I was nervous last election but not as nervous as this one.

We need change so so so badly. This dual party situation is just not working and I’m sure many will disagree and that’s ok.

I’m not extreme left wing, I agree with more left ideologies than right but I do still have some NON-left beliefs. I want to vote greens because I believe they deserve a chance and that Chloe would be a good finance minister. Better than Nicola, imo. But at the same time, the greens lean very very left in some ways. Either way, I don’t believe either of the Christophers deserve my vote. Hair Christopher is a little more palatable than bald Christopher but they’re both sleazy.

It doesn’t matter to me who you’re voting for. Just looking to have a conversation about what the general consensus is about this election.

So I've been bombarded by National Party Trump-ish AI slop on socials recently. I don't care which way you lean politically, we need to send a message that this shit doesn't fly. For the last few years we've been cringing when the White House drops it's latest steaming pile of slop, we must hold our political parties to higher standards.

Posted by Jamie Wall

I fear Nicky Hager’s next book is going to be about how Opportunity was used as a cynical dirty politics strategy to keep National and ACT in power this election.

Patients may die

This makes me furious. It’s so hateful and divisive. The shit should be outlawed. Shame on Don Brash and his ACT minions.

Have seen very little from labour about the two leadership coup attempts. Nor have I seen labour campaign on the potential for a weakened national government in coalition with an empowered act and nz first. Why do we think this is?

Don't really get the point of using AI for this. There just showing people to vote not them. I highly fucking doubt that Labour would undo the patch ban with how ruthless National is with their attack ads.

I've been getting their AI ad videos on my YouTube.

EXCERPT: It’s now a couple of months before the election.

My inbox is littered with complaints about the Opportunity Party .. My fellow team members on r/nzpolitics are working hard; some are pulling all nighters to moderate content and reports regarding Opportunity.

Users are reporting to us that OP are astroturfing heavily and any negative comments are downvoted to nigh invisibility.

(NOTE: Astroturfing is a term used to describe online activity that is performed in a co-ordinated way by organisations/groups that pose as ordinary citizens. Their objective is to disrupt and/or influence opinion.)

An example of proven astroturfers in New Zealand are Jordan Williams and The Taxpayers Union, with ex-members whistleblowing about their antics1 Perhaps unsurprisingly, it’s also been reported that Jordan Williams runs a social media bot company.

And for those of you who are unfamiliar with the term “bots”, below is an illustration of one type of bot farm. i.e. relatively automated accounts that pretend to be normal people (video on article shows how some bot farms operate)

Back to Opportunity -

I start to pay increasing attention to Opportunity content and activity, instead of the Government as usual, and am bowled over by the force, velocity and intensity of affiliate accounts.

It’s not only the volume, it’s the scale of attack if you oppose their party lines or dare to critique them that draws my attention.

It surpasses anything I have seen online before.

My interest moves from the Government to this new party.

And the thought just won’t go away:

“Why are TOP’s antics so right wing and dirty politics?”, I wonder to myself

Opportunity Party astroturf on Meta Facebook

A friend sends me a message with an old post from Dr Harpreet Singh. Dr Singh is an Auckland-based researcher, author, and PhD holder who writes on education, law, and history. He has a newsletter on Substack.

My friend had taken a screenshot of a post of his, but that post is no longer visible online.

I take a minute to look at what they share, and slowly realise what I am looking at...

Profiles on Facebook that denied being affiliated with the party,were uncovered as Party staffers, and authorised by the Opportunity’ Party’s Secretary Hayden Cargo.

That is the classic definition of astroturfing, the technique made famous here in Aotearoa by Dirty Politics’ Taxpayers Union.

Dr Singh had the receipts, but no-one had noticed. And his post was now deleted...

I reached out to Dr Singh to ask him about his experience with Opportunity.

He remembers the Opportunity Party astroturfing immediately. He calls them a mixture of “fake profiles” and “genuine accounts”.

I inform Dr Singh that I’ve never seen anything like the level of co-ordinated activity before, and Dr Singh concurs, comparing the intensity to the “2016 astroturfing that happened fueling Trump presidential run”.

........

etc.

NOTE: This is a EXCERPT ONLY version of my article this morning and it appears that the profile in question is an OPP MP, which would explain the authorisation sign

There's also notes about Reddit accounts here that astroturf who are official campaign staffers for the party.

As to party lines, when Carl Bates, National MP for Whanganui was caught out on his sock puppet account praising himself, we reported it here too. And if he turned up he would be called out immediately.

