Who the hell is Gideon Rozner, anyway?
Cindy Baxter looks into the background and associations of the author of a stark attack on re-elected Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern. There are two New Zealand members of the Atlas…
Astroturfing more difficult to track down with social media – academic
Social media has been a game-changer for lobbyists and politicians, allowing them to bypass mainstream media and speak directly to their legions of followers.But are journalists also being hoodwinked?Research by…
Taxpayers’ Union backed by tobacco giant
The NZ Taxpayers’ Union has not disclosed its financial support from tobacco companies in its reports or press releases, with one public health academic calling on it to be more…
Taxpayers’ Union used false identities to make OIA requests
False identities were used by a right-wing lobby group to make Official Information Act requests of a government agency.The Herald uncovered evidence showing people seeking information for the NZ Taxpayers' Union did not actually…
Where there’s smoke, there’s sugar
Five months later, a new group was formed: the Association of Community Retailers (ACR). It described itself as a “grassroots organisation” representing the interests of “small, independent family-run retail outlets”,…
Big tobacco fights to beat NZ’s rules
A multinational cigarette company has started an aggressive fightback against laws and price rises intended to make people quit the habit.A series of tax rises - with more on the…
British American Tobacco admits funding campaign against display ban
One of the world's largest tobacco companies has admitted funding a retail association's high-profile campaign against a government ban on cigarette displays in shopsThe National Federation of Retail Newsagents claimed…
Big tobacco hires whaling guy to astroturf
One vocal opponent of the tobacco tax increase has been the Association of Community Retailers (ACR), a group that describes itself as a “grassroots organisation” of “small, independent family-run retail…
What is the Atlas Network?
This overview by Josh Drummond is as good as any short explanation we've seen: The short version is that there are a bunch of well-funded, right-wing, neoliberal influence and lobbying…