NZ Skeptics Articles

Auckland Shallow Thinkers

Mark Honeychurch - 16th March 2026

The Auckland Deep Thinkers is a group on the MeetUp website that meet both in-person and online. The group’s description states:

This group is for people who enjoy discussing interesting topics such as culture, history, philosophy, science, and religion. It is for those who are willing to question their own ideas and open to new and differing ideas.

As host, I will occasionally use Socratic irony; posing provocative questions to challenge your thinking and take you out of your comfort zone. If you are easily offended or overly sensitive, this might not be the forum for you.

So far, so good - surely a group dedicated to the questioning of our assumptions is going to be pretty skeptical, right? Wrong. Despite the promise of this group’s title, it seems that there’s not much deep thinking going on at all. When I look at the history of the group’s meetings, I can see a common thread of wrong ideas that are somehow popular on the internet, along with a bunch of political bad takes and pseudoscientific, “edgy” views.

For example, the group’s movie nights have included the following documentaries:

Of the ones that I’ve watched, which is more than half of them, I can attest that they’re all painful to watch to one degree or another. Here’s the blurb of just the first three of these movies, to give you a flavour of what the documentaries are about - although many of the titles alone give you a decent hint about what’s in store if you choose to watch them:

Follow the Silenced reveals the heartbreaking journey of Americans who trusted the science, only to have their lives forever changed by being chosen for the first COVID vaccine trials. These brave souls refused to be silenced.

We Came Here for Freedom is the story of New Zealand’s 2022 Wellington parliament protests that the government and the media attempted to ignore and suppress.

The Agenda: Their Vision, Your Future explores claims of a decades-long plan by global elites to centralize control using tools like AI, surveillance, digital currencies, and digital identities. The film warns of a “digital prison” where everyday freedoms—food, energy, money, travel, internet access—could be restricted. It questions the role of institutions like the WHO and critiques the UN’s Agenda 2030 and Net Zero goals as potential enablers of global authoritarianism.

The group has also promoted events from a dubious list of affiliated organisations, many of which we’ve profiled in this newsletter in the past (and not for doing good things!):

These organisations, and others, have hosted meetings covering a wide range of topics. Although it could be argued from the titles that the talks and discussions might be nuanced and informative, digging into the descriptions reveals otherwise. Here are a few of the more salient parts of some concerning talk descriptions:

Should DEI Die?

In recent years, DEI (Diversity, Equity & Inclusion) became a politically correct tsunami. Most companies used to believe in merit - experience, skills and track record got you opportunities. Then positive discrimination began - first with women, LGBT and then the colour of your skin. Good people were overlooked based on DEI. It used to be if ‘everything else was equal’ we would give a woman or person of colour a chance. Fair enough. But when skilled experienced men were being cast aside to be sacrificed on the alter of DEI, we have a problem. HR departments are now almost entirely staffed by women or LGBT activists. HR is not what it used to be. The workplace became toxic and CEOs became cowards.

Multiculturalism

Multiculturalism, the view that cultures, races, and ethnicities, particularly those of minority groups, deserve special acknowledgment of their differences within a dominant political culture. Multiculturalism stands as a challenge to liberal democracy.

Wireless & 5G – Risks, Research & Remedies

Drawing upon decades of independent scientific research, SaferTech NZ aim to raise community awareness of the risks involved with exposure to radiation from wireless devices and networks, plus information on ways to minimise those risks.

Gun Rights are Women’s Rights

It has been argued that “Gun Rights are Women’s Rights”. In doing so, they acknowledge that the right to self-defense is not just a matter of personal security, but a fundamental civil right — one that intersects with women’s empowerment, safety and responsible gun ownership.

Brad Flutey - “My 73-day Prison Hunger Strike”

Well-known and respected freedom fighter, horticulturalist, politician, philosopher, and community and social services professional, Brad Flutey will be talking about his recent experience in prison enduring a 73-day hunger strike. Arrested and imprisoned for refusing to wear a mask in a shop during the ‘pandemic’, Brad will be covering the constant attempts in prison to get him to sign documents under duress, harassment and soft torture tactics from guards, and “a totally incompetent medical administration” that refused to treat him when things got dire.

The Myth that Husbands are the Abusers?

