Anti-vaccine group Voices For Freedom's book criticised for misleading Covid claims
A marketing lecturer told the Herald the design strongly evokes the look and feel of Government documents, risks misleading readers into assuming it's endorsed by the Government, and poses reputational risk for the legitimate Royal Commission.
However Deeks said the book was necessary because commissioners overseeing the Royal Commission of Inquiry into the Covid-19 response were relying on government agencies and 'favoured experts'.
VFF was allowed to make submissions as part of public hearings on vaccine safety last month.
'If the public is to engage meaningfully, they need access to a clear, evidence-based counterpoint while the hearings are live, not months later,' Deeks told the Herald.
Nelson-based lawyer Sue Grey is listed in the book as one of its 22 "dramatis personae" - or list of characters. Photo / NZME
The book claims foreign DNA found in Pfizer and Moderna vaccine vials could cause cancer and 'genomic instability', suggests deaths increased as a result of the booster vaccine rollout, and that there's no robust scientific evidence for the widespread use of face masks.
Many of the topic-based sections are written or co-authored by New South Wales lawyer Katie Ashby-Koppens.
Ashby-Koppens has been helping represent the views of VFF founders Alia Bland and Deeks during hearings at the Government's Royal Commission. She has no medical qualifications.
Otago University epidemiologist professor Michael Baker told the Herald he was 'mystified' as to the purpose of the book.
He said the most productive channel for making valid arguments about the country's Covid-19 response was at the Government's official Royal Commission, where submitters, including members of the VFF, were asked to justify their views.
University of Otago epidemiologist, Professor Michael Baker said if claims haven't gone through the scrutiny of a peer review process they "don't have much standing". Photo / Supplied
Baker said there was also another way to gain scientific credibility.
'If you think the science is wrong, the most effective channel is to write something and get it published in a journal. Then it goes through a peer-review process. Unless it goes through some scrutiny, it doesn't have much standing,' he said.
There was 'no evidence' to support increased mortality being linked to the use of vaccines, he said.
The anti vaccine group Voices For Freedom has produced a 271-page book about New Zealand's response to the Covid-19 pandemic which a marketing expert says looks like a Government document. Photo / Michael Morrah
Baker's colleague and professor of public health at Otago University Nick Wilson didn't think the publication was worth spending money on.
'From a public health perspective, if they're not using well-informed people, it [the book] has very little value.
'There has been a range of evidence on masks that show that they work.'
Professor Nick Wilson said the book has little value "if they're not using well-informed people". Photo / John Gerritsen, RNZ
He said New Zealand's Covid-19 response 'was not perfect' but it worked - a conclusion supported by the first phase of the Royal Commission, which finished last year.
'We have some very thorough documents from the first Covid inquiry. That is the official source of information,' he said.
Commissioners in the first phase the inquiry concluded the vaccine mandates were 'reasonable' for specific professions in 2021 and said lockdowns were an effective tool for managing virus elimination.
VFF's book uses the colour navy blue throughout and states on the front cover that it's a 'special report' on the New Zealand Royal Commission of Inquiry.
Auckland University's Dr Herbert Sima said there is a credible likelihood the publication could be mistaken for an official government report.
Auckland University senior marketing lecturer Dr Herbert Sima told the Herald the design of the book was problematic.
'There is a credible likelihood that this publication could be mistaken for an official government report,' he told the Herald.
He said those unfamiliar with VFF or its contributors, or those who skim read the document without reading the fine print could be misled.
'The design employs multiple visual and textual strategies that can strongly evoke the look and feel of an official government document.'
He said this included the navy blue colour palette and bold sans-serif fonts.
He said that raised ethical concerns from a marketing perspective.
'It risks misleading readers into assuming government endorsement. It leverages public trust in official inquiries to amplify the advocacy group's viewpoint,' he said.
He said it also posed reputational risks for the Royal Commission.
Deeks said navy blue is a longstanding brand colour of VFF and the movement's logo is displayed on the book's cover.
'The Government does not have dibs on a colour palette,' she said.
In response to Baker, Deeks claimed the book did contain legitimate scientific perspectives.
'It is grounded in peer-reviewed science, official data, and testimony from internationally recognised experts, many of whom advised governments before 2020,' she said.
Michael Morrah is a senior investigative reporter/team leader at the Herald. He won News Journalist of the Year at the 2025 Voyager Media Awards and has twice been named reporter of the year at the NZ Television Awards. He has been a broadcast journalist for 20 years and joined the Herald's video team in July 2024.
