Another victim of dirty politics speaks out

Written By: - Date published: 10:02 am, September 17th, 2014 - 117 comments
Categories: accountability, blogs, Ethics - Tags: , , ,

This piece in The Herald deserves the widest possible exposure. Go read the original in full:

Wendyl Nissen: Tuning out: Dirty Politics and the blogs

I don’t usually write columns about politics but I’m going to talk about smear campaigns and conflict because it involves me.

As you may know I write a column called Wendyl Wants to Know in the Weekend Herald every Saturday which looks at what is in processed food.

Most of the time the findings are not very good and involve additives or high sugar and salt levels you wouldn’t want near your family. Other times I am pleasantly surprised to find a producer making genuinely healthy food.

Earlier this year I was on the receiving end of a concerted effort, including legal letters, to get me discredited through my bosses at the Herald. The person behind it was Katherine Rich …

After that I noticed that right-wing bloggers Whale Oil (Cameron Slater) and Cactus Kate (Cathy Odgers) appeared to have begun a smear campaign against me. I haven’t read any of the blogs but I was alerted to them and their subject matter. …

Since then the book Dirty Politics has been released and there are now allegations that these bloggers were paid money to conduct smear campaigns against people disliked by their clients. One of those clients is alleged to be Katherine Rich. …

Last week I resigned from my regular Friday morning slot on NewstalkZB, which I have been doing for 15 years, because I didn’t want to be on the same platform as Cameron Slater, another commentator on the station, while there are allegations that his views involve cash for comment. …

A friend said “this can’t be the New Zealand we know”, and I agree. As my husband says, “we need to be on the side of the angels”, and I try very hard to be.

117 comments on “Another victim of dirty politics speaks out ”

  1. vto 1

    All the muck will settle to the bottom..

    then it can be dug out and shipped off to Hawaii

    • Naki man 1.1

      “All the muck will settle to the bottom..

      then it can be dug out and shipped off to Hawaii”

      These scum wont be going to Hawaii, when the FBI get hold of them they will rot in Leavenworth.

    • Inky 1.2

      VTO, let’s hope Hawaii will accept our toxic waste.

  2. Enough is Enough 2

    Katherine Rich has always been a Tory Witch.

    • Tigger 2.1

      I’ve sat in meetings with her and met her at fictions – liked and respected her. I knew she ran a pro-corporate organisation – utterly opposite to what I would do but I still liked working across from her.

      Can’t say that now – this is vile stuff. She should resign.

      • Colonial Viper 2.1.1

        Even relatively decent people get corrupted on the way through. And often its through the cumulative results of many small (and individually apparently innocuous) decisions and steps taken.

  3. Tom Gould 3

    Think what you like about Hager, he very effectively shut down the Tory attack machine depriving them of their character assassination and smear capabilities. Small mercies, perhaps. But ironically, this campaign could be seen as the cleanest for years because it has been about revealing the nasty truth of the Tories ‘two track’ campaign process.

    • halfcrown 3.1

      Well said. Now we only need that traitor called Dunn to lose his seat, and if the left doesn’t win at least we have had a few small gains.

      • Colonial Viper 3.1.1

        35,000 NATs switching to LAB or GR and Key is screwed. That’s how close this is.

        • Tracey 3.1.1.1

          Which is why nats made their billboard stickers look like the electoral commission, cos they are worried

  4. 100% Pure NZ 4

    Bravo!

    Well said – time to think about how to boycott these organisations that continue to actively spew filth into our society, for their own pecuniary gain.

    • Colonial Viper 4.1

      Boycott them, ensure higher food standards, and give people options to become more independent of industrialised processed food. Local food production, community gardens, etc.

  5. Nic the NZer 5

    Thanks to Wendyl Nissen for having principal and speaking out, but this result is hardly a benefit to society. What we see happening here is bad ethics driving good ethics out (in this case from NewstalkZB). In financial markets this process is called a Gresham dynamic where the financial markets gradually become more an more fraudulent, because fraud is much more profitable. Cameron Slater no doubt is well paid for running his various attacks, while Wendyl is out and looking for other work. Pressure needs to be put on NewstalkZB not to host commentators who get paid for their opinions.

    • Colonial Viper 5.1

      Good god, someone here just referred to Gresham’s Dynamic. We’re definitely getting a better class of commentator here on The Standard 😯

    • Local Kiwi 5.2

      ZB is radios VERSION to news of the world was to papers.

      Duncan Garner is a horrible piece of filth, as bad as Slater.

      We just heard him interview Cunliffe and after told everyone they should consider if they didn’t warm to Cunliffe then he is out of a job.

      He was inferring don’t vote for him essentially.

      What a biased big turkey he is and evil as a bought hack.

    • Rodel 5.3

      Big word fpr media person Wendyl Nissen:.. INTEGRITY. Praise the Lord and pass the ammunition.

