National’s Inflation Shame: Kiwis Pay the Price

National’s handling of inflation and the cost-of-living crisis is an utter shambles and a gutless betrayal of every Kiwi scraping by. The Coalition of Chaos Ministers strut around preaching about how effective their policies are, but really all they're doing is perpetuating a cruel and sick joke of undelivered promises, leaving families crushed under obscene food and rent hikes.

The numbers scream failure, and the right wing government's excuses are wearing exceedingly thin.

We all know that inflation’s a monster, and National, despite their promises, have let it run wild. It's a stinging slap in the face to every New Zealander who believed Chris Luxon's election rhetoric. Basic necessities such as bread has gone from $2.50 to $3.20 in the blink of an eye. Milk’s flirting with $4 a litre. Lettuce at $5 a head? That’s not groceries; it’s daylight robbery. For working families, this isn’t just about “inflation"...it’s choosing which meals to skip and what bills to not pay.

Yesterday, RNZ reported:

 

Food prices rise at fastest rate in more than a year - butter up 64 percent

Annual food prices have risen at their fastest rate in more than a year, driven by dairy, meat, and some grocery prices.

Stats NZ said prices for the 12 months ended March were up 3.5 percent, the highest since January last year, following a 2.4 percent annual increase in February.

It said butter, milk, lamb, and beef had double-digit percentage rises over the past year, as did chocolate and coffee.

Milk prices increased 16 percent, while butter prices increased 64 percent in the period.

Rents are even uglier. CoreLogic reports Auckland’s median rent up 8.4% to $650 a week. Wellington’s at $620. That’s most of your paycheque for a shoebox flat, and National’s response is a spineless shrug. “Market forces,” they mumble, while the Reserve Bank jacks rates from 1.5% to 5.5% in two years. Their grand plan? Continue to lie about the stats while doing nothing but line their own pockets.

The National Party's policy void to help the poor is infuriating. Instead, Luxon rewarded his Property Investor mates with a package of interest deductibility and brightline changes, in a shameless policy reset that benefited himself by hundreds of thousands of dollars. Supply “boosted,” they incorrectly crow. Result? Rents still soar, and young first home buyers are being left out in the cold. 

The Coalition of Chaos' grocery market “reforms”? A pathetic whimper even your dog can't hear. The Commerce Commission’s been sniffing around supermarkets forever, yet prices laugh in their face. Why? Because National’s too spineless to crack down on corporate greed. They’re not governing; they’re grovelling to their corporate masters while lining their own pockets.

The human toll is heartbreaking...and Luxon simply doesn’t care. The Salvation Army reports that foodbank demand is up 20% since 2023. Kids go to school with empty stomachs to be greeted with inedible school lunches. Pensioners freeze to afford the basics. And National’s fix? Smirking photo-ops and drivel about “resilience.” Resilience? That’s code for “suck it up” New Zealand. No boost to social spending for you, no price caps on essential items...just a right wing clown show obsessed with pointless headlines about pronouns while many Kiwis lose hope.

Sure, inflation’s a global problem...supply chains, wars, whatever. But National’s job was to fight for our survival, not fling their hands up like a bunch of useless quitters. They’ve failed spectacularly, and the proof’s in every grocery receipt, every rent increase and every stat since they took office. Food and rent aren’t just costs...they’re the line between dignity and desperation. National’s crossed it, and they’ve dragged us with them. Enough with the excuses…we deserve a government with a heart, and at the moment National hasn’t even got a pulse.

Winston’s Mate Rhys Williams Has Been Unmasked

Most people wouldn't have heard of a little worm like Rhys Williams, a so-called businessman and former NZ First member, who has recently been unmasked as the venomous troll behind a relentless online campaign unfairly targeting Green Party MP Benjamin Doyle.

According to reports, Williams has been slinging mud at Doyle under the pseudonym @2ETEKA since 2023, with thousands of posts laced with abusive and defamatory language aimed at left wing politicians—Doyle being his prime target. His mission? Apparently, to give Winston Peters something to attack the Greens with and drum up votes for NZ First.

But here’s the rub: while Williams has been outed as an anonymous hurler of unwarranted online vitriol, Winston Peters, NZ First’s fearless leader, stays conveniently silent about his mate’s antics, yet clutches pearls over Doyle’s use of the word “bussy” a term that even Wikipedia knows the true meaning of. Winston, however, hasn't accepted common definitions or Doyle's explanation. Instead, the hypocrite has slunk off overseas in the hope that people won't look into his association with a homophobic campaign that was unfairly trying to destroy a persons political career.

