-
When is an anti-vaxxer not an anti-vaxxer?
Answer – when they’re an ex-vaxxer! It seems that being an anti-vaxxer is a bad thing now, in the minds of the public. Nobody wants to be labeled as such. So, people who, for all intents and purposes, are anti-vax, have started calling themselves ex-vaxxers. To a certain extent this is literally true – people…
-
The Healy “energy medicine” device is the next big thing in CAM
Note: this article was written over the last few weeks, but today Radio New Zealand featured a story by Susan Strongman that gave a great deal of publicity to this. https://www.rnz.co.nz/news/in-depth/422241/vitamin-dosing-via-bluetooth-physicist-warns-don-t-waste-your-money-on-healy At the risk of it appearing as if there’s only one person who concerns NZ Skeptics, we’ve yet another item of concern from that…
-
Jeanette Wilson strikes again!
Local “psychic medium” Jeanette Wilson seems to be finding surviving the COVID-19 pandemic a little challenging. No longer can she tour the country running her Psychic Surgery sessions, and with the NZ border closed, she can’t travel to the UK. And they say pandemics don’t have a silver lining! But, in this age of internet…
-
Jeanette Wilson, “psychic surgery” follow up
Last week we ran a campaign to get self-proclaimed “spiritual medium” and “healer” Jeanette Wilson shut down. This woman is touring NZ, doing a show called Psychic Surgery, which purports to be able to heal people (not cure, mind!) of whatever ails them. The “mechanism” is that she communicates with a team of “spirit surgeons”…
-
Psychic Surgery coming to a town near you!
NZ-based, self-described “spiritual medium” Jeanette Wilson has started touring the country with her Psychic Surgery show. We’re running a campaign to try to disrupt this by contacting the venues and making them aware of the sort of thing they’re hosting. “Traditional” psychic surgery has involved literal blood and guts from animals being passed off as…
-
Conference tickets now on sale
Tickets to the NZ Skeptics Conference 2019 are now available for sale, with early-bird prices until the end of September (but of course, we’d love you to buy sooner so we get a good idea of numbers). The conference has a bunch of exciting speakers, including all the hosts of the popular Skeptics’ Guide to…
-
Nationwide school video competition promotes vaccination
The Force Field Film Challenge, aimed at helping kids to learn about the importance of vaccines, is an innovative competition being spearheaded by the New Zealand Skeptics. The Challenge will test the research and creative skills of New Zealand Primary and Intermediate students in a deep dive to promote vaccination and the advantages of herd…
-
NZ Skeptics launch official Facebook page
Facebook has been host to some lively discussion among Kiwis who identify as having a skeptical outlook. These pages are not endorsed by NZ Skeptics Society, and we have no control over their content. Unfortunately, some of the content falls well outside the collective views of the NZ Skeptics committee. We have now set up…
-
“Grief vampire” psychic preys on grieving family
We’ve recently seen another example of psychics acting as the “grief vampires” they are and preying on a grieving family. Northland woman Theres’a Urlich has been missing since February 2018. The family, who have not seen their loved on for over seven months, was recently approached by a psychic with some gory details of what…
-
NZ Skeptics comment on Chiropractor Injury ACC claims
We were recently asked to comment on the alarming increase in ACC claims for injury from Chiropractic treatment. The article appeared in the Sunday Star Times.
-
Pharmacy Council Code of Ethics Review Consultation
The NZ Skeptics are a voice of reason in New Zealand, and aim to promote the scientific method and evidence-based decision making throughout the public sphere. Healthcare decisions are an important part of this ideal, and we strongly support any measures that seek to follow best evidence and help protect consumers from harm. Thank you…
-
Submission on the Health (Fluoridation of Drinking Water) Amendment Bill
Fluoridation The NZ Skeptics believe that the available scientific evidence shows community water fluoridation to be both a safe and effective measure for reducing incidence of tooth decay. What we see in the behaviour and tactics of the anti-fluoridation movement in New Zealand echoes similar behaviour we see from other ideologically anti-science groups, such as…