stories aren’t facts. 11/ 140
FACT Aotearoa @factaotearoa.bsky.social · 05/02/2025The biggest claim the conspiracy theorists want to make is that vaccines didn’t work and caused serious harm. David Hood has done the analysis work to give the lie to this: bsky.app/profile/thou... 10/ 1135
FACT Aotearoa @factaotearoa.bsky.social · 05/02/2025There is an element of hypocrisy in us telling to you submit to counter conspiracy theory stories. It’s not ideal when government inquiries and commissions are hi-jacked into PR for people with a cause. But this is the world we’re in now. 9/ 180
FACT Aotearoa @factaotearoa.bsky.social · 05/02/2025We hope that Grant Illingworth will be even-handed, as he promises. www.stuff.co.nz/nz-news/3605... 8/stuff.co.nzVaccines, mandates, mistrust and suspicion: The man running Covid Inquiry II explains what it’s all aboutAn expanded Covid inquiry was part of NZ First’s coalition demands but the man running ‘Phase Two’ isn’t fussed by Winston Peters and doesn’t know whether he’s keeping an eye on him. 140
FACT Aotearoa @factaotearoa.bsky.social · 05/02/2025We predicted this back in 2023. factaotearoa.nz/facts/fringe... 7/factaotearoa.nzFringe parties and their COVID policy | FACT AotearoaHow conspiracy theory parties hope to use the election as a platform for entry-level conspiracist and anti-vaccine talking points 221
FACT Aotearoa @factaotearoa.bsky.social · 05/02/2025Their dream is to have more video content they can use to persuade. Best case, televised testimony, but they’ll settle for a dramatised reading of their own script on YouTube. And emotive stories of harm are gold. 6/ 110
FACT Aotearoa @factaotearoa.bsky.social · 05/02/2025It’s not just about having a say though. Conspiracy theorists want to use the commission as a propaganda vehicle. Calls for submissions are a great way to rally the movement. And whether or not their submissions hold water, they can point to them as “evidence.” 5/ 140
FACT Aotearoa @factaotearoa.bsky.social · 05/02/2025And what might you say? Well, most of us went through hardships and difficulty in the first years of the pandemic, so you could talk about your experience. The conspiracy theorists are keen to rewrite history and emphasise injustice and mistakes, so how you felt at the time is important. 4/ 130
FACT Aotearoa @factaotearoa.bsky.social · 05/02/2025so you should think about doing the same. The submissions portal is here: haveyoursay.covid19lessons.royalcommission.nz 3/haveyoursay.covid19lessons.royalcommission.nz Royal Commission of Inquiry into COVID-19 - Citizen Space Find and participate in activities run by Royal Commission of Inquiry into COVID-19 143
FACT Aotearoa @factaotearoa.bsky.social · 05/02/2025Conspiracy theory groups are excited. They see this as their opportunity to tell their truth. And good for them, eh? Exercising your right to be heard is something we should all do… 2/haveyoursay.covid19lessons.royalcommission.nz Royal Commission of Inquiry into COVID-19 - Citizen Space Find and participate in activities run by Royal Commission of Inquiry into COVID-19 130
FACT Aotearoa @factaotearoa.bsky.social · 05/02/2025The Royal Commission into COVID 19 Lessons Learned has opened submissions for their next phase. They say “we want to hear from you on how certain key Government decisions affected or changed your lives during the pandemic.” 🧵 23622
Reposted by FACT AotearoaDavid Hood @thoughtfulnz.bsky.social · 03/02/2025Just a reminder that with the commission asking for New Zealanders stories on the topic of "vaccine safety", I wrote the article in Newsroom for this exact day, pre-emptively debunking the claims that will be written by the fringe. newsroom.co.nz/2024/09/06/t... 47234
FACT Aotearoa @factaotearoa.bsky.social · 29/01/2025Coming up: to round off this series, we talk to a reference librarian about how to tell good sources from bad ones. And check out our website for a longer version of this thread, more articles and videos /ends factaotearoa.nz/appeal_of_co... 040
FACT Aotearoa @factaotearoa.bsky.social · 29/01/2025What to do? You don’t have to memorise every item on the list of cognitive biases to make yourself immune. Ask yourself when you hear a story: is this true? Or does it just feel like it should be true? Am I being manipulated? 18/en.wikipedia.orgList of cognitive biases - Wikipedia 150
FACT Aotearoa @factaotearoa.bsky.social · 29/01/2025But a conspiracy theory offers clarity and certainty. And we like that. Conspiracy theory appeals to our dislike of grey areas and preference for black and white. 17/ 130
FACT Aotearoa @factaotearoa.bsky.social · 29/01/2025Sometimes the appeal is clarity and simplicity. Reality can be disappointing. When you look hard, things never quite line up. There are always contradictions and open questions. This is why science is a continuing activity, and historians keep digging into what really happened. 16/ 130
FACT Aotearoa @factaotearoa.bsky.social · 29/01/2025Advocates of conspiracy theory are always telling you that their story is something ‘they don’t want you to know. But if you believe them, you’ll be part of the club. You’ll know what's happening. You’ll be special. 15/ 130
FACT Aotearoa @factaotearoa.bsky.social · 29/01/2025Vanity is a thing too. We know. You’re modest. Humble even. But we all like to feel special. Conspiracies by definition are secret. And there’s something about being let in on a secret. 14/ 110
FACT Aotearoa @factaotearoa.bsky.social · 29/01/2025If you have a quack medical treatment, you’ll want to wear scrubs or a lab coat, and call your centre a “clinic”. And if you’re making claims about things people can’t see with the naked eye, use a microscope, whether or not it’s the right kind. 13/ www.aap.com.au/factcheck/va...aap.com.auVaccine nanotech claim needs a check-up | AAP 140
FACT Aotearoa @factaotearoa.bsky.social · 29/01/2025Second, you should illustrate your claims with graphs and statistics. It doesn’t matter if they’re valid, relevant or applicable. And you should have some fancy qualifications, even if they’re from a diploma mill or in a different field. 12/ 130