Feminist propaganda has always pushed the idea that patriarchy is inherently dangerous for women and children… Propagandists use platitudes about children’s welfare as a way to tug on the heart strings of the public consciousness. Whether it’s for the purpose of garnering support for a war, a new law, or to raise money, children are used as propaganda pieces. Feminist activists have been very sneaky about baking children’s welfare into the women’s lib cake, but 100 years later the data seems to suggest that children have not been protected by feminism. In fact, they have clearly been harmed by it… It makes perfect sense that fathers are naturally the people with the most interest in the welfare of their own offspring. Historically and biologically, the main driver of finding a wife or accumulating resources would be for the production and preservation of a man’s offspring. A man’s main biological imperative is to see his genetic lineage prevail long into the future after he is gone. Yet, the social engineers and revolutionaries who pushed women’s liberation into the culture convinced the public that the family patriarch is the main threat to the welfare of his own wife and children.

The Ancient History of New Zealand

If you think the world would be a peaceful place if women ruled, then you might not fully understand toxic femininity. There are 4 psychological and archetypal profiles of toxic feminine behavior: Femme Fatale – Women who use their sexuality manipulatively to exploit or harm others. Devouring Mother – Overprotective, overly compassionate women who stifle the growth and independence of their children or others. Mean Girl – Women who engage in indirect aggression, such as gossip, social exclusion, and manipulation. Eternal Daughter – Women who remain dependent, childlike, and manipulate others by refusing to grow up or take responsibility.

Toxic Femininity?

Many thousands of cooked, broken and human marked or sawn Moa bones were found under the ash layering, one of which was verified by Wellington’s Radio-Carbon-Dating Laboratory and soil layering experts at the DSIR to have been there for 7170 years (+/- 60 before 1950). Further to this there is evidence across NZ of an ancient megalithic culture, which included Solar observatories, standing stone circles, overland alignment systems etc… These ancient people occupied NZ for thousands of years well before the recent arrival of the Maori (in 1300AD).

Climate Change

Is Climate Change and “Existential Crisis” or a “Doomsday Death Cult”? It seems like everything is blamed on ‘Climate Change’ these days: hot weather, cold weather, floods & droughts. But maybe we should be asking: Will the world end in 2030? Are we really facing an existential crisis? Should climate change really be our top priority? Will ‘Net Zero’ leave us all starving in the cold and dark? How did farmers become the bad guys? Has a campaign become a racket or even a scam? We are being subjected to an unending stream of climate change propaganda.

Irene Chain and the NZ Midwifery Council

Irene Chain Kalinowski has had a distinguished career spanning over 42 years as a Nurse/Midwife, Homeopath, international speaker, author, and visiting professor, across continents including the UK, the Middle East, China and Australasia. Irene will be speaking about the punitive and bullying practices within the healthcare system that she has personally experienced. Her ethical stance against endorsing the experimental mRNA vaccine and her vocal opposition to coercive measures and ethical breaches set her on a collision course with regulatory authorities.

Fluoride Free NZ on “NZ Under Threat of Mandatory Flouridation”

Rock The Vote NZ presents Fluoride Free NZ to speak on the harmful effects of fluoridated water. Fluoride Free NZ are everyday Kiwis backed by informed dental and health professionals who have studied the research on water fluoridation. Fluoridation does not reduce dental decay and enforcing fluoridation violates our fundamental right to consent to medical treatments. They will be providing the information on the latest studies confirming fluoride is a neurotoxin. Top researchers are comparing the harm caused by fluoridation to the harm caused by lead in paint and petrol.

As well as these meetings, the group has also had some pretty sketchy guest speakers - but I’ll leave it as an exercise for the reader to check out their past events and see who’s who.

Many of these events are listed as presented by “Rock the Vote NZ”, a fringe political party whose platform is based on “Individual Liberties”, “Decentralization of Power”, “Traditional Values” and “Preserving Kiwi Sovereignty” - four phrases that are something of a dog whistle for those in the know about what they represent. It might not come as much of a surprise to learn that Andrew Crowley, the current party leader of the Rock the Vote Party, is also the organiser of the Auckland Deep Thinkers group, as can be seen from these screenshots from MeetUp and the Rock the Vote website:

(Interestingly, Andrew is also a member of the Auckland Skeptics in the Pub group - although I’d wager from his views that he’s likely not a regular attendee)

It seems that Andrew is using this group as a vehicle for promoting both his personal and his political party’s ideas, many of which are pseudoscientific, anti-academic, politically divisive, and just plain wrong. I’m not sure of the legality of running a group like this and not declaring your political affiliation, but ethically it feels a little underhanded to use a MeetUp group as a vehicle to promote your political party’s views, especially when many of the meetings neglect to mention any connection to the Rock Your Vote NZ party. And, when it comes to skeptics, my recommendation would be to take a wide berth around this group if you’re looking for some stimulating, nuanced discussions - you’d be better off sticking to the Auckland Skeptics in the Pub group instead.