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Challenges to Aotearoa’s
Covid-19 response
This bulletin was produced by a virtual triaging and reporting cell comprising the National Assessments Bureau
(NAB), the New Zealand Police National Intelligence Centre (NIC), and the Mi istry of Health Disinformation
Assessment and Response Team (DART). The cell provides a structure for col ating, synthesizing, and reporting on
current challenges to Aotearoa’s Covid-19 response (with a focus on disinformation and related challenges) and
relevant international trends. This is the first of what wil become regular reports from February 2022.
17 DECEMBER 2021
CONTEXT COVID-19 IN AOTEAROA NEW ZEALAND
The Covid-19 pandemic has placed increasing levels of stress on individuals and communities around
the globe. (R)
under the Official Information Act 1982
New Zealand has not been immune to the Covid-19 “infodemic”. The influx of conflicting information
circulating online has the potential to hinder Government responses and make it difficult for people to
find trustwor hy sources and reliable guidance. (R)
The National Assessments Bureau (NAB), the Ministry of Health’s Disinformation Assessment and
Response Team (DART) and New Zealand Police have observed an increase in disinformation and
concerning rhetoric against New Zealand’s Covid-19 response fol owing the emergence of the Delta
variant in New Zealand. (R)
Public online sentiment analysis has indicated a shift in tone, volume, and mood, with a steady increase
in anti-government/anti-authoritarian, hostile, and at-times violent rhetoric in New Zealand anti-vaccine
Released
mandate groups (while noting that the vast majority of New Zealanders have received at least one
Covid-19 vaccine). (R)
This rhetorical shift – and the discontent it reflects – likely has long-term implications for New Zealand’s
social cohesion. This bulletin will provide insight into this phenomenon on a regular basis. (R)
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One prominent theory links the emergence of the new
New Zealand Police note that while the frequency and
variant to the timing of former Jeffrey Epstein associate
scale of threatening behaviour from Covid-19-related
Ghislaine Maxwell’s trial for sex trafficking – while
activism has increased in New Zealand, widespread
others link the variant to existing conspiracies, such as
violence and unrest has not fol owed suit (unlike in
QAnon. Similar content is being circulated amongst
Western Europe) – but assess it is possible such
New Zealand’s anti-vaccine mandate groups. (R)
behaviour could manifest. (R)
NAB assesses it is likely anti-vaccine advocates both in
New Zealand and abroad view the new variant as a
ANNEX. Key terms and groups
messaging opportunity, given heightened public anxiety
at a time too early for scientific clarity and consensus
on the variant and vaccine efficacy. This content may
Anti-vaccine mandate
be particularly appealing to individuals fatigued with
This term refers to a broad range of individuals and
Covid-19 mitigation measures – likely a broader range
groups opposed to New Zealand’s current vaccine
than those currently affiliated with New Zealand
mandate strategies (including the traffic-light system) –
anti-vaccine mandate groups. (R)
often with a variety of differing motivations. (R)
Down-voting
Takedown of the French and
Down-voting is a practice by which individuals register
Italian “V_V” network
their disapproval or disagreement with online content
by means of choosing a (usual y negative) icon. (U)
On 1 December, Meta (formerly Facebook Inc.)