 

Last Wednesday, The Post reported:

 

Businessman behind toxic online Benjamin Doyle campaign

The anonymous online account that helped spark a political firestorm over Green MP Benjamin Doyle’s past Instagram posts is run by a businessman who is a former NZ First member, The Post can reveal.

Rhys Williams, from New Plymouth, is behind the inflammatory X (formerly Twitter) account @2ETEKA, which last month unearthed posts from Doyle’s pre-Parliament Instagram page, “BibleBeltBussy”.

The controversy centred on a post where Doyle, who uses they/them pronouns, juxtaposed a photo of their child with explicit sexual terminology. The posts were amplified by NZ First leader Winston Peters, who called for a police investigation into Doyle.

Now exposed into the glaring light of media attention, Williams’ dirty little campaign against Doyle is a masterclass in dishonesty and bad faith. His posts brim with derogatory slurs, misrepresentations, and outright conspiracies, painting Doyle as a danger to children and society in general. Along with his accomplices, most notably Ani O'Brien, William's twisted screenshots from Doyle’s private Instagram account into a narrative so toxic it’s sparked death threats against the MP and their whānau.

Compare this to Doyle’s use of the word “bussy,” a slang term used playfully within queer circles, often as a cheeky nod to self-expression. Doyle’s explained it as a nickname, a bit of wordplay riffing on Goldfinger’s Pussy Galore—hardly the sinister plot Williams and Peters made it out to be. Yet, Williams’ language? It’s a cesspool of hate, with terms far cruder than “bussy” delivered with an intent to cause harm. Where’s the outrage from Winston over that?

Peters, ever the tactician, has fanned the flames of hatred against Doyle, questioning the “appropriateness” of their posts while completely ignoring his mate Williams’ dishonest digital muckraking. This is peak hypocrisy. NZ First’s leader has no qualms about his associate’s derogatory campaign...yet he’s quick to cast Doyle’s use of a slang word in a private forum as a moral failing. It’s a classic double standard: one rule for NZ First’s mates, another for everyone else. Peters even distanced himself, claiming no memory of meeting Williams, despite the businessman’s clear NZ First ties. Convenient amnesia, Winston? It's well past time you hung up your boots.

The real issue here isn’t Doyle’s Instagram. It’s the dangerous precedent set when a Deputy Prime Minister of New Zealand tacitly endorses a troll’s vendetta. Williams’ attacks aren’t just personal; they’re a calculated assault on queer representation, amplifying hate under the guise of protecting values.

Doyle’s post using the word “bussy” was a private joke, shared among friends, not a public manifesto. Williams’ bile, meanwhile, is on public record as a call to arms against the left wing and LGBTQ+ community. Yet, despite the virtue signalling about Doyle, Peters stays entirely mum about his associates dirty political scandal. Why? Because it suits NZ First’s culture-war playbook that was largely written for them by seasoned and entirely discredited troll, Cameron Slater. Stir division, dodge accountability, and repeat.

This sad saga exposes Peters’ selective outrage for what it is: a political stunt to besmirch the Greens while taking the focus off of his smaller ferries fiasco, which was announced on the same day that the Doyle story broke. If Winston’s so offended by words like bussy, let’s see him call out Williams’ vile rhetoric with the same zeal. Until then, Winston’s just another geriatric hypocrite who should be entirely ignored. He should be viewed as the sad old man that he is, cheering his idiot mate’s toxic crusade from the sidelines while pretending to stand for decency and democracy. Aotearoa deserves better than the type of divisive nonsense we hear from the likes of Winston Peters.

FSU Supports Chris Milne's Right to Make Death Threats

Former Hutt City councillor Chris Milne has slithered back into the spotlight, not as a principled dissenter, but as a vindictive puppeteer of digital venom. The revelations from a recent court case paint a damning portrait of a man whose departure from Hutt City Council in 2022 was merely the prelude to a campaign of calculated online malice.

 

Milne’s anonymous Facebook page, now ordered to be dismantled by the courts, wasn’t just a platform for critique...it was a cesspool of personal attacks, veiled threats, and deliberate harm, targeting Mayor Campbell Barry and his wife, Laura. This isn’t free speech; it’s a tantrum cloaked in ideology, propped up by right-wing outfits like the Free Speech Union who are implicitly condoning Milne's despicable online attacks, including a threat of death to be carried out by the Israeli secret service, Mossad.

