NZ Skeptics Articles

Goodbye Activism

Mark HoneychurchDaniel Ryan - 4 August 2025

After 12 years of running a fortnightly Skeptical Activism group in Wellington, it’s finally come to an end. We will look into the feasibility of running an online activism meeting at some point, but for now the in-person event, with a free beer for your first complaint, is no more. To give everyone a flavour of the kind of work we did at our activism meetings, we thought we could let you know what we got up to on our final night.

Bronwyn came along and helped out with our record of all the authors who have written articles for the NZ Skeptics. As part of our new website that will feature our nearly 40 year history of skeptical writing in NZ, we’re trying to put together a bio and picture of each and every author. Bronwyn did a great job on Thursday of tracking down some of the harder to find people online.

Meanwhile, Robin showed us some of his latest pictures of Mount Taranaki taken from Wellington, and showed us how some unusual atmospheric conditions had altered the profile of the part of the mountain that can be seen above the horizon from such a long distance. Robin’s considering whether he may be able to work out the atmospheric conditions by mapping a known profile of the mountain from the same direction over the image, and using that to figure out what the density of the air was at different altitudes to cause the resulting compression and dilation of the image. This is all part of Robin’s effort to devise simple ways to prove to flat earthers that the earth is, in fact, round and not flat.

Daniel followed up on an email he had sent at the previous meeting, trying to find out why on earth the Eczema Association of New Zealand would “partner” with a company selling snake oil named “Miracle Manuka”. Here’s the claim on the company’s website about the partnership:

And here’s the back and forth emails, where a staff member initially gets the wrong end of the stick and tries to sell our organisation a partnership!

Sent: 17 Jul 2025

Title: Question about your Svens Island partnership

To Whom It May Concern,

I am writing to inquire about the nature of your partnership with Sven’s Island. Their website advertises that they are a “Proud partner of Eczema Association of New Zealand” on various pages.

I am interested in learning more about the details of the partnership. Any information you can provide regarding the criteria and benefits would be greatly appreciated.

Thank you for your time and clarification on this matter.

Thanks,

Daniel Ryan

Society for Science Based Healthcare

Hi Daniel,

Vanessa here from the Eczema Association of New Zealand here. I apologise about the delay in getting back to you.

Are you looking at a partnership for your own business? I am more than happy to get you informed on our partnership levels, the entitlements and how we can work together. I can jump on a video call with you next week if that suits you 😊

Here is my calendar link if you would like to book a time next week. I look forward to meeting with you and to answering all your questions.

Kind regards,

Vanessa Jenkins

EANZ Representative

Hi Vanessa,

Thank you for getting back to me. We are not seeking a paid partnership; we are a society dedicated to educating the public about health scams, and protecting people against medical misinformation.

We believe Sven’s Island is making significant health claims on their website without substantial evidence, and so we would like to know more about your partnership with them.

Is their website wording correct that they are a “Proud partner of Eczema Association of New Zealand”?

Additionally, do you support the health claims Sven’s Island makes on the same pages that proudly show their partnership with you? For example, on this product page for “Miracle Manuka Skin Repair Ointment”:

“it works at the microbial level to eliminate bacteria and reduce inflammation linked to eczema flare-ups.”

“helps repair the skin’s natural barrier, creating a shield of protection while promoting healing. PhytoBarrier™ delivers effective relief for eczema, psoriasis, and contact dermatitis.”

“95% of Customers Saw Significant Eczema Improvement in 2 Weeks.”

It would be great to get some clarity about what “partnership” means for the Eczema Association, and whether these kinds of pseudoscientific (and legally dubious) claims are endorsed by you in any way.

Thanks,

Daniel Ryan

Hi Daniel,

Thanks for your email. Oh right, I understand what you’re asking now. Sorry about that 😊

I will forward your email to the EANZ CEO, as I do not feel qualified to answer your questions and I would like to get you the correct information.

Her name is Angelika Thew and she is the CEO for both the EANZ in NZ and the EAA in Australia. She will be the best person to be able to answer your questions.

Thank you,

Vanessa Jenkins

Finally, here’s an ASA Mark sent off to the ASA, based on a website he found that was making some outlandish medical claims about the herbs they’re selling:

This advert appears to be in breach of Principle 2 and Rule 2(a) of the ASA’s Therapeutic and Health Advertising Code, as the claims made about Sorrel Sheep Plants are not accurate, and have not been substantiated. Claiming without evidence that the plant includes the properties of being “Immune boosting, anti-tumour, cancer, HIV/AIDS, inflammation, kidney and urinary tract, viral infections, mucus, digestion” is pretty galling, as are as the many claims lower down the page, including:

None of these claims appear to be backed up with any kind of evidence, which for claims as serious as these would be especially important.

Sadly this is just one of many pages on this website making serious claims about the efficacy of plants, tinctures, teas, oils and more: