Unsettling Extremism is a podcast by He Whenua Taurikura, Aotearoa's Independent Centre of Research Excellence for Preventing and Countering Violent Extremism. In this podcast we will be having critical conversations with experts who look at extremism, hate, mis and disinformation, conspiracy theories as well as our social connectedness all through a uniquely Aotearoa lens. Each episode I'll interview a different expert who will discuss their research contextualise the present moment explain the impact of extremism and disinformation, and let us know what we all can do about it.
This episode distils and highlights the major takeaways of this podcast, namely belonging and peace.
24 Jul 2025
Dismantling Communicative Inequalities with Mohan Dutta
In today’s episode, we talk about how the study of communication can help us understand and resist social inequity. My guest is Prof. Mohan Dutta, Dean's Chair Professor of Communication at Massey University. He is the Director of the Center for the Culture-Centered Approach to Research and Evaluation (CARE). Prof. Dutta is the winner of the 2016 International Communication Association (ICA) Applied/Public Policy Communication Research Award, and the 2018 Outstanding Health...
18 Jun 2025
Theorizing About Conspiracy Theories with M Dentith
Philosopher Dr. M R Dentith explores the concept of conspiracy theories, questioning their inherent nature and whether belief in them is inherently negative in this interview.
5 Apr 2025
Replacement Conspiracy Theory and Aotearoa
This episode of Unsettling Extremism is a little bit different than what you're used to today, rather than talking to a scholar about their research we are taking on a particular topic, great replacement conspiracy theory. As the research center charged with countering and preventing violent extremism, I wanted to take a closer look at how this conspiracy theory relates specifically to an Aotearoa context to do this. I had conversations with some of Aotearoa, leading experts on the topi...
20 Dec 2024
Exploring Big Questions Through Fiction with Tina Makereti
Award-winning writer and creative writing professor Dr. Tina Makereti shares how literature can inform our understanding of white supremacy and extremism through the power of storytelling.
20 Nov 2024
Fear with Byron Clark
Byron Clark, an independent researcher and author, shares his insight on the ideological underpinnings of New Zealand's far-right extremist movements, helping us understand and confront their ideologies.
15 Aug 2024
The Radical Right and Populism in Aotearoa with Paul Spoonley
In this episode our guest is Distinguished Professor Paul Spoonley. He is a highly regarded sociologist with expertise in the areas of demography, immigration, diversity, and political and ideological extremism. You might already know Paul because he is regularly asked to comment on social issues in the media. In our interview, we discussed the evolution of the radical right in New Zealand, the rise of populism and his ideas on how we can improve social cohesion. Here are some resources...
10 Jul 2024
Always Seeking the Light with Joanna Kidman
In this episode I spoke with Joanna Kidman, Professor of Māori Education at Victoria University of Wellington and Director of He Whenua Taurikura. She has a long and esteemed career as a sociologist researching the impact of the impact of institutional and systemic racism on Māori communities, including her Marsden-funded project looking at the impact of the New Zealand Wars on Māori communities and our society as a whole. Joanna was recently selected as a Fellow of the Royal Society for distinction in her research and leadership in her field. Our conversation ranged from her background, to the ways her research looks at the fractures in society, to what she has learned about peace. Joanna brings her sociological training and Māori worldviews to the area of extremism and counterterrorism research.
If you would like to learn more about Joanna's, check out the following resources:
https://e-tangata.co.nz/comment-and-analysis/joanna-kidman-standing-for-peace-in-an-angry-world/
https://www.bwb.co.nz/books/fragments-from-a-contested-past
22 Jun 2024
Disrupting Colonial Peace with Mahdis Azarmandi
In this episode of Unsettling Extremism I spoke with Dr. Mahdis Azarmandi, Senior Lecturer the School of Educational studies and Leadership at the University of Canterbury. Beyond her work in education, she also has expertise in Political science and Peace and Conflict Studies. We talked about the construction of the concept of peace, different forms of violence, and how terms like terrorism and extremism can be problematic.
If you would like to read some of Mahdis's work, some selected works are below:
Azarmandi, M. (2018). The racial silence within peace studies. Peace Review, 30(1), 69-77.
Azarmandi, M. (2021). Freedom from discrimination: on the coloniality of positive peace. In The Palgrave handbook of positive peace (pp. 611-621). Singapore: Springer Singapore.