Let’s unpack Milne’s despicable behavior for a minute. After being ousted from council for breaching its code of conduct—twice—he didn’t take time out to contemplate his behaviour or life choices. Instead, he weaponized social media, orchestrating a page that was designed to destroy careers with defamation so vile that even The Jackal isn't going to quote all of it.

Posts didn’t just criticize the Mayor’s policies; they invaded his personal life, smeared his wife Laura’s professional reputation as a solicitor, and even encouraged violence against Barry's family. One gem from Milne himself suggested the Mayor should be “worried,” threatening that “Mossad always gets its man”—a chilling nod to assassinations that no amount of “context” can sanitize. This wasn’t political discourse; it was a digital witch hunt, designed to intimidate and degrade opponents that Milne had already lost to.

Yesterday, The Post reported: 

Hutt mayor Campbell Barry wins case seeking Facebook page takedown order

Former Hutt City councillor Chris Milne has been unveiled as the person behind a Facebook page that mayor Campbell Barry says exposed him and his family to sustained online abuse.

The page, Hutt City Council - The Truth Exposed, was active for a number of years, before Barry and his family became the subject of what they say was sustained abuse between January and November last year.

The page made a number of allegations against Barry, which he said had “sought to exploit [his wife’s] sensitive and complex personal family circumstances”.

Barry told the court the posts contained “false allegations and threats”. It had drawn attention to a complaint made to MPI about the treatment of alpacas and sheep on Barry’s property, which Barry told the court had been unfounded and he believed malicious.

He had gone to police about a comment Milne had made on one of the posts, saying Barry should be worried and “Mossad always gets its man”. Police had warned Milne, according to Barry’s affidavit to the court, and the post was removed.

Milne’s ties to the Free Speech Union add a cynical twist to this saga. The FSU, quick to cry “censorship” at any slight, has rallied behind the online troll, framing the court’s very reasonable take-down order as an assault on liberty. But let’s call a spade a spade: their support isn’t about principle...it’s about pushing a narrative that shields bad right wing actors under the guise of free expression as long as they're attacking progressives. Milne’s not really interested in open debate; he’s a board member of the Taxpayers’ Union, another right-wing echo chamber, where grievance politics and anti-establishment posturing thrive. These groups don’t champion speech for all...they amplify negative voices like Milne’s, who use “freedom” as a battering ram to bully and harass those they target.

The court’s ruling exposes the hollowness of Milne’s crusade. Judge Kevin Kelly lifted suppression orders, revealing a man who, despite his claims of transparency, hid behind anonymity to dodge accountability. The unmasking of Milne as the Facebook page’s admin shattered his veneer of plausible deniability. Yet, true to form, he’s doubling down, refusing to apologise or cover the Barrys’ legal fees, insisting his posts aren’t “harmful. Thankfully he's not the judge of that either.

Milne’s antics aren’t just a personal failing; they’re a symptom of a broader rot. Right-wing organizations like the Free Speech Union, the Taxpayers’ Union and the Act Party thrive on deluded figures like him, who cloak spite in the language of liberty. Their selective outrage ignores the real harm they cause...families targeted, reputations besmirched, and public discourse poisoned. Milne’s not a hero of free speech; he’s a cautionary tale of when Dirty Politics goes too far. Let's hope this fool stays in Spain, because Lower Hutt deserves better than the likes of Chris Milne and his bitter legacy of online hatred.

Why has Hamish Campbell Gone Into Hiding?

National Party MP Hamish Campbell’s ties to the secretive Two By Twos "church" raises serious questions that are not being answered. This shadowy group, currently being investigated by the FBI for numerous cases of child abuse, hides behind a facade of faith while Campbell dodges scrutiny, claiming it’s a “private matter.”

A recent Doc Studios video rips the veil off, featuring former members exposing the sect’s control and disturbing practices that seem designed to protect child molesters. As a member of Parliament, why’s Campbell still cozy with a group linked to such horrendous crimes? His evasive responses scream cover-up, not candor.

Time for answers, Hamish—voters deserve transparency, not political sidestepping from a member of a religious cult that has all the hallmarks of a pedophile ring.

