OPINION

I’ve been posting on X (formerly Twitter) about Professor Joanna Kidman, a director of the Centre of Research Excellence for Preventing and Countering Violent Extremism, which is part of the Department of the Prime Minister and Cabinet. She was appointed by Jacinda Ardern to the role.

David Farrar also wrote about her on Tuesday:

You can have a reasonable disagreement on whether boot camps are effective. But someone who states that the Government hates children and is a death cult is a bad faith extremist. They’re the equivalent of someone on the right who thinks Jacinda did vaccine mandates because she is paid by Pfizer. Crazy conspiracy theorists.

But Professor Kidman is not some random person. She is the co-director of He Whenua Taurikura, a supposed charity that is funded mainly by the Government. Their parent body’s postal address is the Dept of PM and Cabinet.

And what is He Whenua Taurikura? It is “New Zealand’s National Centre of Research Excellence for Preventing and Countering Violent Extremism”

Hmmm violent extremism. Wouldn’t calling the Government a death cult that hates children actually inspire violent extremism? I mean if you really thought that, then surely violence is warranted if the Government is akin to Pol Pot.

I think I’ve found another area where Nicola Willis can save some money.

Kiwiblog

And then David Seymour and the Act Party picked it up:

Finally, the mainstream media followed up on Wednesday:

The head of a publicly funded anti-extremism centre says the Government might be a “death cult” that “hates children”, leading to calls from the Act Party for her resignation.

Professor Joanna Kidman, a director of the Centre of Research Excellence for Preventing and Countering Violent Extremism, lashed out at the Government on Tuesday night, responding to its announcement that the first military boot camp for young offenders would be running by mid-2024.

Kidman wrote in a post on X (Twitter) that she could “only assume that this government hates children, most of whom will be poor and brown”.

“There is so much evidence that military-style youth boot camps don’t work and are expensive,” she wrote.

Kidman also added that the Government “wants to snatch children’s lunches” in response to Associate Education Minister and Act leader David Seymour describing free school lunches as “wasteful” public spending and arguing that the Government should cut them.

“Is this a government or a death cult?” Kidman wrote.

Seymour replied on X: “Some interesting views from a Jacinda Ardern and Labour appointee”.

Kidman has since made her X account private.

NewstalkZB

She should have resigned immediately once the new Government was formed, but she didn’t, and she started spewing her hate all over X.

She should be sacked. She can spew her hate all she wants but taxpayers shouldn’t be paying her for it.

Kidman has not responded to multiple requests for comment from the Herald. The centre’s board chair has also been approached for comment.

In a statement, Victoria University, which hosts the centre, said while it supports the rights of academics to have an independent voice, Kidman’s social media post “does not support an inclusive conversation” and they are “discussing this matter” with her.

“We endorse reasoned debate that brings evidence and scrutiny to issues, to increase public understanding. Some of the language used in Professor Kidman’s social media post does not support an inclusive conversation,” a spokesperson said.

NewstalkZB

Even her university doesn’t support her hate-filled posts.

Act has gone further:

When asked if Kidman should apologise for her comments, Seymour said she “doesn’t have a very good track record” and he finds it easier to ignore her.

“The Government is facing an uphill battle to save money and balance the budget and I think it would be challenging to keep funding an organisation that doesn’t appear to be adding value and may actually be working against the very ideas of unity, respect and dignity that I thought it was supposed to promote,” Seymour said.

In a statement from the Act Party last night, public service spokesman Todd Stephenson said: “The irony of an anti-extremism campaigner using such extreme rhetoric should be obvious”.

“While Act supports her right to spew deranged garbage as a private citizen, she shouldn’t be doing it on the taxpayer dollar, and certainly not with the borrowed credibility of the Prime Minister’s department.

“Kidman’s salary is paid by taxpayers via the Prime Minister’s department, which means Christopher Luxon has just been delivered some potential savings on a silver platter. The board of the centre must move immediately to sack the extremist in their midst,” Stephenson said.

NewstalkZB

An apology from Kidman wouldn’t be an honest one. She should be sacked, and quickly. God knows why Luxon is keeping these fifth columnists in place.

Let the axe fall.

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As much at home writing editorials as being the subject of them, Cam has won awards, including the Canon Media Award for his work on the Len Brown/Bevan Chuang story. When he’s not creating the news,...