Samantha Bailey, the former TVNZ presenter and doctor lost her medical registration and was fined over $148,000 after being found guilty of spreading ‘misleading’ COVID information. ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏

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Economy

Health

Briefing for 21 March 2025

TVNZ doctor struck off after COVID ‘misinformation’ videos

A former TVNZ presenter and doctor, Samantha Bailey, has lost her medical registration and been fined after posting videos challenging mainstream COVID narratives.

Bailey’s content criticised vaccine efficacy and accused the medical industry of manufacturing epidemics for profit, racking up 18 million views along the way.

The Medical Council found her guilty of spreading misleading information after receiving 15 complaints.

NZ economy exits recession, but real recovery remains uncertain

New Zealand’s economy grew 0.7% in the December quarter, officially ending the recession, but growth per person remains weak.

In simple terms: New Zealand had a sharp downturn last year and is now seeing a small rebound, but other economies didn’t fall as hard in the first place.

Trafficking probes skyrocket, but prosecutions not so much

People trafficking investigations in New Zealand have exploded by nearly 4000%, yet no prosecutions have been brought in the past five years.

Immigration New Zealand (INZ) data shows just six cases were investigated from 2018 to 2020, compared to 236 in the two years leading up to October 2023. Despite this surge, no traffickers are being prosecuted.

‘Total surprise’: Principals push back as Government moves to standardised school tests

The government is moving to reform the struggling education system by introducing standardised reading, writing, and maths tests for Years 3-10, but some principals are resisting change.

The Ministry of Education has called for proposals to develop a single national assessment system.

It would replace the current mix of Progressive Assessment Tests (PATs) and Electronic Assessment Tools for Teaching and Learning tests.

RFK Jr. challenges bird flu response with bold immunity-first strategy

US Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. has proposed allowing bird flu to spread naturally through poultry farms instead of relying on mass culling, drawing sharp reactions.

Speaking to Fox News, Kennedy suggested that farmers “let it run through the flock” to identify birds with natural immunity, arguing that this could help preserve resistant birds while mitigating long-term risks.

Retracted again: Study linking mRNA vaccines to cancer sparks censorship debate

A study linking mRNA Covid vaccines to increased cancer deaths in Japan has been retracted—twice—without clear justification.

The research, led by Dr Miki Gibo, found a statistically significant rise in cancer mortality following Japan’s mRNA vaccine rollout, particularly in ovarian and blood cancers.

While the authors acknowledged that causation cannot be proven, their study was removed from Cureus after a Reuters fact-check, and later from Zenodo without explanation.

Were household appliances really better back in the day, or is it just nostalgia?

Everyone loves to complain that modern appliances don’t last like they used to—but does the data back it up?

A new study from the Norwegian University of Science and Technology suggests the truth is that it’s not just a case of “they don’t make them like they used to”—it’s a mix of economics, technology, and how we live today.