Azarmandi, M. (2023). Disturbing a Discipline: Towards Pluriversal Peace and Conflict Studies. Journal of Intervention and Statebuilding, 1-15.
Aikman, P. J., & Azarmandi, M. (2023). Koro and the Statue: Disrupting Colonial Amnesia and White Settler Sovereignty in Aotearoa New Zealand. In The Palgrave Handbook on Rethinking Colonial Commemorations (pp. 33-51). Cham: Springer International Publishing.
Here is a list of of some of the scholars/works Mahdis discussed in this episode:
Debbie Bargallie https://experts.griffith.edu.au/19242-debbie-bargallie/publications
Martin Luther King Jr. https://www.africa.upenn.edu/Articles_Gen/Letter_Birmingham.html
Alana Lentin https://www.alanalentin.net/books/racism-book/
Nelson Maldonado -Torres https://caribbeanstudiesassociation.org/docs/Maldonado-Torres_Outline_Ten_Theses-10.23.16.pdf
Charles Mills https://books.google.co.nz/books/about/The_Racial_Contract.html?id=LPbBdyxGNhQC&redir_esc=y
1 Jun 2024
The Shaming State with Sara Salman
In this episode I spoke with Dr. Sara Salman, Senior Lecturer at Victoria University of Wellington in Criminology and Scholar in Residence at He Whenua Taurikura. We talked about how social neglect and injustice can negatively affect our social relationships, responses different groups of people had to New Zealand's Covid-19 policies, and how Māori led responses to disaster show us an alternative way help those in need. If you are interested in learning more about what Sara discussed in this interview, see the resources below.
Fitzmaurice, L., & Bargh, M. (2021). Stepping up: COVID-19 checkpoints and rangatiratanga. Huia Publishers.
Hamilton, K. (2023) Maia Whakatakaia - A working paper on Māori recovery and responses for Cyclone Gabrielle (https://www.linkedin.com/pulse/maia-whakatakaia-working-paper-m%C4%81ori-recovery-cyclone-kym-hamilton/).
Salman, S. (2023) Playing in the Team of Five Million: Conformity and Nonconformity to the New Zealand Covid-19 Pandemic Response. Crit Crim 31, 343–361. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10612-023-09707-7 (https://apc01.safelinks.protection.outlook.com/?url=https%3A%2F%2Fdoi.org%2F10.1007%2Fs10612-023-09707-7&data=05%7C02%7Cavery.smith%40vuw.ac.nz%7C69759f0cb2134480001e08dc7ec0bb15%7Ccfe63e236951427e8683bb84dcf1d20c%7C0%7C0%7C638524613438720710%7CUnknown%7CTWFpbGZsb3d8eyJWIjoiMC4wLjAwMDAiLCJQIjoiV2luMzIiLCJBTiI6Ik1haWwiLCJXVCI6Mn0%3D%7C0%7C%7C%7C&sdata=kO8%2Ftfj5LrfUf4%2BBCGwlpNxI1ncOgZUBOhKkM4UufeA%3D&reserved=0)
Salman, S. (2023). The Shaming State. NYU Press.
Salman, S. (23 Feb 2024). Shaming the poor doesn’t work. It’s also cruel (https://apc01.safelinks.protection.outlook.com/?url=https%3A%2F%2Fnewsroom.co.nz%2F2024%2F02%2F23%2Fshaming-the-poor-doesnt-work-its-also-cruel%2F&data=05%7C02%7Cavery.smith%40vuw.ac.nz%7C69759f0cb2134480001e08dc7ec0bb15%7Ccfe63e236951427e8683bb84dcf1d20c%7C0%7C0%7C638524613438730919%7CUnknown%7CTWFpbGZsb3d8eyJWIjoiMC4wLjAwMDAiLCJQIjoiV2luMzIiLCJBTiI6Ik1haWwiLCJXVCI6Mn0%3D%7C0%7C%7C%7C&sdata=NE2a1wenz%2F%2F9RS4FWOLHAGJJT0bjTwRbEd3doWXVjPg%3D&reserved=0). Newsroom.
