Summarised by Centrist
The registered charity FACT Aotearoa (Fight Against Conspiracy Theories Aotearoa) is under official review after publicly attacking New Zealand First during the 2023 election while receiving taxpayer funding.
The Charities Commission has confirmed it is looking into whether the group breached the Charities Act by opposing a political party while operating as a charity.
FACT Aotearoa, which calls itself a misinformation watchdog, was given $50,000 by the former Labour-led government and another $10,000 from InternetNZ. Just days before the election, it issued a press release titled “A Vote For NZ First Is A Vote For Conspiracy Theorists.”
Under New Zealand law, charities cannot promote or oppose political parties. Lawyer Sue Barker said FACT’s actions were “close to the line.” She warned that the rules have become increasingly unclear since Family First was deregistered by the Supreme Court.
New Zealand First leader Winston Peters called the situation astonishing and accused the previous government of funding partisan election interference. The group’s spokeswoman told the Royal Commission last week that they had returned most of the money after being unable to complete their project.
FACT’s trustees and spokespeople include former Green Party organisers, socialist candidates, and Labour-aligned activists.
Taxpayers’ Union and Free Speech Union both said that public money should not fund groups that push political agendas under the guise of education.