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
RNZ News
an hour ago
- RNZ News
Another child is sixth dengue-related death in Samoa
Photo: 123RF A sixth dengue-related death has been confirmed by health authorities in Samoa as case numbers continue to climb. Samoa's Ministry of Health has confirmed the sixth death which the Herald reported local officials confirming at the weekend was another child, this time a seven-year-old. The previous two deaths at the end of last month and the start of this month were a nine-year-old and his two-year-old brother . Figures released by the health ministry on Sunday show there have been 7970 clinically diagnosed dengue cases recorded in Samoa since January. Of these, 2743 are laboratory-confirmed. Eighty-eight per cent of reported cases have been from Upolu Island. Young people aged under 15 years old make up 72 per cent of all cases. Schools in Samoa are closed for a third straight week due to the outbreak, after first closing the week of 28 July with a fumigation campaign launched. The ministry said in the week from 4-10 August, 1974 clincally diagnosed cases were recorded from all health facilities in Upolu and Savai'i. New Zealand has sent a health team and $300,000 worth of medical supplies to Samoa to assist with the outbreak . Outbreaks have also been reported in several other Pacific countries. In Tonga, a study on dengue has found inconsistent prevention practices and misconceptions about the transmitting of the disease. It showed 94 percent of Tongans are aware of dengue, and 81 percent know Aedes mosquitoes are the cause. Ministry of Health CEO Dr Reynold Ofanoa shared a plan including household visits, village cleanups, and stronger local engagement. In Bangladesh, dengue has killed 101 people and infected more than 24,000 so far this year.
NZ Herald
4 hours ago
- NZ Herald
Gymnast Aimee Didierjean: Breaking silence on periods and RED-S - Go with the Flow, part three
Experienced sportswomen are calling for a shift in attitudes - breaking the bias and normalising discussions around menstruation in sport. In the third of a four-part series, Bonnie Jansen speaks with gymnast Aimee Didierjean on the stigma in her sport, competing in tight uniforms while navigating pads and tampons, and how intense training led to her period arriving late. Aimee Didierjean once saw her delayed period as a badge of honour. 'I was chuffed with myself, to be fair,' she told the Herald, reflecting on how she was one of the only teenage gymnasts in her team yet to start menstruating. 'I thought I was I know I wasn't.' Years later, she learned it was a warning sign of a deeper issue affecting many young gymnasts. In high-performance sport, silence around menstruation has long been the norm. For Didierjean, that silence masked a serious condition - Relative Energy Deficiency in Sport (RED-S). At just 13, she was training in artistic gymnastics 27 hours a week. By 16, she still hadn't had her period. Aimee Didierjean, former New Zealand artistic gymnast. Photo / Joe Allison She said this extreme overtraining was what led to her later diagnosis, RED-S - the condition where the functioning of multiple body systems is impaired. Though the condition was attacking multiple systems in her body, Didierjean, now 22, felt relieved that she could compete in artistic gymnastics more freely than her competitors and teammates. When Didierjean was growing up, she said her teammates would tell her, 'You're so lucky, you don't want your period, it's just such a burden.' She said they were always 'very scared' of leaking through the leotard. '[Having your period] definitely was a big deterrent for [them] competing, especially because at that time, we weren't allowed to wear shorts when we were competing. '[You could only wear] tampons, because you can't really hide a pad - those are too bulky. 'That's quite invasive, especially if you're quite young as well. 'And the undies as well - if they start to show, there was always that fear that you'd get deducted points taken off for having undies show.' 'So in that stage, some girls would compete, some girls wouldn't compete.' The former New Zealand representative said it wasn't just her menstruation that was affected by RED-S, but she was also constantly injured and once suffered a fractured femur. 'It was only after a couple of injuries that my physio was actually, like, 'that's not normal' and did a few other investigations.' Body image pressures, under-eating, and athletes being weighed were also prevalent when Didierjean was growing up as these too played into her diagnosis of RED-S and the eventual delay of her period. Now, having taken up a role as an athlete adviser on the Gymnastics New Zealand technical committee, she said it's so refreshing that the stigma around the sport has started to change. 'There's so many different body types out there, and they're all young and different ages, and they're just comfortable and they're confident and they're chatting and they're having fun. 'I think social media definitely had a big change in strong is got your own powers and your own strengths, and to embrace them. 'It's really cool to see that - especially in this sport where it used to be, 'oh you need to be stick and ballerina type'.' Thanks to an overhaul of Gymnastics New Zealand's attire rules last year, gymnasts in all codes are allowed to wear shorts or leggings over their leotards, and won't be penalised for visible underwear when they compete in New Zealand. 'That opens up that avenue,' Didierjean said. 'Where girls might have dropped out before because they couldn't wear a pad when they competed.' Affinity Gymnastics Academy head coach, Angela Meier, said she has also noticed a change in the stigma. 'I've got a very open relationship with all my gymnasts, and they normally come to me about anything like that,' she said. 'If they've got [their period], if they need something, if they need support with anything.' Angela Meier, head coach at Affinity Gymnastics Academy in Christchurch. Photo / Joe Allison. Competing in gymnastics in the 1980s and 1990s, Meier said leaking through their leotard was a constant fear. 'That's what you had in the back of your mind, is 'what's gonna happen, is things gonna happen that I can't control.' You didn't have these things like these period undies or you weren't allowed to wear shorts, you just had to be in a leotard.' Coaching now for 30 years, Meier reflects on the positive change, given that periods were once frowned upon in the sport. 