18 May 2024
How the Language We Use About National Security Shapes Our Perceptions with Wil Hoverd
In this episode, we spoke with Associate Professor Wil Hoverd, Director of the Centre for Defence and Security Studies at Massey University about his research and most recent book, State of Threat. We covered topics including ideas about what National Security means, sexism in the security sector, and the Wellington Occupation. If you would like to learn more about Wil’s research see the links below.
https://www.masseypress.ac.nz/books/state-of-threat (https://www.masseypress.ac.nz/books/state-of-threat)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dzBGnKPTOwQ (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dzBGnKPTOwQ)
https://nationalsecurityjournal.nz/latest-issues-2021/the-inconsistent-usage-of-the-terms-extremism-and-terrorism-around-the-christchurch-mosque-attacks/ (https://nationalsecurityjournal.nz/latest-issues-2021/the-inconsistent-usage-of-the-terms-extremism-and-terrorism-around-the-christchurch-mosque-attacks/)
https://www.stuff.co.nz/national/christchurch-shooting/111450871/nz-is-committed-to-religious-diversity--but-do-we-know-what-that-means (https://www.stuff.co.nz/national/christchurch-shooting/111450871/nz-is-committed-to-religious-diversity--but-do-we-know-what-that-means)
https://www.rnz.co.nz/national/programmes/morningreport/audio/2018931846/expert-on-nz-s-readiness-for-cyberattacks (https://www.rnz.co.nz/national/programmes/morningreport/audio/2018931846/expert-on-nz-s-readiness-for-cyberattacks)
Academic Articles
Rivera, C., Oxholm, T., & Hoverd, W. (2023). New Zealand Religious Groups’ Responses to the Christchurch Terror Attacks: Inclusion, Exclusion and the State Response to the Mosque Victims. Journal for the Academic Study of Religion. 36(1), 1-27
Hoverd, WJ., Salter, L., & Veale, K. (2021). The Christchurch Call: insecurity, democracy and digital media - can it really counter online hate and extremism?. SN Social Sciences. 1(1), Retrieved from https://link.springer.com/article/10.1007%2Fs43545-020-00008-2
Hoverd, W. (2021). FASCISTS AMONG US: Online Hate and the Christchurch Massacre. New Zealand International Review. 46(1), 27-28Retreived from https://www.nziia.org.nz/publication/nzir/6
27 Apr 2024
Spreading Facts with Mona Krewel
In this episode, we talk with Dr. Mona Krewel about her research looking into misinformation and disinformation shared by political parties in New Zealand's 2020 and 2023 elections, the meaning of mis and disinformation in her research, and how we are all responsible for slowing its spread.
If after listening to Mona you are interested in learning more, here is some of her research:
Five weeks, 4,000 Facebook posts: Social Media Campaigning in the 2023 election. https://www.wgtn.ac.nz/news/2023/11/five-weeks-4-000-facebook-posts-social-media-campaigning-in-the-2023-election (https://apc01.safelinks.protection.outlook.com/?url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.wgtn.ac.nz%2Fnews%2F2023%2F11%2Ffive-weeks-4-000-facebook-posts-social-media-campaigning-in-the-2023-election&data=05%7C02%7Cavery.smith%40vuw.ac.nz%7C718d8f03a6414b9cdaf108dc31fe0f75%7Ccfe63e236951427e8683bb84dcf1d20c%7C0%7C0%7C638440214453680143%7CUnknown%7CTWFpbGZsb3d8eyJWIjoiMC4wLjAwMDAiLCJQIjoiV2luMzIiLCJBTiI6Ik1haWwiLCJXVCI6Mn0%3D%7C0%7C%7C%7C&sdata=%2B9ZrECeJNlz3mrJCKXuZi2eapimBuWVGq2mR%2FqlS2J8%3D&reserved=0)
