Investigate

Investigate

The cover of the October 2006 issue of Investigate.
Editor	Ian Wishart
Categories	Newsmagazine
Frequency	Monthly
Circulation	66,000
Company	Howling at the Moon Publishing Limited
Country	New Zealand
Language	English
Website	www.investigatemagazine.com

Investigate is a current affairs magazine published in New Zealand. It has a conservative Christian editorial standpoint and has published a number of controversial articles. Many of the more notable articles have been criticial of policies and members of the centre-left Fifth Labour Government of New Zealand which governed from December 1999 until November 2008. It is edited by Ian Wishart.

Notable articles

Agent Orange production in New Plymouth

In October 2000, Investigate published a story of alleged chemical contamination in New Plymouth by the Dow Chemical Company's local subsidiary, which had produced the herbicides 2,4,5-T and 2,4-D at their factory in the city.^[1] In January 2001 Investigate then published an interview with a former senior executive of the chemical company who confirmed not only that the two herbicides had been mixed to produce the defoliant Agent Orange for US use in the Vietnam War, but also that surplus drums of the toxic substance had been buried on nearby land now covered by a housing subdivision.^[2]

The magazine then obtained a file kept by a former senior hospital matron in the 1960s and 70s, documenting dozens of bizarre birth defects in local children often associated with dioxin poisoning. The magazine published those pictures in its April 2001 issue,^[3]. A Ministry of Health report in 2004 found increased levels of dioxin in the blood of long-term residents of the area, but with no clear indication that this had increased rates of disease.^[4] A larger study in 2008 of former workers in the Dow factory showed low levels of dioxin in their blood and no link between dioxin and health issues.^[5]

John Tamihere Interview

The April 4, 2005 issue of Investigate contains an interview with then Labour MP John Tamihere. In the article Tamihere makes a number of allegations, including accusing Prime Minister Helen Clark of being unable to deal with emotions, that Labour deliberately lost the 1993 General Election, and that it is "very dangerous" to be in the Labour Party if "you're a free and independent spirit". He also is recorded as making insulting remarks about Michael Cullen, Steve Maharey, the gay MPs of the Labour Party, and about women in leadership generally.^[6]

Sexuality of Peter Davis

The September 2006 issue contained a photo of Peter Davis, the husband of Helen Clark, being kissed by a man on election night 2005. The photo had earlier featured, with repeated screenings, on a Prime Television current affairs election special hosted by Paul Holmes. A Sunday newspaper, The Sunday Star-Times, gave the photo in Investigate front page treatment with a headline denying that Davis was gay, although Investigate had not actually made this specific allegation. The timing of the Investigate publication happened to coincide with the revelations in Parliament by Labour MPs David Benson-Pope and Trevor Mallard that National Party leader Don Brash was having an affair. Ms Clark described the gay allegations as "vile, baseless lies".^[7] The picture was further muddied however when Investigate published emails from newspaper editors^[8] which revealed that they had been tipped off about the magazine's impending issue by the Prime Minister's office itself, in advance of publication, raising questions about the Government's role in manipulation of the stories.^{[citation needed]}

Preachers of Hate

The March 2007 issue contains an article entitled Preachers of Hate^[9], alleging that Islamic terrorists have infiltrated New Zealand's Muslim community.^{[citation needed]} The article was condemned as "negative stereotyping" in an open letter penned by political activist Grant Morgan and signed by well over a hundred New Zealanders, including many academic, religious and community leaders.^[10]

A follow-up article alleged that some of the signatories had not actually read the magazine article, despite signing the letter condemning it.^[11]

Alleged Links with the Exclusive Brethren

The Labour Party claims that members of the Exclusive Brethren church are behind many of the anti-Labour Party allegations published by Investigate.^[12] The connection is that private investigator Wayne Idour, who has previously done work for the Exclusive Brethren, is one of the sources for the May 2007 story about police corruption.^[13]

Investigate responded by calling Labour's allegations a deliberate smear campaign and a "conspiracy theory"^[14], saying the magazine had a wide range of sources and that all stories had been generated through routine inquiries. Idour's role as an informant in the 2007 police story was because he had served in the Dunedin police at the relevant time. Other sources were quoted in the article, including interviews with eyewitnesses.

This article may contain original research or unverified claims. Please improve the article by adding references. See the talk page for details. (February 2009)

See also

• Media of New Zealand

References

External links

• Investigate