‘Death Cult’: Another Senior NZ Official Draws Scrutiny for Open Hostility Towards Government

The director of a publicly funded centre set up to combat extremism in New Zealand has called the government a “death cult” that “hates children” in a post on X (formerly Twitter). She has since made the post private, along with the rest of her account. Many people, however, were able to take screenshots of the post before it was hidden, with Deputy Prime Minister David Seymour replying and writing, “Some interesting views from a Jacinda Ardern and Labour appointee.” Professor Joanna Kidman was appointed a director of the Centre of Research Excellence for Preventing and Countering Violent Extremism, by then-Labour Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern in 2022 as part of the government’s response to the Royal Commission of Inquiry report into the Christchurch terrorist attack....