Doxxing
announced it had removed a network of accounts
Doxxing refers to the public release of identifiable
originating in Italy and France that had engaged in
information on a public (usually online) forum, such as
targeted harassment campaigns against health
an individual’s home address. (U)
workers, politicians, and journalists. Social media
analytics firm Graphika found that members of this
Disinformation
network – dubbed “V_V” – had openly engaged in
NAB defines disinformation as false or modified
coordinated online and offline behaviour using their real
information
knowingly shared to cause harm or achieve
names (from “down-voting” content, to acts of
a broader aim. This differs from misinformation (when
vandalism – for further on “down-voting”, see annex). It
false information is shared but
no harm is intended) and
is unclear how significantly Meta’s action has
malinformation (where
genuine information is shared to
interrupted “V_V”’s operations, given the network had a
cause harm). (R)
notable presence on Telegram. (R)
Takedowns
The movement’s use of coordinated harassment and
Takedowns are a term used to refer to the removal of
disruption techniques is similar to documented cases in
content, pages, or groups from a social media platform
New Zealand (including coordinated campaigns to
(often by the social media company itself). (U)
release negative comments on livestreams of Covid-19
press conferences). NAB assesses it is highly likely
The Freedom and Rights Coalition
“anti-vax” individuals in New Zealand – and
The Freedom and Rights Coalition is an activist group
internationally – wil continue to use and refine these
with well-established links to Destiny Church. It has
techniques, presenting further challenges for platforms
organised several events protesting New Zealand’s
and governments looking to address harmful activity
Covid-19 mitigation measures. (R)
while preserving freedom of expression. (R)
under the Official Information Act 1982
Voices for Freedom
Voices for Freedom is a New Zealand political activist
Violence in Western Europe
group, frequently involved in activity protesting New
Zealand’s Covid-19 mitigation measures. (R)
Multiple Western European nations have implemented
mitigation strategies (including lockdowns, vaccine
passes, and mandated mask-wearing) to fight rising
Covid-19 cases, despite concerns about “pandemic
fatigue” across the continent. Such mitigation strategies
continue to result in protests, including sporadic
This report is only for appropriately cleared people in your
Released
violence. In early December, police used tear gas and
agency. If you want to share it further, get permission by
water cannons to disperse large crowds in Belgium,
emailing [email address]
after a protest group confronted a roadblock. (R)
Follow protective security requirements for using, storing
and disposing of it. For more information, go to
protectivesecurity.govt.nz
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under the Official Information Act 1982
Released
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This report is only for appropriately cleared people in your agency.
If you want to share it further, get permission by emailing [email address]
Challenges to Aotearoa’s
Covid-19 response
This bulletin was produced by a virtual triaging and reporting cell comprising of the National Assessments Bureau
(NAB) and the Ministry of Health Disinformation Assessment and Response T am (DART). The cell provides a
structure for col ating, synthesizing, and reporting on current chal enges to Aotearoa’s Covid-19 response
(with a focus on disinformation and related challenges) and relevant i ter ational trends.
18 FEBRUARY 2022
CONTEXT COVID-19 IN AOTEAROA NEW ZEALAND
The Covid-19 pandemic has placed increasing levels of stress on individuals and communities around the globe. (U)
New Zealand has not been immune to the Covid-19 “infodemic”. The influx of conflicting information circulating
online has the potential to hinder Government responses and make it difficult for people to find trustworthy sources
under the Official Information Act 1982
and reliable guidance. (R)
The National Assessments Bureau (NAB) and the Ministry of Health’s Disinformation Assessment and Response
Team (DART) have observed an increase in disinformation and concerning rhetoric against New Zealand’s Covid-19
response fol owing the emergence of the Delta and Omicron variants in New Zealand. (R)
Public online sentiment analysis has indicated a shift in tone, volume, and mood, with a steady increase in
anti government/anti-authority, hostile, and violent rhetoric in New Zealand anti-vaccine mandate groups. However,
we note that sentiment is almost certainly not shared by most New Zealanders, the vast majority of whom have
received at least two Covid-19 vaccinations. (R)
Released
It is almost certain that groups and individuals affiliated with New Zealand’s anti-vaccine mandate movement have