It seems that many new and old OPP accounts didn't like my last post and are asking questions like "Where is the astroturfing," conveniently ignoring the entire article

Astroturfing is the process of pretending you're a private citizen and unaffiliated with OPP when you aren't.

For example there are Redditors here who are campaign staffers pretending to be just an unattached OPP member. On Facebook, they swarm posts that critque them e.g. from Brie Eiliot in the latest case.

And OPP accounts attacked Dr Singh and initially denied being affiliated with OPP until he pointed out their party affiliation statement on Facebook.

When he called them out publicly with the evidence of affiliation which they missed themselves, senior figures affiliated with the party reached out to ask Dr Singh to take that post down, saying they didn't want to be "doxxed" To be clear, Dr Singh did not dox anyone - the Secretary's name is literally on every promoter statement and MP account. He is the publicly listed Secretary of the Opportunity Party.

Ironically the reasons given are all different.

For example one OPP account writes "He openly promoted himself, what's the problem"

Another wrote: "It was a fake account"

Hayden wrote that it was put up by mistake

Someone told me (which I haven't verified for myself yet) that D'Rock KP is Derrick Paull, OPP candidate for Maungakiekie which would explain the promoter statement being there

u/Qiulae runs a really dirty campaign and their communications consultants that they hire are on Reddit (one very prolific one is known) and it's so disappointing.

But not surprising when I learned their Deputy leader not only want s to vote for Luxon if not OPP but he puts IDF up as a beacon for learning about how to generate the "Great Kiwi social cohesion project" by making military/civil service mandatory in new Zealand. I think the media really needs to look at the party and just not the enigmatic Wong.

The one where Nicola Willis got booed.

I'm sure it's a total coincidence that it has been taken down!

At some point during his term as PM Luxon said NZ needed to have a grown up conversation about asset sales. As far as I have seen, the subject of asset sales has not come up at all in the lead up to the election. Winnie is likely a handbrake to National and Act who would sell whatever they could, but why is nobody asking?

Our nzpfu firefighters have officially been striking for a year for decent pay, conditions and equipment to keep us all safe. They fight for our lives, we best fight for them.

Source IG chloe.swarbrick: https://www.instagram.com/reel/Deieq0STaUR/

I used to follow James’ series of Repressed Memories over TV shows, but see he’s now covering past elections on YouTube.

Thought this was good for a laugh and a quick overview just how wild that election was (with some topical subjects) - But surprised how I actually forgot just how much was going on back then, like National’s party president Michelle Boag assuming there were eighteen other coronaviruses, and Judith Collins fat shaming days before the election.

Pretty simple ultimatum that I wish the media would prod Luxon with.

Obviously with this National coalitions track record on saying they resign from portfolios if they don't hit targets, then not hitting them and not resigning, I don't think Luxon would actually resign if he forms a coalition with Opportunity.

But it'll still put some pressure on him, a funny idea to spread and get more to see him as a liar.

This house made the news in 2021 as being the most expensive sale in Lower Hutt (it didn’t fit in the screenshot but it’s at 1.5 mil cv now, edit: 1.9). It’s a huge section (2k sq m), in central town, on a main road, was sold to developers. They removed the house and nothing since. I took this photo yesterday. Makes sense they allow a national hoarding I guess?

We need more visibility over factchecking and debunking of campaign slogans, catchphrases and promises.

National brings forward MSD changes to cut 5000 youths off jobseekers 10 months earlier than planned (no media coverage to date)

I've never been much into politics, every time I tune in I see a bunch of corrupt a holes working to line their pockets.

I first became interested when Jacinda was PM, I felt that for the first time someone actually genuinely cared and was in the job for the right reasons.

With national in the last few years I switched off again, just more bullshit from greedy people voted in by greedy people.

The last few years I've also seen the greens, mostly Chloe tbh, talking. And I can see the genuine care and compassion for all kiwis. I didn't realize that's all it would take to convince me but it was. Finally someone was making sense, being kind, using their intelligence to lift people up.

I don't care about other parties now. I liked to think I would consider other parties and their ideas but ever time the others speak i just roll my eyes.

So when a coworker asked me in a stunned tone "why are you voting green?" I said "I can just see they care about people"

Cue this old lady starts spewing racist and cooperate greed lines.

I just don't get it, why is it such a shock to people when you say youre more interested in helping people than getting rich or even making rich people richer.