#BHN Our response to the interview with Mike and Abbi from #Our2x2Story on TikTok wondering why those who were "just asking questions" about Benjamin Doyle following bread crumbs, are refusing to ask questions about a cult, that has a large number of convicted MAPS in it, that… pic.twitter.com/T5VSrHSPBA

— Pat Brittenden (@patbrittenden) April 14, 2025

Here's some research on the Two By Twos "church" that is awash with child abusers.
 

Key Points:

• National Party MP Hamish Campbell is associated with the Two By Twos church, which is under FBI investigation for child sexual abuse.
• It seems likely that over 900 alleged perpetrators and numerous victims are linked to the church, with reports spanning decades.
• The evidence leans toward the church's structure, like ministers living in homes, enabling abuse and cover-ups.

Background

Hamish Campbell, MP for Christchurch’s Ilam, has family ties to the Two By Twos, a secretive Christian sect also known as The Truth or The Way. This group is currently under scrutiny by the FBI and New Zealand Police for allegations of child sexual abuse, with reports highlighting a history of systemic failures.

Allegations and Scale

Investigations, such as those by ABC News, suggest over 900 alleged perpetrators have been identified across 30 countries, with victims reported from at least 34 U.S. states. A hotline in Australia and New Zealand received allegations involving about 130 people, and the BBC noted over 700 names reported for abuse.

Church Structure and Abuse

The church’s structure, with ministers living in members' homes and no central authority, seems to facilitate abuse. Reports indicate abusers were often moved to new locations instead of being reported, as seen in cases like Sheri Autrey’s, abused by a minister who was relocated rather than prosecuted.

Detailed Analysis of Hamish Campbell’s Association with the Two By Twos Church

This note provides a comprehensive examination of National Party MP Hamish Campbell’s association with the Two By Twos church, focusing on the church’s allegations of child sexual abuse, the scale of the issue, and how its structure may enable such crimes. The analysis is informed by recent investigations and reports, ensuring a thorough understanding for readers interested in the political and social implications.

Context and Campbell’s Connection

Hamish Campbell, the MP for Christchurch’s Ilam electorate, has publicly acknowledged his association with the Two By Twos, a Christian sect also referred to as The Truth or The Way. According to NZ Herald, Campbell has family ties to the group and has hosted study meetings in his home. He described the church as “a non-denominational Christian group just trying to live the best way possible,” but emphasized he has no personal knowledge of individuals involved in abuse allegations. RNZ News confirmed he was born into the group and still attends meetings when in Christchurch, highlighting a deep personal connection.

The Two By Twos church is currently under investigation by the FBI, New Zealand Police, and Australian authorities for child sexual abuse claims, as noted in ABC News Australia. This investigation, launched in February 2024, follows widespread reports of abuse, prompting concerns about Campbell’s association with a group facing such serious allegations.

Scale of Child Abuse Allegations

The scale of the abuse within the Two By Twos is alarming. San.com reported that survivors have identified allegations against more than 900 different abusers in 30 countries, with the abuse spanning generations. ABC News spoke to dozens of alleged survivors from at least 34 U.S. states, with one victim reporting abuse as early as 1955. In Australia and New Zealand, a hotline received allegations involving about 130 separate people, as per ABC News Australia. Additionally, the BBC noted over 700 names reported to a hotline set up for abuse claims, as seen in BBC News, indicating a global issue.

Specific cases, such as Raymond Zwiefelhofer’s conviction for possessing child sexual abuse material and sentencing to 120 years in prison, underscore the severity, as reported by ABC News. In New Zealand, Newstalk ZB mentioned a former minister admitting to 55 child sex abuse charges over three decades, further highlighting the extent of the problem.

Church Structure and Enabling Abuse

The Two By Twos’ structure appears to facilitate abuse, as detailed in various reports. Ministers, or “workers,” live with congregants, moving between homes, sometimes with just one suitcase, as noted in an ABC News investigation. This practice, combined with no official church buildings and meetings held in homes, creates opportunities for grooming and abuse. The church has no central leader, governed by overseers, which complicates accountability, as seen in CBS News.

