Welcome. Since 1986, NZ Skeptics members have been sharing curious, critical writing about extraordinary claims in New Zealand and beyond - from classic NZ Skeptic journal pieces to newer newsletter and media commentary.
This archive brings all of that work together in one place. You can dive into the latest articles, explore older favourites, browse by topic or author, and follow how skeptical conversations have changed over time.
Editor's pick
I'm a big fan of the Assassin's Creed series of games, where you play an assassin in a virtual reality simulation of history. For me I think a large part of the attraction is a mix of how well the parkour parts of the game flow when you're in towns and cities, along with the completionist inside me that loves to 100% complete games that have a large task list of missions and collectables.
Approx. 8 min read
9 November 2026
Last night I was watching the first episode of a 2024 TV legal drama called 'Matlock'. For those who are old enough to recognise that name - it isn't a remake of the detective show. Anyway, what caught my ear in this show was when the main character Madeleine Matlock (played by Kathy Bates) said she had managed to get past law firm security and stand unnoticed in a partners' meeting because older women are 'invisible'.
Credit to the YouTuber Jen and her channel Fundy Fridays for putting out a video on this development; I still recommend watching Jen's earlier videos on The Botkin Family and the now-defunct Vision Forum that the Botkins were associated with:
On The Climate Brink on the 27th of October Zeke Hausfather wrote that “Off-grid data centers have 60-80% higher emissions”.
A few weeks ago I wrote about mouth tape, and threatened to buy some from Temu. So, while recording the Yeah… Nah! Podcast a few weeks ago, I jumped onto Temu, added a $5 box of tape to my basket, and clicked to check out:
1 November 1996
Approx. 12 min read
1 February 1991
Approx. 10 min read
1 February 1991
Approx. 15 min read
1 August 1997
Approx. 11 min read
Back in early 2021, Paul (I won't give his last name), a member of the New Zealand Association of Rationalists and Humanists in Auckland - known as the NZARH, or just the Rationalists - was entrusted with managing a Facebook group of around 500 members that was originally used for a University of Auckland group called the Reason and Science society. The group was renamed to SHARP - Student Humanists Agnostics Rationalists and Philosophers, and appears to have been re-purposed for students at Auckland University.
10 July 2023
Approx. 10 min read
As a reminder of what we covered in my last article on the Global Flourishing movement, also called ∑±, it's a new group setup in Auckland recently by a member of the New Zealand Association of Rationalists and Humanists. The group claims to be aligned with skepticism, humanism and rationalism, but appears to have some concerning characteristics that make it look less like a group of skeptically-minded people, and more like a cult - at least to me.
7 August 2023
Approx. 14 min read
Recently I was messaged by one of our “spies” - someone who was still in the Discord group for Global Flourishing, the claimed Rationalist group that looked more like a proto-cult that I'd looked into last year, based in Auckland. The spy let me know that the group's leader, Paul Bryant, was shutting it down, and had sent everyone this message:
21 January 2025
Approx. 11 min read
