NZ Skeptics Articles

Who were the first New Zealanders? Addressing disinformation regarding Māori as not indigenous, part 2

3 February 2025

In the first part of this article, I looked at some of the common archaeological misconceptions used to spread doubt about Māori being the first to settle New Zealand. Having spent some time debunking some of the more common ideas floating around on social media, which are supposedly covered up to hide the “truth”, this second part will be devoted to looking at the more widely accepted versions of historical events.

Who were the first New Zealanders? Addressing disinformation regarding Māori as not indigenous, part 1

21 January 2025

I saw a lot of anti-Māori disinformation on social media in the last few months before the 2023 New Zealand general elections. For clarity, disinformation is misleading content deliberately spread to deceive people with a goal in mind, whereas misinformation is incorrect or misleading information that is spread without specific malicious intent. Such rhetoric can create a voting block large enough for politicians to pander to, and it would be tempting for MPs to then pledge to implement policies to attract these voters. It can also swing voters to vote for parties who are sympathetic to their newly formed views. The anti-Māori disinformation that was being spread on social media at the time largely took on two forms.

How to save money at the pump

29 October 2024

It appears to be common knowledge that the petrol with a higher octane rating means more power and better fuel economy. The purpose of this short article is to explain why this is a myth, and why both fuels will work as well in a car designed to run a particular fuel. So, spending extra money on premium fuels when your car's owners manual says 91 is suitable, will not give you better economy or more power.

A Short Conversation with Ken Ring

14 October 2024

Hi Ken. Has anyone done a formal statistical analysis of your Weather Almanac comparing what the weather was like on those days predicted and if so, can you provide a link please?

The Dunedin Spiritual Expo

8 July 2024

I managed to attend the Spiritual Expo in Dunedin last month. A week later, I also went along to a two hour long medium session at the Dunedin Spiritualist Church. I will be talking about the medium experience later in this article but, first, the Expo.

A Visit to the Dunedin Spiritualist Church

10 June 2024

This was the first time to a Spiritual Church for me, and I had no idea what to expect. The service started at 6pm on a Sunday, at their own facility in South Dunedin. When I arrived, I found a small room that could probably seat 50, along with a small tearoom that opened out to the main part of the church. It was clean and tidy, and looked very much like any other church - apart from the absence of any Christian paraphernalia.

Facilitated Communication

5 February 2024

This article is a brief introduction to facilitated communication (FC) - what it is, and what harm it can do for a person being facilitated. I will also give some guidance on what you can do to help.