New documentary explores how extremist groups pose as concerned locals

Video: Fabricated Consent: Astroturfs Go Local by Paul the Other One dives into how far-right groups are influencing local politics in Aotearoa New Zealand.

Filmmaker Paul Barlow (Paul the Other One) was in Hamilton last year when he saw a protest outside the council building. People were angry about rates and speed bumps, but something felt off. Later, he learned the same group had also issued execution writs to councillors at a different event.

His new documentary, Fabricated Consent: Astroturfs Go Local, released June 30, explores how far-right groups are getting involved in local issues.

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“It wasn’t just about rates,” Barlow says. “At a separate meeting, this same group handed out execution writs to councillors. One guy even threw a Nazi salute. That’s when I knew this wasn’t just local frustration.”

Image: Front entrance of Hamilton City Council building (Supplied, Hamilton City Council)

A leaked document changed everything

In January, Barlow was accidentally sent an email that was intended for Billy Te Kahika. While the email was not sent by Hamilton Councillor Andrew Bydder, it included a document he had authored, outlining how ‘freedom groups’ planned to coordinate efforts to take over councils and influence elections. Barlow and a small group of researchers began looking into it more closely.

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They found Telegram chats, public files, and shared posts across Facebook. Some groups appeared to be harmless local pages but were sharing content linked to far-right ideologies.

Barlow says these groups work because they feel local. The people running them live in the community and they are aware of what issues upset people.

Image: Filmmaker Paul Barlow featured on “Fabricated Consent: Astroturfs Go Local” - (Supplied)

“That document confirmed what I’d started to suspect,” Barlow says. “Then people started pointing out all these new ‘ratepayer’ groups popping up across the country.”

“A lot of the people involved probably do care about their communities. But they’re not always honest about where their ideas are coming from.”

One big example is the 15% rate rise in Hamilton. It’s a real problem. But the reasons are more complex than what these groups claim. Councils kept rates low for years, which caused the problem. Now they’re in a catch-up phase. Infrastructure costs have also gone up steadily over the past ten years. Barlow says these groups ignore that and push moral outrage instead. “They say, ‘Inflation’s 2.5%—why are rates up 15%?’ It’s misleading.”

Barlow tried pushing back in some of their chat groups. The reaction was quick and comments were deleted. Some users piled on with abuse. Concerned about safety and the tone of the responses, Barlow chose not to include interviews with members of those groups.

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Image: Tory Whanau is the mayor of Wellington, elected in 2022. She is the city’s first Māori mayor - (Supplied, Facebook)

The documentary includes interviews with Wellington Mayor Tory Whanau and Christchurch councillor Sara Templeton. Both have faced harassment.

Doxxing, targeted social media campaigns, and in-person threats have had a real impact. People are afraid to speak out, especially around local elections.

“Some have sent death threats, and one said he wanted to drag me down the street behind his truck,” Whanau said in the documentary.

Barlow says the solution is simple. People need to know what’s happening in their communities. Councils and candidates must reach the public in different ways as voters can be influenced by disinformation.

Image: Wellington local elections voting sign. One way communities can push back against disinformation campaigns (Image: stock / Electoral Commission)

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The disinformation toolkit

Most campaigns from hostile groups begin by starving the detail and feeding the outrage. This content spreads across social platforms, local pages, and fringe sites like Reality Check Radio and Voices For Freedom. That gives it a sense of legitimacy it doesn’t deserve.

Next, pseudo-law talk. These groups often mix real laws with talk of common-law writs or sovereign citizen rights. It surfaces just enough to spook councils, but not enough to fool people paying attention.

Image: Voices for Freedom leaders on a Zoom call — Claire Deeks (top left, co-founder), Jaspreet Boparai (top right, VFF-affiliated candidate), and Gill Booth (bottom, VFF-affiliated candidate) - (Screenshot / Supplied)

Can local democracy fight back?

Barlow’s description is blunt: “Knowledge is power.” He argues that councils must communicate policy trade-offs in plain language and multiple languages.

For voters, the advice is simple but demanding: research who is standing in local elections. Take note of the sources a candidate shares or engages with. If those consistently include outlets that have been criticised for promoting misinformation or conspiratorial content such as Reality Check Radio or Voices For Freedom — that may be a red flag.

Calling out disinformation matters in a healthy democracy, even if it feels risky.

Video: Live post-Premier Q&A session on Fabricating Consent, a deep dive into local astroturfing groups in the lead up to this year’s local body elections.

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Jane

9 months ago

Nice watch I really enjoyed this. It is the groups making up lies and I hope they do not get in…

Simon

The promoters of this stuff can not be reasoned with, all it does is boosts their engagement score and gets you blocked.
Same with their adherents in nearly all cases. They have been hacked at the emotional level, reasoning is just fluff they use to justify it.

If you engage, create a safe burner account for it that they can not relate to your real ID. Talk to the audience, don’t waste energy on the propagandist. . Keep a list of facts & links you can paste easily.

Rangi

Tory is always in my heart. She’s done well for ol Wellywood!

Evans

Nice to see another article thanks. Paul dived into the hatred groups.. I hope they dont get elected it is such a concern for me personally being located just outside Auckland.

Sarah

Another good read by TheQuality. Really hitting where it hurts most.

It is compelling to watch every group spread falsehoods as evidenced in Paul’s doco. Kudos.

Tui

Interesting

-2

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