From RNZ · RNZ | Te Reo Irirangi o Aotearoa · · 1m 10s
Political Satire Rises in 2026 Election Campaign
New Zealand's political satire pages gain traction as election campaign heats up.
In brief
New Zealand's political satire pages gain traction as election campaign heats up. New Zealand's 2026 election campaign sees a resurgence of political satire targeting coalition government figures through online platforms. Originally reported by RNZ.
Political Satire Resurges
Political satire is having a renaissance during New Zealand's 2026 election campaign.
Two Prominent Satire Pages
Beehiving Badly features South Park-style animated videos of politicians, while Carpool Coalition posts content targeting coalition government figures.
Winston Peters' Reaction
Peters called the satire 'a lie' and denied smoking, saying he hasn't seen the content.
“I haven't seen it. It's a lie, and i don't smoke”
Satire's Historical Context
Peters has been featured in New Zealand satire since the 1980s including 'Public Eye' and 'Facelift'.
Dr Nicholas Holm's View
Holm says satire creators can now adopt hyper-partisan positions due to social media and ai.
Ben Uffindell's Return
Uffindell resurrected his 'Civilian' website for 2026, focusing on written articles targeting politicians across the spectrum.
Satire's Current Challenges
Uffindell notes leaders are less ripe for satire now but the political environment offers new opportunities.
“I actually feel like this is a bad period for satire because leaders of the parties are not exciting”
The bottom line
New Zealand's 2026 election campaign sees a resurgence of political satire targeting coalition government figures through online platforms.