Reports suggest a culture of cover-up, with alleged abusers moved to different states or countries instead of being reported, as evidenced by the case of Steve Rohs, who abused Sheri Autrey and was relocated rather than reported and prosecuted, according to ABC News. Former workers like Sara Knauss stated the church “pretended [child abuse] didn’t exist,” and attorney Mitchell Garabedian noted ministers groom families, with parents’ trust misplaced, as seen in the same report. This culture, combined with a disdain for “worldly” authorities like police, as mentioned in NZ Herald, has allowed abuse to go unreported and unpunished.
Table: Summary of Abuse Allegations and Church Practices

Implications for Campbell

Campbell’s association with the Two By Twos, given its history, raises serious questions about his judgment. While he claims no personal knowledge of the abusers, his hosting of meetings and deep family ties, as reported by 1News, suggest a level of involvement that could be seen as complicit. The church’s secretive practices, contrast starkly with Campbell's public role, showing clearly that a politicians’ so-called religious beliefs, particularly if they are involved with a cult like religion exhibiting a disproportionate amount of child abuse cases, shouldn't be hidden from public scrutiny.

As the investigation continues, Campbell faces pressure to clarify his stance. The church’s pledge to cooperate with police, as seen in The Economic Times, may not mitigate the damage to his reputation, especially with over 50 alleged perpetrators reported in New Zealand alone by Brave Truth Australia New Zealand.

Conclusion

The Two By Twos church’s structure, with ministers living in homes and a culture of moving abusers, has enabled a significant abuse scandal, with over 900 alleged perpetrators and numerous victims. Campbell’s association, while familial, places him at the center of a controversy that demands transparency and accountability, especially given his public role.

 

Key Citations:

Secretive Christian sect ignored sexual abuse for decades, congregants allege
National MP Hamish Campbell associated with Two by Twos, a religious sect under investigation by FBI for sexual abuse
National MP part of secretive religious sect
FBI investigating Two by Twos for historical child sexual abuse claims, including in Australia
Child sex abuse allegations emerge against Christian 'Two by Twos' sect
NZ victims of child sexual abuse in Two by Two church want answers amid FBI investigation
Member of secretive Christian sect sentenced to 120 years in prison
BBC confronts man who abused boy in secretive Christian church
My beliefs are a private matter - National MP part of underground sect probed by FBI
Two By Twos: Religious historian unpacks secretive sect
Ilam MP part of underground religious sect
New Zealand religious sect Two by Two accused of child abuse, MP Hamish Campbell admits family link with group
John MacDonald: Do politicians' religious beliefs matter to you?
Hamish Campbell - Wikipedia
FBI probing alleged child sex abuse in little-known Christian sect
Inside the secretive Church With No Name sect that’s under FBI investigation over decades of child sex abuse claims
Disturbing' details emerge about Bay Area religious sect, Two by Twos at center of FBI child sex abuse investigation
FBI investigating Two By Twos (2x2) religious sect operating in Bay Area following alleged child sex abuse

Luxon's Economic Mismanagement

Unfortunately we have another National Party government in power at the moment, and as a consequence, another economic dumpster fire taking hold. Inflation’s hurting Kiwis, and instead of providing relief, National is fiddling while wallets burn.

Prime Minister Chris Luxon's response is a tired remix of tax cuts for the rich and wealthy landlords, which includes himself, and finger-pointing at Labour. Prices for basic necessities like food and rent are crushing Kiwi families, but National and their corrupt coalition partners are too busy cosying up to their corporate mates to even notice.

Meanwhile, Luxon’s spin doctors churn out “we’re listening” platitudes, but where’s the action? Wage growth’s stagnant, inequality’s ballooning, and their budget’s a black hole of wasteful spending and broken promises. National’s not just clueless...they’re complicit in the decline of Kiwi living standards, living standards that were once the envy of the world.

Don't believe me? Here's some stats to show you how the countries actually doing.

On Sunday, Ipsos reported:

Key findings in the Cost of Living report include: 

• 1 in 4 (26%) New Zealanders are finding it difficult to manage financially. This figure has remained relatively steady in the last two years, but represents a 6ppt increase since monitoring began in May 2022.
• Low-income households are disproportionately affected by financial difficulties, with a 13ppt increase in those who report finding it difficult since May 2022.
• Nearly half (47%) are worried about their job security, with women significantly more likely than men to be concerned (54% women vs. 39% men). 2 in 3 (65%) also believe that unemployment will rise in the next year.
• Of those who are worried about their job security, 83% say they are spending less, indicating a correlation between job security and consumer confidence.
• The vast majority of New Zealanders are expecting increases in household spending, particularly on essentials like food (80%), utilities (80%) and other household shopping (75%).
• 41% think their disposable income will decrease in the next year, and fewer than a quarter (22%) expect an improvement in their standard of living.