experienced declining levels of trust in government institutions and observed what they perceive to be inequality,
injustice, and threats to their norms and values. This bulletin will provide regular insight into this trend, which may
have longer-term implications for Government’s social license and social cohesion in New Zealand. (R)
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CURRENT NZ CONTEXT
• Attempting to recruit industry groups sympathetic to
their cause. (R)
“Freedom Convoys”
DART assesses certain disinformation propagators are
increasingly becoming organised (often non-visibly),
working together to target individuals and groups they
The “Freedom Convoy” protest in New Zealand has
perceive as enemies, both online and offline. The
resulted to date in a multi-day demonstration and
extent to which they are linked to actors offshore is
blockade outside Parliament. New Zealand Police
unknown. But the similarity between their materials and
assess the current situation is one that has transitioned
messaging and those used overseas indicates there
from the exercise of lawful protest to a situation in
may be some degree of information sharing and
which some individuals use a protest event as a pretext
emulation of tactics. (R)
or excuse to commit criminal acts. Open-source
reporting on the protest shows a lack of cohesive
leadership, and disparate issue-motivated groups
EMERGING NZ TRENDS
competing with one another for media attention,
resulting in mixed and confusing messaging – be it
under a loose “freedom” label. (R)
Increased visibility of
“Sovereign Citizen” rhetoric
New Zealand Police note these groups showed a
degree of resilience in the face of significant adverse
weather over the weekend – with a responsive logistic
Both NAB and DART have observed increased visibility of
and enabling finance function (eg, purchasing food and
“Sovereign Citizen” (SovCit) rhetoric amongst
wet weather clothing), underpinned by de-centralised
New Zealand anti-vaccine mandate groups. “SovCit”
coordinators enabled by social media and secure
ideologies champion ideals of individual sovereignty over
messaging applications. The situation remains fluid as
other forms of legal authority or government, encouraging
various groups within the protest try and reach a
individuals to disobey or circumvent laws they deem unjust
consensus as to what their goal or end-state is. (R)
(eg, vaccine mandates). (For further on SovCit ideologies
,
please refer to Annex 1,
Key terms and groups.) (R)
The protest emulates action taken by anti-vaccine mandate
protestors in Canada, who drove in a “Freedom Convoy” to
The growth in this rhetoric amongst anti-vaccine
Ottawa to protest domestic Covid-19 mitigation measures in
mandate groups is likely opportunistic (thanks to the
late January 2022. Demonstrations related to this convoy
malleability of SovCit theories, especially for narratives
continue, reportedly prompting Prime Minister Trudeau to
emphasising resistance to “tyranny”), according to a
invoke a never-before-used Emergencies Act. Several
recent report by CTAG and New Zealand Police. SovCit
“copycat” convoy protests worldwide (including in Australia
rhetoric has also been observed among organisations
and the United States) appear to have been facil tated and
and groups claiming affiliation with the Māori
promoted by inauthentic accounts, while the Canadian convoy
community, although the Māori Sovereignty movement
has received significant financial support via crowdfunding.
is not connected to the SovCit movement. (R)
However, the degree of international coordination behind
these protests is currently unknown. R)
CTAG and New Zealand Police assess the SovCit
movement to be an extreme system of belief, but not an
Popular tactics
inherently violent one. However, individual SovCit
adherents have been responsible for incidents of
politically motivated violent extremism overseas (mostly
Anti-vaccine mandate groups in New Zealand use a
in the United States), primarily against law
variety of tactics to advance their cause, many of which
enforcement. In the United Kingdom, SovCit adherents
under the Official Information Act 1982
have been observed amongst similar groups overseas.
have tried to “arrest” law enforcement and healthcare
These include:
workers. Similar activities in New Zealand (eg, protests
• Manipulation of legitimate data, branding, and
threatening “citizens arrests”, including of the Minister
legislation. (R)
of Health) have been observed recently. (For further on
SovCit-inspired groups in the UK, please refer to the
• Crowdfunding (a tactic seen in the Canadian Freedom
Alpha Male Assemble summary on page 4.) (R)
Convoy, with open-source platforms such as
GoFundMe and GiveSendGo generating funds). (R)
CTAG and New Zealand Police assess it is highly
• Brigading and harassment (For further on brigading
,
unlikely that an individual or group motivated by SovCit
please refer to Annex 1,
Key terms and groups). (R)
beliefs wil plan a terrorist attack in New Zealand.
