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Liz Gunn launches new political party, asks for $1m in donations

Author
Sam Sherwood,
Publish Date
Sat, 1 Jul 2023, 12:30pm
Photo / Mark Mitchell
Photo / Mark Mitchell

Liz Gunn launches new political party, asks for $1m in donations

Author
Sam Sherwood,
Publish Date
Sat, 1 Jul 2023, 12:30pm

Former TV presenter turned聽anti-vaccination campaigner Liz Gunn聽has launched a new political party, asking people to donate up to $1 million.

Gunn was the first newsreader on Breakfast聽and became a co-host of the TVNZ programme in 2001, quitting that year.

In recent years she became a fringe media identity with a special focus on聽anti-vaccination causes.

Her prominence was bolstered by her聽support for the family in the Baby W聽case, where two parents who objected to the use of vaccinated blood in transfusions unsuccessfully opposed court action by health authorities seeking temporary guardianship to allow life-saving surgery to go ahead.

This week she posted a video announcing she was hoping to launch the New Zealand Loyal party.

In the 22-minute video, she says she needs 500 people to sign up - political parties are required to have a membership of 500 eligible members to be able to register.

On her website, she is asking for monthly, annual or one-time donations as high as $1m. People can also enter a custom amount.

In the video, dated June 28, Gunn begins by saying she was giving a message to all her fellow New Zealanders voting in this year鈥檚 election.

Liz Gunn was the first host of Good Morning when it launched on TV One in 1996.Liz Gunn was the first host of Good Morning when it launched on TV One in 1996.

鈥淎nd it鈥檚 a message for everybody who loves this country and loves what this country has offered us in the past and could offer us in the future.鈥

She asks viewers to imagine a country where there was 鈥渧ery little state interference in your life鈥.

鈥淣o mandates, no masks, no bullying,鈥 she says.

鈥淚magine a country where you could create whatever your imagination and your community want because power has gone back to the communities 鈥︹

She also takes swipes at Prime Minister Chris Hipkins, National leader Christopher Luxon, Act Party leader David Seymour and 鈥渢he head of the Greens I can鈥檛 remember who they are鈥.

鈥淣one of you should be in after this election.鈥

Gunn also takes a dig at the 鈥渓ittle glove puppets in our mainstream media鈥, and says it鈥檚 a 鈥渃ompliment鈥 to be referred to as a conspiracy theorist.

鈥淚t means all of us had the critical thinking skills combined with the inordinate courage to maintain the willingness to ask questions,鈥 she said.

鈥淭o be a conspiracy theorist to be an anti-vaxer means we ask questions.鈥

鈥淚 don鈥檛 want to work with any star people, I want to work with real kiwis.鈥

Gunn said she needed 500 people to sign up within a week to launch the party.

鈥淚 want to do politics in full consultation with the people of New Zealand,鈥 she said.

Gunn鈥檚 suggested $1m donation is ambitious. An Auckland businessman鈥檚 $500,000 to the National Party this week was one of the largest individual donations in the country鈥檚 recent history, exceeding all large donations the Labour Party has received this year combined.

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