The National Party’s Statistical Shambles: A Legacy of Dodgy Numbers

Let’s cut through the spin. The National Party government, whenever it’s been in power, has a track record of statistical failures that’d make a first-year data analyst blush. From cherry-picking figures to outright ignoring inconvenient truths, their approach to numbers has been less about informing the public and more about propping up their narrative. If you’re looking for transparency, you’ll need a microscope to find it whenever National is in charge. 

 Economic Mismanagement: Where's that GDP Growth Gone? 

Back in 2017, National was still riding high on John Key’s “rockstar economy” rhetoric and a fast recovery from the GFC. They couldn't however hide the fact that much of New zealand wasn't doing well, largely due to their austerity measures inflicting pain on every day citizens. 

Fast forward to their return in 2023 under Christopher Luxon, and the numbers tell a similar story. They’ve consistently hyped up GDP growth as a sign of their economic wizardry, but the reality? Stagnation. According to Stats NZ, real GDP growth has been crawling along, with a measly 0.1% increase in the year to September 2024. Compare that to Labour’s 5.5% peak in 2021, and you’ve got a government that’s less rockstar, more one-hit wonder.

Check out this graph from Stats NZ—it’s a flatline that’d make an ICU nurse panic. National’s response? Point to global headwinds and dodge accountability. Funny how those headwinds only seem to blow when they’re in charge.

Unemployment: Cooking the Books 

Unemployment stats are another area that Luxon appears conflicted on. National loves to crow about “job creation,” while also wanting high unemployment to keep pressure on wage growth, but their numbers are shakier than a house of cards in a Wellington gale. In 2017, National left office with their tail between their legs and an unemployment rate of 4.8%. By 2024, under their watch again and despite them redefining what an unemployed person is, it’s crept up to 5.4% (Stats NZ, September 2024). That’s thousands more Kiwis out of work when the only economic crisis is the National Party. And no, you can’t blame it all on COVID-19 anymore...that excuse expired years ago.

What’s worse is how they massage the figures to fit their narrative. Underemployment—folks stuck in part-time gigs who want full-time work—has spiked, but National barely mentions it. This chart from the Household Labour Force Survey shows underemployment hitting 4.7% in 2024, up from 3.9% in 2020. It’s not just about jobs; it’s about quality productive jobs, and National’s dropping the ball without much of a mention from mainstream media outlets at all.

Housing: A Crisis They Won’t Count

If there’s one area where National’s statistical failures scream loudest, it’s housing. They’ve spent years pretending the affordability crisis is under control, while prices have soared into the stratosphere. The median house price has continued to grow ensuring many working families cannot afford to buy, and National’s answer? Tax cuts for landlords and a big middle finger for first-home buyers.

Their stats game here is pure sleight of hand. They tout “new housing consents” as proof they’re building, but consents aren’t homes and have tanked since National gained power. Actual completions are also lagging. This MBIE graph shows consents peaking in 2022 but completions flatlining. Meanwhile, homelessness is up, with centres like Auckland showing a remarkable increases of 50% more homeless people on the streets. Not exactly the right time to be gutting New Zealand's social housing builds. 

Child Poverty: Stats They Can’t Spin

Perhaps the most damning failure is child poverty. National’s always quick to dismiss it as “complex,” but the numbers don’t lie. In 2017, 24% of Kiwi kids lived in poverty (Child Poverty Monitor). By 2024, and largely due to a policy lag from the previous Jacinda Ardern led government, children living in poverty is now hovering at around 22%...hardly the progress the National Party claim. Material hardship, where kids go without basics like warm clothes or healthy food, is up to 13.6% from 12.7% in 2017.

This Child Poverty Monitor chart shows the hardship for Kiwis created and perpetuated under National’s watch. Their tax cuts skewed toward the wealthy did nothing for low-income families, and scrapping Labour’s free school lunches program and replacing it with inedible products contaminated with plastic only made things worse. It’s a statistical and political betrayal of the next generation that will have negative consequences for years to come.

The Pattern: Denial and Distortion

What ties all this together is National’s knack for dodging accountability, largely due to a complicit mainstream media who aren't doing their jobs properly. They’ll cherry-pick a stat here, ignore a trend there, and hope nobody notices. When GDP stalls, they blame the world. When unemployment rises, they redefine “work.” When housing and poverty worsen, they point to “market forces” or blame previous Labour-led administrations. It’s a playbook straight out of a PR firm, not a government serious about evidence-based policy or improving the lives of everyday New Zealanders.

