Brett Power’s activism: a controversial path marked by disputed claims

A bag of papers, a high-profile arrest, and a history of fringe activism.

Brett Power’s 2022 confrontation with authorities marked a new chapter in his ongoing campaign against government policy. Detained on Parliament Grounds in Wellington after attempting to serve anti-vaccine documents to former Health Minister Andrew Little, Power’s arrest underscored escalating efforts to challenge public health measures and environmental regulations.

Behind the spectacle lies a deeper pattern: conspiracy-driven claims, rejected legal cases, and a reliance on sources widely dismissed by experts.

The former Taranaki Regional Council Candidate turned activist Brett Power attempted to deliver a bag to former Health Minister Andrew Little demanding his arrest. Power’s own arrest related to his objections to public health policy. He won an argument about a Parliament trespass charge, Stuff reports.

Power’s activism, which includes opposition to vaccine mandates and aerial 1080 poison operations, has been met with widespread criticism and his claims have often been challenged by scientific and government sources.

Image: Facebook - SUPPLIED

Power’s use of discredited sources fuels false claims about vaccine deaths..

Power began citing sources widely considered unreliable by mainstream scientists and media. Sharing misleading videos from right-leaning platform Rumble, falsely claiming pro athletes’ hearts were failing due to vaccination. Fact-checking organisation PolitiFact found no evidence supporting this claim.

“A video shared widely on social media flashes through dozens of news clips of athletes who reportedly collapsed and, in some cases, died of heart problems.”

“There is no evidence [the] vaccines led the athletes in the video to collapse. We reviewed the news reports mentioned in the video and spoke with a number of sports cardiologists, and we found the claim connecting the two is unfounded.”

Image: Rumble - SUPPLIED

Legal and public reception..

After his arrest, Power accused police of assaulting him during an interview with Counterspin Media, a platform often associated with conspiracy theories and disinformation.

“The police assaulted me while I was legally going up the steps of Parliament. I had every right to be there, the police had no right to stop me going up,” he said.

“They took me around the corner. You know, roughed me up and put sh*t behind my arms.”

Image: Facebook - SUPPLIED

Disinformation and credibility..

In the days leading up Power's arrest, he appeared on FreeNZ, hosted by former TVNZ anchor Liz Gunn, who has promoted views that conflict with public health advice and are often described as conspiracy theories.

Power promoted claims about the government’s pandemic response that have not been substantiated by the Ministry of Health or peer-reviewed research. Urging people to report “jab injuries” through police channels — an approach which ignored public health reporting system CARM (Centre for Adverse Reactions Monitoring).

CARM is a repository for adverse reaction reports and used to identify local patterns and contribute to international pharmacovigilance.

Image: Brett Power and fellow activist Mike Iles discussed unverifiable ‘leaked government documents’ allegedly related to testing 1080 poison pellets in various water temperatures - Sam Hudson, thisquality

In 2020, Power and his activist friend Mike Iles invited thisquality editor Sam Hudson to cover and document a case he was organising with the High Court against the Medical Officer of Health of Taranaki. Hudson agreed to document the case and noted an interest in how activists critical of government policy communicate and organise.

“Over the period of thirty years enquiry shows disaster happening to our environment and those exposed to [1080 pellets] in water they are drinking. The general public who believe the government lies are totally oblivious to the corruption,” he wrote.

“No one tests for fluoroacetate, which shows how the testing process people rely on can be completely flawed — yet still accepted by those unaware. The same applies to what I call the ‘Covid con.' I believe the government has failed to conduct due diligence on either 1080 poison or Covid.”

Power failed many times to stop aerial dropping of sodium fluoroacetate poison pellets into Aotearoa New Zealand’s forests through High Court cases due to spreading conspiracy theories and non-scientific evidence. Citing lack of scientific basis or legal standing.

Image: Brett Power shows activist Mike Iles a document claiming that 70,000 hectares of 1080 poison pellets could poison up to ‘6 million people' — Sam Hudson, thisquality

Power has filed legal cases using evidence that is not supported by mainstream scientific consensus.

He showed Hudson a document claiming 1080 poison pellets can poison up to six million people. The document lacked citations to credible and verifiable sources.

1080 pellets exposed to water dissolve and leach from the bait into soil. As it moves with water, it dilutes through the soil. Microorganisms in the soil help the pellets degrade, while bacteria in ground water and surface water break the pellets down.

Image: Facebook - SUPPLIED

In October 2021, Power referred to Hudson as a “nazi” and later called for his arrest as part of a court action to stop vaccine mandates.

“You will be the one taken to court, Sam the nazi. By the way, a nazi is a person who subscribes to one source of information. Where is yours? You’ll need it in court,” he wrote.

“You are having your day in the sun, along with the other nazi media and government.”

Power’s activism walks a fine line between free expression and the dissemination of harmful misinformation..

While Power positions himself as a whistle-blower battling institutional corruption, courts, scientists, and fact-checkers have repeatedly refuted his claims. Whether railing the Covid-19 vaccine rollout and public health measures or 1080 poison operations, his message has remained consistent — at odds with established science and facts.

Power’s history serves as a reminder of the tension between personal belief and collective responsibility in an era of mistruths.