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Investigate (New Zealand)
Encyclopedia
Investigate is a current affairs magazine published in New Zealand
. It has a conservative Christian
editorial standpoint and has published a number of controversial articles. Many of the more notable articles have been critical of policies and members of the centre-left
Fifth Labour Government of New Zealand
which governed from December 1999 until November 2008. It is edited by Ian Wishart
.
by the Dow Chemical Company
's local subsidiary, which had produced the herbicides 2,4,5-T and 2,4-D at their factory in the city. In January 2001 Investigate then published an interview with a former senior executive of the chemical company who confirmed not only that the two herbicides had been mixed to produce the defoliant Agent Orange for US
use in the Vietnam War
, but also that surplus drums of the toxic substance had been buried on nearby land now covered by a housing subdivision.
The magazine then obtained a file kept by a former senior hospital matron in the 1960s and 70s, documenting dozens of bizarre birth defects in local children often associated with dioxin poisoning. The magazine published those pictures in its April 2001 issue. A Ministry of Health report in 2004 found increased levels of dioxin in the blood of long-term residents of the area, but with no clear indication that this had increased rates of disease. A larger study in 2008 of former workers in the Dow factory showed low levels of dioxin in their blood and no link between dioxin and health issues.
. In the article Tamihere makes a number of allegations, including accusing Prime Minister Helen Clark
of being unable to deal with emotions, that Labour deliberately lost the 1993 General Election
, and that it is "very dangerous" to be in the Labour Party if "you're a free and independent spirit". He also is recorded as making insulting remarks about Michael Cullen, Steve Maharey
, the gay MPs of the Labour Party, and about women in leadership generally.
. The article was condemned as "negative stereotyping" in an open letter penned by political activist Grant Morgan
and signed by well over a hundred New Zealanders, including many academic, religious and community leaders. A follow-up article alleged that some of the signatories had not actually read the magazine article, despite signing the letter condemning it.
church are behind many of the anti-Labour Party allegations published by Investigate. The connection is that private investigator Wayne Idour, who has previously done work for the Exclusive Brethren, is one of the sources for the May 2007 story about police corruption.
Investigate responded by calling Labour's allegations a deliberate smear campaign and a "conspiracy theory", saying the magazine had a wide range of sources and that all stories had been generated through routine inquiries. Idour's role as an informant in the 2007 police story was because he had served in the Dunedin police at the relevant time. Other sources were quoted in the article, including interviews with eyewitnesses.
New Zealand
New Zealand is an island country in the south-western Pacific Ocean comprising two main landmasses and numerous smaller islands. The country is situated some east of Australia across the Tasman Sea, and roughly south of the Pacific island nations of New Caledonia, Fiji, and Tonga...
. It has a conservative Christian
Conservative Christianity
Conservative Christianity is a term applied to a number of groups or movements seen as giving priority to traditional Christian beliefs and practices...
editorial standpoint and has published a number of controversial articles. Many of the more notable articles have been critical of policies and members of the centre-left
Centre-left
Centre-left is a political term that describes individuals, political parties or organisations such as think tanks whose ideology lies between the centre and the left on the left-right spectrum...
Fifth Labour Government of New Zealand
Fifth Labour Government of New Zealand
The Fifth Labour Government of New Zealand was the government of New Zealand between 10 December 1999 and 19 November 2008.-Overview:The fourth National government, in power since 1990, was widely unpopular by 1999, with much of the public antagonised by a series of free-market economic reforms,...
which governed from December 1999 until November 2008. It is edited by Ian Wishart
Ian Wishart
Ian Wishart is a New Zealand journalist, author, an opponent to the hypothesis of anthropogenic climate change, and the editor of Investigate magazine...
.
Agent Orange production in New Plymouth
In October 2000, Investigate published a story of alleged chemical contamination in New PlymouthNew Plymouth
New Plymouth is the major city of the Taranaki Region on the west coast of the North Island of New Zealand. It is named after Plymouth, Devon, England, from where the first English settlers migrated....
by the Dow Chemical Company
Dow Chemical Company
The Dow Chemical Company is a multinational corporation headquartered in Midland, Michigan, United States. As of 2007, it is the second largest chemical manufacturer in the world by revenue and as of February 2009, the third-largest chemical company in the world by market capitalization .Dow...
