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Home / New Zealand

Local body elections 2022: Voters largely reject disinformation candidates

By Daisy Hudson
Otago Daily Times·
10 Oct, 2022 01:41 AM3 mins to read

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VFF has been a significant spreader of misinformation and inflammatory rhetoric. Photo / Mike Scott

VFF has been a significant spreader of misinformation and inflammatory rhetoric. Photo / Mike Scott

Candidates with ties to disinformation and conspiracy theories have, for the most part, failed to win over southern voters in this year's local government elections.

But some candidates did make it across the line, and an expert says this election will embolden those wanting to spread misinformation.

Two candidates with ties to controversial group Voices for Freedom were elected in the South.

Gill Booth and Jaspreet Boparai were elected to the Teviot Valley Community Board and the Southland District Council, respectively.

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Booth has shared disinformation about the United Nations and often appears as a VFF guest speaker.

Boparai also frequently discusses conspiracy theories about the United Nations and the World Economic Forum.

Neither could be reached for comment.

VFF has been a significant spreader of misinformation and inflammatory rhetoric. The group was also a leading player in organising the Wellington Parliament occupation this year.

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Other candidates with ties to the group did not fare so well. Dunedin husband and wife Watson and Tracey Pita were the Dunedin co-ordinators for the group until earlier this year, when they left the organisation.

Pita stood unsuccessfully for the Otago Regional Council and Pita stood unsuccessfully for the Dunedin City Council and Saddle Hill Community Board.

Waihopai Toetoe Community Board candidate Judy Leith, whose Facebook page showed her posing with a VFF placard in Wellington in March, also failed to win her seat.

University of Otago researcher and The Disinformation Project research lead Dr Sanjana Hattotuwa said it was good the electorate had rejected most candidates with conspiracy or misinformation links.

But from what he had seen on social media, people aligned with those movements were celebrating.

''I think it's a mistake to undermine what has happened. They will build up on whatever they've done this time around.''

He was also concerned by low voter turnout, which he said had been explicitly noted as an opportunity by Voices for Freedom.

''The lower voting turnout means that the VFF candidates, generally the candidates associated with conspiracies, have a higher chance of getting into office.''

The problem was not candidates opposing the Government, as it was important to have opposition, he said. The issue was candidates spreading dangerous misinformation.

Other Southern candidates who have shared misinformation or conspiracy theories online include Emma Gould, who was arrested at the Parliament protest. She was elected to the Oraka Aparima Community Board.

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Dunedin City councillor Lee Vandervis, who was re-elected to council at the weekend but failed in his mayoral bid, has also questioned official explanations of the 9/11 terror attacks and shared how to source anti-parasitic drug Ivermectin as an alternative Covid-19 treatment.

Dunedin City Council and mayoral candidate Pamela Taylor, who has also shared misinformation on a range of issues on social media, was unsuccessful in her election bids.

For more on the local body elections:

• Live coverage: Local body election results - as they happened
• Interactive: Check all the mayoral and election results in every city/region

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