Coronavirus conspiracies rocket New Zealand blues guitarist Billy TK into politics

Name: New Zealand Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern casts her vote ahead of general elections
Uploaded: 2020-10-06T21:22:55.000Z
Duration: 1 min 1 s
Description: New Zealand Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern casts her vote ahead of general elections

Once obscure musician says PM Jacinda Ardern, Bill Gates and Hillary Clinton are behind plot to round up rural dwellers and seize their land

Posts on Facebook page of Te Kahika’s Advance NZ party have generated far more activity than those of the two mainstream parties

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Aspiring New Zealand politician Billy Te Kahika Jnr speaks at a campaign rally in Mangawhai in September. Photo: AFP

Agence France-Presse

Published: 5:22am, 7 Oct 2020Updated: 5:41am, 7 Oct 2020

During the turmoil of the pandemic, Billy TK has turned from an obscure blues guitarist into New Zealand’s leading conspiracy theorist, using viral social media posts to propel an anti-establishment run at parliament.

Wearing a smart suit on the campaign trail, Billy Te Kahika Jnr offers an image of sober consideration, even joking that his detractors are surprised to find him without a tinfoil hat.

But those critics say the 48-year-old, who recently led a maskless anti-lockdown demonstration in Auckland, is dividing society while spreading pandemic misinformation that could cost lives.

His posts and stump speeches are peppered with conspiracy theories that have flourished online globally throughout the pandemic. They typically focus on the “deep state” and claim the health crisis has been manufactured to allow governments to enslave people.

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New Zealand Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern casts her vote ahead of general elections

Part of this is a United Nations plot to round up rural dwellers into “super cities” so they can seize control of their land, according to Te Kahika.