'My day was a little bit different. Gymnasts probably didn't get [their period] as early. If you got it, you're deemed as, 'oh, you're developing.' 'Pads could be used, but you're very self-conscious of that. You didn't want to wear a leotard because you could see everything.' Meier is encouraging more normalised discussions: 'It's just knowing your gymnast, knowing that these girls at the end of the day are just human beings. 'They're gonna grow up. 'Just supporting it along the way and be open to getting to know them and what they're like, how it's affecting [them] a little bit, because that may affect their training as well.' When Didierjean finally experienced what most women dread – and endured it once a month – she found it didn't affect her in the same way it did many others. The difference, she said, came down to the way she trained in her sport, causing her that RED-S diagnosis. 'My periods were so light, they never really affected me in the aspect of cramps and mood swings,' she said. Still, as every woman knows, navigating your period always requires some adjustments. 'It was more just making sure that I didn't bleed through anything. Just making sure I had everything to be prepared for in training because trainings were four hours long, so just making sure that everything was right. 'If you've got a white floor, it's a little bit iffy every time you take a seat, you might get blood on it.' For her, Didierjean hopes conversations on the topic remain open. 'It's something that's so normal, and it should be normalised, and that conversation is so important. 'RED-S is out there. So if you don't have a period, there's a strong component that it could be RED-S having a wee play in it as well.' Tuesday: Irene van Dyk on her silent struggle playing netball while menstruating, hiding the reality and avoiding conversations. Wednesday: Sailor Liv Mackay on navigating the challenges of being the sole female on her team and how she manages her period while spending long hours at sea. Thursday: Aimee Didierjean on the stigma in gymnastics, competing in tight uniforms while navigating pads and tampons, and how intense training led to her period arriving late. Friday: Ultra-marathon runner Shannon-Leigh Litt on embracing her flow and how she adapts her training to align with her cycle. Bonnie Jansen is a multimedia journalist in the NZME sports team. She was named New Zealand's Best Up and Coming journalist in 2025. She's a football commentator and co-host of the Football Fever podcast and was part of the Te Rito cadetship scheme before becoming a fulltime journalist.
NZ Herald
15 hours ago
- NZ Herald
New Tauranga Hospital intensive care and high dependency units opened by Health Minister Simeon Brown
This included adding two ICU beds and four HDU beds and moving the CCU to another floor and expanding it by five beds. The beds were expected to be ready by April 2022. When asked what had caused the delay, Brown told the Bay of Plenty Times the key thing was being there to open the expansion. 'The last Government announced a range of projects which were going to be delivered, and actually, we're getting on and delivering them. That's our focus.' Brown said the expansion was 'really important' because of the growing population in the Bay of Plenty. 'Separating the coronary care unit from the ICU and HDU means the hospital can plan care better, care for those different patients without having to cancel elective surgeries.' He said this had been a challenge in the past when there had been a limited number of spaces. The expansion upgrade increased intensive care and high dependency capacity from 10 to 16 beds on a separate, dedicated floor. Photo / Brydie Thompson The CCU was now on its own floor with space to expand to 20 beds in the future, which could be used for coronary care or other acute care services as demand required. This included access to the hospital's two cardiac catheterisation labs, the second of which opened last month. The newest lab replaced the hospital's original suite, which had reached the end of its clinical life after delivering more than 1200 procedures annually since opening in 2017. 'By having the separation of those two [CCU and ICU/HDU], we're able to plan that care better, and also speed up access to beds by having increased capacity.' Brown said this was important for emergency departments so patients could be seen quickly. 'It's critically important for our Government's target of 95% of patients being seen, admitted, or discharged through an emergency department.' He said hospitals around the country were making significant progress in improving performance. Tauranga Hospital's upgraded ICU featured three negative-pressure rooms, providing additional protection for patients and staff by helping contain infectious diseases when needed. 'I know how important this will be to the staff being able to work in a modern environment with new equipment,' the minister said. Clinical nurse manager for ICU/HDU Fiona Kishor and Health Minister Simeon Brown. Photo / Brydie Thompson 'They can provide timely access to quality care, which they want to deliver for patients here in the Bay of Plenty.' Brown said work was under way for stage one of the Health Infrastructure Plan, which would determine what else was required for Tauranga Hospital. Bay of Plenty MP Tom Rutherford attended and welcomed the official opening of the new ICU and HDU. 'For too long, limited capacity meant our ICU and HDU were under pressure.' He said the newly expanded and refurbished facilities would make a huge difference for Bay of Plenty families. 'This upgrade means more beds, better facilities, and faster access to life-saving care when it matters most.' Rutherford said the project was about ensuring there was a bed and the very best care available for critically ill people. He said the upgrade would reduce surgery delays, improve patient flow from the emergency department, and help meet targets for shorter emergency stays and faster elective treatments. 'The opening marks a significant step forward for healthcare in the Bay of Plenty – one that will save lives and improve outcomes for years to come.' Health NZ Te Whatu Ora has been approached for more information about the project delay and budget increase. Kaitlyn Morrell is a multimedia journalist for the Bay of Plenty Times and Rotorua Daily Post. She has lived in the region for several years and studied journalism at Massey University.