Released
• Public registers (eg, public lists of individuals to
However, they assess there is a realistic possibility that
arrest for “crimes against humanity”). (R)
a threat actor inspired by SovCit rhetoric wil commit a
spontaneous act of extremist violence in New Zealand
• Recording offline confrontations (often to spread
(in direct response to a perceived offence by
disinformation and build legitimacy). (R)
government agencies) – or that a SovCit-motivated act
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INTERNATIONAL TRENDS
s6(a)
However, as
CTAG has noted in previous reporting, the level of
violent rhetoric and threats expressed in anti-vaccine
mandate groups makes it difficult for agencies to
The role of Russian media
ascertain the actual level of planning or intent
associated with these and other statements. (R)
Multiple “alternative” media outlets have attempted to
profit (financially and politically) from the Covid-19
“infodemic” by furthering the spread of disinformation.
ANNEX. Key terms and groups
One such outlet is Kremlin-backed
RT (formerly known
as
Russia Today) – which has previously promoted
disinformation regarding Western vaccines and the
Anti-vaccine mandate
This term describes a broad range of individuals and
SARS-Cov-2 virus. s9(2)(ba)(i)
has indicated
groups opposed to New Zealand’s current vaccine
that RT DE (the German-language version of RT,
recently banned from broadcasting in Germany) is the
mandate strategies (including the traffic-light system) –
often with a variety of differing motivations. (R)
sixth most-shared media outlet in Querdenker
Telegram groups and channels, more than mainstream
German news outlets such as
Der Spiegel. (For further
Brigading
on the Querdenker
movement in Germany
, please refer
The term brigading refers to a coordinated social media
to Annex 1,
Key terms and groups.) (R)
campaign by an online group to disrupt the activities of
another group or forum (R)
In New Zealand, DART has observed Covid-19
disinformation producers citing and circulating RT
Disinformation
reports on Covid-19 – including one
NAB defines disinformation as false or modified
New Zealand-based website directly republishing
information
knowingly shared to cause harm or achieve
content from
RT and
Sputnik News (while regularly
a broader aim. This differs from misinformation (when
publishing articles by New Zealand-based writers and
false information is shared but
no harm is intended) and
maintaining an active comment section). The actual
malinformation (where
genuine information is shared to
impact and readership of this website remain unclear; it
cause harm). (R)
is possible the individual involved is opportunistically
using RT content to drive engagement with the website.
Querdenker
Overall, it is likely multiple other international and
The term “
Querdenker” (meaning “lateral thinkers””)
domestic media sources have greater pull than RT in
refers to Germany’s Covid-19 protest movement, made
anti-vaccine mandate groups (although this is fluid and
up of individuals opposed to vaccinations and Covid-19
subject to change). (R)
mitigation measures. (R)
Sovereign Citizen (“SovCit”) ideologies
“Alpha Men Assemble”
Originating from 1970s white identity extremist groups,
“SovCit” ideologies have since gone on to influence
many anti-authority movements, particularly in the
In late January, British media reported that a group of
United States. Expressions of this ideology often include
UK-based individuals opposed to Covid-19
a refusal to pay taxes, the creation of false documents
vaccinations, including ex-military igures, had formed a
(eg, passports), and on the extreme end, the creation of
group called “Alpha Men Assemb e”. The group
or advocacy for militia groups. (R)
reportedly ran training sessions on confrontations with
law enforcement, stating they were in a “war” with the
Voices for Freedom
UK Government. Media reports vary on the group’s size
under the Official Information Act 1982
Voices for Freedom is a New Zealand political activist
and geographical spread (with meetings apparently
group, frequently involved in activity protesting
held in England and Scotland). However, analysis of
New Zealand’s Covid-19 mitigation measures. (R)
the group’s Telegram postings indicates Sovereign
Citizen-aligned and misogynist rhetoric, with explicit
appeals to veterans. (R)
NAB assesses it is likely that at least some individuals
in the New Zealand anti-vaccine mandate movement
are aware of the activities of “Alpha Men Assemble”,
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due to the emulation of tactics amongst anti-vaccine
agency. If you want to share it further, get permission by
mandate movements worldwide. Of note, open-source
Released
emailing [email address]
s9(2)(ba)(i) reporting has indicated that key
individuals, such as s6(a), s9(2)(a)
Follow protective security requirements for using, storing
have directly encouraged individuals (including
and disposing of it. For more information, go to
Police officers and NZDF members) to “mobilise”
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against Parliament s6(a), s9(2)(a)
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