Editor's pick
Global Skeptics in the Pub
David Almandsmith
The 3rd Annual 24-hour Global Skeptics in the Pub was held on International Skeptics Day, October 13, and it was FUN!
Approx. 1 min read
27 October 2026
Since its inception in 1986, the NZ Skeptics have been writing about pseudoscience and other fantastical claims in New Zealand and further afield - in our Journal (the NZ Skeptic), for radio interviews and more recently in our newsletter. This site contains all of those articles, which have been categorised and indexed for searching.
Latest Articles
Why is October 13 known as “International Skeptics' Day”?
Mark Honeychurch
In David Almandsmith's article in this issue of the newsletter, he questioned why October the 13th is International Skeptics Day, and announced that International Skeptics Day 2027 (October the 13th again) will be the date for the next event. Now, I have strong feelings about this (something that won't be much of a surprise for those of you who know me well!).
The Fun Police: Light Party haters
Bronwyn Rideout
In 2023 I wrote a gentle ribbing of New Zealand's annual transformation into Halloween grinches. At the time, I was surprised to discover that Light Parties were likely a New Zealand invention. For the uninitiated, Light Parties are promoted as a more positive, Christian alternative to their obnoxious, American cousin. They're like a Sunday School session with more candy: they're held in the daytime, scary costumes are discouraged, and there may be a Christian crossword or two involved.
Poisoned Candy
Katrina Borthwick
It's about to be Halloween - an imported celebration of sorts that has creeped its way over to New Zealand. I have written about the pagan origins of Halloween before, but if I was to talk about the modern version of All Hallows Eve then I guess I would only need to say “costumes and candy” and you would know exactly what day I'm referring to.
Decult 2026
Mark Honeychurch
I've just returned from this year's Decult, the conference run by journalist Anke Richter that focuses on cults and cult survivors. I figured I'd write a quick review of the talks I attended, along with my 19 year old daughter who also has an interest in cults. Like at the inaugural Decult two years ago, there were two rooms for the talks - one mainly focusing on panel discussions, and the other, smaller room mainly for solo talks. We found ourselves in the smaller room for most of the weekend, as I tend to find that giving people the space to give their personal stories, or focus on a topic for an extended period, is more engaging than the back-and-forth of panel discussions.
From the Archive
Astrologist a 'Sceptic'
1 November 1987
Approx. 13 min read
Proper Criticism
Ray Hayman
1 August 1988
Approx. 8 min read
Commonsense shaken
Philip Bradley
1 August 1990
Approx. 9 min read
Parapsychology at the University of Edinburgh
Robert Morris
1 February 1989
Approx. 15 min read
Topic Spotlight: food
Chemicals In Food
Jay D. Mann
Despite recent claims that "natural" foods are safer, there is evidence that "natural" pesticides can be present at much higher concentrations than residues from synthetic pesticides. These "natural" chemicals are often untested and of unknown toxicity, with little evidence of health benefits.
1 May 1991
Approx. 14 min read
Superstitious? Me? That depends
Vicki Hyde
When the Sunday Star-Times decided to survey the nation on how superstitious New Zealanders are and about what, I got used as guinea pig. Having done a lot of survey design and analysis during the course of my hodge-podge of an academic career, I often end up writing more about the questions than answering them. Add to that the tendency for being, as Margaret Mahy once characterised our group, "a person in a state of terminal caution", and you can imagine the result.
1 February 2009
Approx. 8 min read
Ring around Uranus: My Colonic, part 1
Mark Honeychurch
Okay, the title's a little crass, but it was suggested to me as something that would help to tie my article in with the Alien/Space theme of this week's newsletter, and I've not managed to think of anything smarter since.
23 December 2024
Approx. 10 min read
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