The stats don’t just show failure...they show a government that’s stopped listening. New Zealand deserves better than leaders who treat numbers like inconvenient noise. If National wants to keep waving the “competent economic managers” flag, they’d better start grappling with the data instead of burying it.

Ani O’Brien has Zero Credibility

In the cesspool that is often New Zealand’s online political discourse, few figures wield their influence as destructively as Ani O’Brien. Masquerading as a champion of free speech and women’s rights, O’Brien’s campaigns are a masterclass in bad faith, built on a foundation of lies, selective outrage, and a knack for playing the victim when it suits her.

O'Brien's recent obsession with Green MP Benjamin Doyle, which utilized many of these gross manipulations, exposes not just her hypocrisy but also the dangerous consequences of her disinformation, all while she conveniently ignores right-wing politicians with actual associations with, or convictions for, paedophilia.

The misinformation expert's latest online tirade fixates on Doyle’s private Instagram account, which she’s justified the hacking of as being in the interest of safeguarding children. With zero evidence, she’s insinuated predatory behaviour of a sitting MP, stealing and amplifying screenshots of Doyle with their child to paint a sinister and entirely untrue picture. This isn’t just reckless and endangering to Doyle and his family…it’s a calculated right-wing smear campaign, leaning on dog-whistle homophobia to demonize a non-binary person for political gain.

Not content with relegating such dirty political discourse to the darker side of the internet, the mainstream media have happily amplified O’Brien’s hatred, with the NZ Herald unfortunately giving her an unearned and unwarranted platform to cry foul about the Greens’ response to her unjustified attack, framing herself as a concerned lesbian and former Green Party supporter. But let’s cut through the crocodile tears: O’Brien’s no innocent bystander. Her Substack and X posts reveal a person intent on propagating disinformation that’s been provided by anonymous trolls. She’s even admitting to peddling unverified claims, while continuing to promote a more refined level of hatred she believes will find favour amongst conservative readers. This is hateful deception dressed up as advocacy, and it’s a toxic poison that should not be infecting our democratic discourse again.

O’Brien’s victimhood act is as tired as those who echo her, such as the deluded NZ First leader Winston Peters and discredited and convicted defamer Cameron Slater. When called out, O’Brien clutches at pearls, claiming she’s targeted by “hateful left-wing homophobia.” It’s a cynical ploy to deflect accountability while rallying her hateful and abusive base of online attack trolls. She’s not the martyr she pretends to be. Instead, she’s a provocateur who thrives on outrage and controversy. Her Free Speech Union ties and history with Judith Collins’ office scream right-wing operative, not grassroots hero. Yet, she dodges scrutiny by wrapping herself in a rainbow flag she’s quick to discard when it suits her poisonous narrative.

The fallout from her Doyle campaign is chilling. X users, egged on by her insinuations, spiraled into a lynch mob, hurling death threats at Doyle and their family. Posts on platforms like r/ConservativeKiwi escalate her “evidence” into unhinged conspiracies, with users fantasizing about Doyle’s death and tossing around terms like “pedo” with abandon. One Reddit thread even speculated about “MAPs” (minor-attracted persons) hiding under rainbow flags, a vile untrue trope O’Brien’s unhinged rhetoric fuels. This isn’t just discourse…its incitement, and she’s selectively fanning the flames of hatred towards the largely left-wing supporting LGBTQ+ community without evidence or remorse.

Meanwhile, O’Brien’s silence on right-wing figures linked to actual pedophilia scandals is deafening. Take the National Party’s cozy relationship, via MP’s such as Hamish Campbell, with "church" groups like the Two By Twos who are under active FBI investigation for child abuse. Take the former Act Party president, Tim Jago, being found guilty of molesting young boys. Where’s her righteous fury there? Nowhere. Her tunnel vision on Doyle, who hasn’t committed any crime, reeks of political bias so entrenched that she couldn’t see the truth if it slapped her in the face. O’Brien isn’t safeguarding kids; she’s stealing and weaponising their images to score points against the left in a disgusting return to the bad old days of dirty politics.

Ani O’Brien’s brand of activism isn’t about truth…it’s about power. Her lies and selective crusades don’t just undermine opponents; they erode trust, inflame hate, and put lives at risk. New Zealand deserves better than Ani O’Brien’s brand of faux outrage, which inevitably undermines the claims and accounts of the real victims of child sexual abuse.