"How RNZ Legitimises Far-Right Propaganda Through Pollwashing" - 10 July 2025
Manufactured Consent
Kia ora whānau.
Today I examine how our public broadcaster has abandoned its duty to tūranga tangata by amplifying discredited polling that serves the far right's agenda against Māori. The time has come to name the deception behind these manufactured numbers.
Background: The Pollwashing Machine
The recent RNZ report on the Taxpayers' Union-Curia Poll claiming NZ First has surged to third place represents a critical failure of journalism1. This isn't simply about poor reporting - it's about how our public media has become a willing participant in far-right propaganda campaigns designed to normalise anti-Māori sentiment.
The poll shows NZ First allegedly rising to 9.8 percent support, but this figure comes from a polling operation that has been systematically discredited by industry professionals. RNZ's uncritical reporting of these numbers without proper context about their source's credibility issues demonstrates how mainstream media enables the spread of manufactured consent.
The Deceptive Poll and Its Agenda
The Taxpayers' Union-Curia Poll is not just unreliable - it's part of a coordinated campaign to legitimise far-right political narratives. The timing of this poll is particularly revealing, coming as Winston Peters and NZ First escalate their attacks on Māori representation and co-governance.
Taxpayers' Union-Curia Poll results from July 2025 showing NZ First's surge to third place
The poll's methodology and the track record of its creators reveal a pattern of bias designed to support specific political outcomes. David Farrar's Curia Market Research has resigned from the Research Association of New Zealand (RANZ) after multiple professional standards violations2. The company has been found to breach polling standards repeatedly, with John Tamihere writing that "the complaints process had been weaponised against" Farrar3.
The Discredited Pollster and His Political Agenda
David Farrar, who runs Curia Market Research, is not an impartial pollster but a political operative with deep connections to the National Party and far-right movements. His blog Kiwiblog has been a platform for defending controversial content, including allowing guest posts that many considered racist4.
The Research Association of New Zealand found Curia in breach of professional standards multiple times, with complaints about biased question wording designed to produce predetermined outcomes5. One particularly egregious example was a Family First-commissioned poll about puberty blockers that used inflammatory language to skew responses6.
Farrar's resignation from RANZ came after he could no longer defend his company's practices under professional scrutiny. As he wrote in his resignation letter, he was "sick and tired of the number of complaints" being upheld against his company7.
The Taxpayers' Union: A Front for Far-Right Ideology
The Taxpayers' Union, which commissions these polls, is not the grassroots organisation it claims to be. Led by Jordan Williams, it's part of the Atlas Network, an international network of right-wing think tanks that promotes neoliberal policies and opposes Indigenous rights8.
Williams has confirmed the organisation's connection to the Atlas Network, which comprises over 500 think tanks promoting free-market fundamentalism and opposing government programmes that benefit marginalised communities9. The Taxpayers' Union has also been caught using false identities to make Official Information Act requests10.
Their funding model is deliberately opaque, with Williams refusing to disclose major donors while admitting to receiving support from tobacco companies and other industries11. This is a classic astroturfing operation - creating the appearance of grassroots support while actually serving corporate and ideological interests.
The Far-Right Ecosystem Behind the Numbers
The connection between these polling operations and far-right anti-Māori campaigns is not coincidental. NZ First's rise in these polls coincides with escalating attacks on Māori representation and co-governance. Winston Peters has been making increasingly inflammatory statements, including telling immigrant MPs to "show some gratitude" and claiming that Māori "are not indigenous"1213.
Peters has declared "war on woke" and positioned his party as leading the fight against what he calls "leftist group-think"14. This rhetoric aligns perfectly with the broader Stop Co-Governance movement that has been spreading anti-Māori propaganda throughout Aotearoa15.
Research by The Disinformation Project shows a substantial increase in anti-Māori sentiment, with the same networks that opposed vaccine mandates now targeting Māori rights and co-governance16. The timing of these polls serves to legitimise and amplify these harmful narratives.