's local subsidiary, which had produced the herbicides 2,4,5-T and 2,4-D at their factory in the city. In January 2001 Investigate then published an interview with a former senior executive of the chemical company who confirmed not only that the two herbicides had been mixed to produce the defoliant Agent Orange for US
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
use in the Vietnam War
Vietnam War
The Vietnam War was a Cold War-era military conflict that occurred in Vietnam, Laos, and Cambodia from 1 November 1955 to the fall of Saigon on 30 April 1975. This war followed the First Indochina War and was fought between North Vietnam, supported by its communist allies, and the government of...
, but also that surplus drums of the toxic substance had been buried on nearby land now covered by a housing subdivision.
The magazine then obtained a file kept by a former senior hospital matron in the 1960s and 70s, documenting dozens of bizarre birth defects in local children often associated with dioxin poisoning. The magazine published those pictures in its April 2001 issue. A Ministry of Health report in 2004 found increased levels of dioxin in the blood of long-term residents of the area, but with no clear indication that this had increased rates of disease. A larger study in 2008 of former workers in the Dow factory showed low levels of dioxin in their blood and no link between dioxin and health issues.
John Tamihere Interview
The 4 April 2005 issue of Investigate contains an interview with then Labour MP John TamihereJohn Tamihere
John Henry Tamihere is a New Zealand media personality and former politician. He served as a Cabinet minister in the governing Labour Party from August 2002 to 3 November 2004.-Early life:...
. In the article Tamihere makes a number of allegations, including accusing Prime Minister Helen Clark
Helen Clark
Helen Elizabeth Clark, ONZ is a New Zealand political figure who was the 37th Prime Minister of New Zealand for three consecutive terms from 1999 to 2008...
of being unable to deal with emotions, that Labour deliberately lost the 1993 General Election
New Zealand general election, 1993
The 1993 New Zealand general election was held on 6 November 1993 to determine the composition of the 44th New Zealand Parliament. It saw the governing National Party, led by Jim Bolger, win a second term in office, despite a major swing back towards the Labour Party. The new Alliance and New...
, and that it is "very dangerous" to be in the Labour Party if "you're a free and independent spirit". He also is recorded as making insulting remarks about Michael Cullen, Steve Maharey
Steve Maharey
Steven "Steve" Maharey CNZM is a former Member of Parliament for Palmerston North in New Zealand, as a member of the Labour Party...
, the gay MPs of the Labour Party, and about women in leadership generally.
Preachers of Hate
The March 2007 issue contains an article entitled Preachers of hate, alleging that Islamic terrorists have infiltrated New Zealand's Muslim communityIslam in New Zealand
Islam in New Zealand began with the arrival of Muslim Chinese gold prospectors in the 1870s. Small numbers of Muslim immigrants from India and eastern Europe settled from the early 1900s until the 1960s. Large-scale Muslim immigration began in the 1970s with the arrival of Fiji Indians, followed in...
. The article was condemned as "negative stereotyping" in an open letter penned by political activist Grant Morgan
Grant Morgan
Grant Morgan is a political activist from Auckland, New Zealand.Morgan is a leading member of Socialist Worker, and the chairperson of the Residents Action Movement. He was also the first Secretary of the Solidarity Union, and the last General Secretary of the Communist Party of New Zealand.-...
and signed by well over a hundred New Zealanders, including many academic, religious and community leaders. A follow-up article alleged that some of the signatories had not actually read the magazine article, despite signing the letter condemning it.
Alleged links with the Exclusive Brethren
The Labour Party claims that members of the Exclusive BrethrenExclusive Brethren
The Exclusive Brethren are a subset of the Christian evangelical movement generally described as the Plymouth Brethren. They are distinguished from the Open Brethren from whom they separated in 1848....
church are behind many of the anti-Labour Party allegations published by Investigate. The connection is that private investigator Wayne Idour, who has previously done work for the Exclusive Brethren, is one of the sources for the May 2007 story about police corruption.
Investigate responded by calling Labour's allegations a deliberate smear campaign and a "conspiracy theory", saying the magazine had a wide range of sources and that all stories had been generated through routine inquiries. Idour's role as an informant in the 2007 police story was because he had served in the Dunedin police at the relevant time. Other sources were quoted in the article, including interviews with eyewitnesses.