Big Little lies? Disinformation in the 2023 election campaign. https://www.wgtn.ac.nz/news/2023/10/big-little-lies-disinformation-in-the-2023-election-campaign (https://apc01.safelinks.protection.outlook.com/?url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.wgtn.ac.nz%2Fnews%2F2023%2F10%2Fbig-little-lies-disinformation-in-the-2023-election-campaign&data=05%7C02%7Cavery.smith%40vuw.ac.nz%7C718d8f03a6414b9cdaf108dc31fe0f75%7Ccfe63e236951427e8683bb84dcf1d20c%7C0%7C0%7C638440214453689574%7CUnknown%7CTWFpbGZsb3d8eyJWIjoiMC4wLjAwMDAiLCJQIjoiV2luMzIiLCJBTiI6Ik1haWwiLCJXVCI6Mn0%3D%7C0%7C%7C%7C&sdata=RvKJEBPThNGCJRboNYLwWC4A9nuq5scU%2Bp2Vinn1qjQ%3D&reserved=0)
Who’s going negative? Social Media Campaigning in the 2023 Election. https://www.wgtn.ac.nz/news/2023/10/negative-campaiging-in-the-2023-new-zealand-election (https://apc01.safelinks.protection.outlook.com/?url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.wgtn.ac.nz%2Fnews%2F2023%2F10%2Fnegative-campaiging-in-the-2023-new-zealand-election&data=05%7C02%7Cavery.smith%40vuw.ac.nz%7C718d8f03a6414b9cdaf108dc31fe0f75%7Ccfe63e236951427e8683bb84dcf1d20c%7C0%7C0%7C638440214453696661%7CUnknown%7CTWFpbGZsb3d8eyJWIjoiMC4wLjAwMDAiLCJQIjoiV2luMzIiLCJBTiI6Ik1haWwiLCJXVCI6Mn0%3D%7C0%7C%7C%7C&sdata=Hy7PjR1Gz3mIwtQoiiTmUgVJQvEJhczqVSZfK2FRA2Y%3D&reserved=0)
Facts and Fiction in the 2023 New Zealand Election. https://www.wgtn.ac.nz/news/2023/09/facts-and-fiction-in-the-2023-new-zealand-election-campaign (https://apc01.safelinks.protection.outlook.com/?url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.wgtn.ac.nz%2Fnews%2F2023%2F09%2Ffacts-and-fiction-in-the-2023-new-zealand-election-campaign&data=05%7C02%7Cavery.smith%40vuw.ac.nz%7C718d8f03a6414b9cdaf108dc31fe0f75%7Ccfe63e236951427e8683bb84dcf1d20c%7C0%7C0%7C638440214453702060%7CUnknown%7CTWFpbGZsb3d8eyJWIjoiMC4wLjAwMDAiLCJQIjoiV2luMzIiLCJBTiI6Ik1haWwiLCJXVCI6Mn0%3D%7C0%7C%7C%7C&sdata=6%2FoGECK2l%2BjY68HKHmSESPcIuMWrz9wYoRXuO1WemTU%3D&reserved=0)
Fake news didn’t play a big role in NZ’s 2023 election - but there was a rise in small lies, in: The Conversation, November 14, retrieved from: https://theconversation.com/fake-news-didnt-play-a-big-role-in-nzs-2023-election-but-there-was-a-rise-in-small-lies-216338 (https://apc01.safelinks.protection.outlook.com/?url=https%3A%2F%2Ftheconversation.com%2Ffake-news-didnt-play-a-big-role-in-nzs-2023-election-but-there-was-a-rise-in-small-lies-216338&data=05%7C02%7Cavery.smith%40vuw.ac.nz%7C718d8f03a6414b9cdaf108dc31fe0f75%7Ccfe63e236951427e8683bb84dcf1d20c%7C0%7C0%7C638440214453707355%7CUnknown%7CTWFpbGZsb3d8eyJWIjoiMC4wLjAwMDAiLCJQIjoiV2luMzIiLCJBTiI6Ik1haWwiLCJXVCI6Mn0%3D%7C0%7C%7C%7C&sdata=2N9D%2B7mEsLvKo3GSeMZJOOULIzkA%2BEHpneq7USSrkjQ%3D&reserved=0)
17 Apr 2024
Unsettling Extremism Trailer
Unsettling Extremism is a podcast by He Whenua Taurikura, Aotearoa's Independent Centre of Research Excellence for Preventing and Countering Violent Extremism. In this podcast we will be having critical conversations with experts who look at extremism, hate, mis and disinformation, conspiracy theories as well as our social connectedness all through a uniquely Aotearoa lens. Each episode I'll interview a different expert who will discuss their research contextualise the present moment explain the impact of extremism and disinformation, and let us know what we all can do about it.
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Spotify
4.3 / 5
7 ratings
Podcast Authority Score: 13 / 100
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YouTube
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Engagement
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