RNZ's Failure of Journalistic Integrity
RNZ's decision to report these poll results without proper context about their source's credibility represents a fundamental failure of public broadcasting principles. The organisation has recently launched its own polling operation with Reid Research, explicitly committing to "accurately reporting the results" and providing proper context17.
Yet when it comes to the Taxpayers' Union-Curia polls, RNZ abandons these standards. The article presents the poll results as legitimate news without mentioning that the polling company has been forced to resign from the industry's professional body due to repeated standards violations.
This is particularly damaging because RNZ's reporting legitimises these manufactured numbers in the eyes of other media outlets and the public. When our public broadcaster treats discredited polling as credible news, it enables the spread of far-right propaganda designed to undermine Māori representation and democratic participation.
The Broader Pattern of Media Manipulation
The use of polling as a tool for political manipulation is not new, but the Taxpayers' Union-Curia operation represents a particularly sophisticated form of propaganda. By commissioning polls with biased questions and methodology, then using media outlets to amplify the results, they create the appearance of public opinion that supports their political agenda.
This pollwashing technique is particularly effective because it exploits media outlets' tendency to report poll results without scrutinising their methodology or the credibility of their sources. The result is that manufactured consent appears as genuine public opinion, providing cover for political parties to pursue policies that might otherwise be unpopular.
The targeting of Māori representation and co-governance through these tactics represents a form of democratic sabotage. By creating false narratives about public opinion, these operations undermine the ability of Indigenous communities to participate fully in democratic processes and assert their rights under Te Tiriti o Waitangi.
Implications for Democratic Discourse
The legitimisation of discredited polling operations by mainstream media has serious implications for democratic discourse in Aotearoa. When public broadcasters amplify propaganda without proper scrutiny, they contribute to the erosion of informed public debate and the spread of misinformation.
This is particularly harmful to Māori communities, who already face significant barriers to political participation and representation. The use of manufactured polling to create false narratives about public opinion adds another layer of systemic racism to our democratic processes.
The rise of NZ First in these polls coincides with increasing attacks on Māori representation and rights. The party's anti-Māori rhetoric, combined with its connections to far-right movements and ideology, represents a direct threat to the principles of partnership and equality enshrined in Te Tiriti o Waitangi.
Call to Action
RNZ must immediately implement standards that prevent the amplification of discredited polling operations. This includes:
- Requiring disclosure of polling companies' professional standing and any disciplinary actions
- Refusing to report results from pollsters who have been found in breach of professional standards
- Providing proper context about the funding and political connections of organisations commissioning polls
- Implementing editorial guidelines that prevent the spread of manufactured consent
The public also has a responsibility to hold media outlets accountable for their role in amplifying far-right propaganda. We must demand better from our public broadcaster and refuse to accept the normalisation of anti-Māori sentiment through pollwashing.
Most importantly, we must recognise that the attack on Māori representation and co-governance is part of a broader assault on democracy itself. The use of manufactured polling to create false narratives about public opinion represents a sophisticated form of political manipulation that undermines the ability of all marginalised communities to participate fully in democratic processes.
The RNZ report on the Taxpayers' Union-Curia Poll represents more than poor journalism - it's complicity in a coordinated campaign to legitimise far-right anti-Māori propaganda. By treating discredited polling as credible news, our public broadcaster has abandoned its duty to serve the public interest and instead become a tool for political manipulation.
The time has come to demand accountability from our media institutions and to expose the networks of power that use manufactured consent to undermine democratic participation. Only through honest examination of these propaganda operations can we protect the principles of partnership and equality that should guide our democracy.
Kia kaha, kia maia, kia manawanui - stand strong, be brave, be steadfast. The fight for truth and justice continues.
Readers who find value in my work exposing these propaganda operations can support this kaupapa with a koha to: HTDM: 03-1546-0415173-000. The MGL understands these are tough economic times for whānau, so please only contribute if you have the capacity and wish to do so.
Ngā mihi nui,
Ivor Jones - The Māori Green Lantern