  6. Dont worry. Be happy 6

    One victim of Dirty Politics cannot speak out. Judd Hall, mocked in death as a “feral” who “did the World a favour” by being killed in a road smash. Mocked By Cameron Slater….in a post….on his widely read blog, not in his private communications with fellow bloggers or National Party Ministers.

    What followed is history….widespread revulsion, outrage, hactivism, “Dirty Politics” Rawshark….and, in the welter of detail, the Prime Minister admitting that he had rung Cameron but all that he had said was “that I recognised her (Judd Hall’s mother, Joe) ”

    Key denied that he ever said what Slater claimed, “that’s the feral bitch that screams at me when I go to Pike River meetings” although “I recognised her from the photograph” does seem to belong at the end of that claim of Slater’s.

    The problem for Key may be…is there anywhere else in the conversation thatmit belongs?

    Why even talk about Joe Hall? She wasn’t in the post….

    But she had left an angry and distraught message on Slaters phone.

    That’s been played in the media.

    Was this message the cue for them to be discussing Joe Hall in the first place…..which then led to the PM’s admitted claim to know her “from the photograph” ?

    How odd to be in a position of who to believe…Slater or the PM …about just what the PM exactly said about a mother grieving her last son.

    Key has made much of claiming he doesnt use that kind of language. I am old enough to remember the shock many felt when Nixon was revealed on tape, speaking privately to friends, as foul mouthed and hateful.

  7. sable 7

    Really hard to take this woman seriously when you consider who her employer is…

    • Rosalind 7.1

      Don’t take her seriously, she has no competence whatsoever in food safety and is just promoting her own website and business.

      • Colonial Viper 7.1.1

        Why do you degrade people who take moral and ethical stances to the detriment of their own income and employment positions?

        These people are rare enough in our society as it is, without your thoughtless commentary.

    • Ergo Robertina 7.2

      ‘Really hard to take this woman seriously when you consider who her employer is…’

      Writing for a powerful organisation, the reality is it has the size to hold its own against corporate bullies and the advertising dollar.
      Wendyl does a great job of bringing food safety and quality issues to a mainstream readership.
      She has been so effective the industry targeted her, and deserves some credit and support for her work.

  8. ianmac 8

    Great Wndyl. Courage and integrity are in short supply so well done.

  9. Ennui 9

    Well done Wendyl taking a stand.

    PS your book on household tips is wonderfully useful……something Slater could never achieve.

  10. chrissy 10

    Thanks for posting this: agreed, we all need to read this and digest it. The piece had 5,000 shares on the Herald yesterday, and from people who are foodies, etc, rather than political animals. The comments from good folk are heartening, if you think this kind of thing needs exorcising and are wondering whether people have a heart for that.

    Now : a simple, straight question for Katherine Rich: did the Food and Grocery Council pay for a smear campaign by Whale Oil against Nissen?

    An honest answer, I believe, would see the end of Ms Rich’s role at FGC, and the sugar lobby exposed for the kind of operation it is.

  11. Craig Glen Eden 11

    This piece by Nissen could actually get more people thinking than every thing else that has come out so far in the Dirty politics sager. well certainly reach people who would be otherwise happy to vote National you know cos National are winners and nice conservative folk type voters. People who like to live healthy wont like the link to the Corporate food/sugar lobby which of coarse is right in Nationals camp.

  12. Rosalind 12

    Wendyl Nissen has a lot of nerve to complain about smear campaigns when she is a one-woman smear campaign who has made a career out of making untruthful and misleading statements about safe food additives. In one column she claimed that numerous artificial colours that are permitted in New Zealand are ‘banned in Europe’ when in fact none of them are banned.Although toxicologists, food technologists and other scientists try to get her to correct her frequent misleading statements in her columns, she does not do so.
    She writes her columns for money and to promote her own website, where she sells her products, and is not ‘on the side of the angels’ at all, but purely on the side of her own financial interests. She pretends competence in food safety that she simply does not have. For example her website has a free recipe for ‘Garlic/yeast powder’ as an oral flea treatment for cats. In fact cats are extremely sensitive to the toxic effects of garlic and should not be fed garlic at all. So much for any competence or integrity on Wendyl’s part.
    Cameron Slater’s methods are odious but Wendyl has no grounds for complaint. Furthermore she has not presented any evidence whatsoever that Katherine Rich is behind Cameron Slater’s attacks.

    • McFlock 12.1

      lol

      • greywarbler 12.1.1

        @ Rosalind 12
        Assertions on Wendyl Nissen’s statements and activities.
        1 In one column she says that artificial colours permitted in NZ are banned in Europe.
        2 None of them are banned.
        (Links for the above?)
        3 Food tech and medical people have tried to correct misleading statements in columns.
        4 She does not correct these.
        (Links for the above?)
        5 An example of pretended competence is that her website has a free recipe for oral
        flea treatment for cats using garlic/yeast.
        6 Garlic has a toxic effect on cats which are sensitive to it.
        (Links for the above? Also is this Wendyl’s recipe or from someone that advertises or has supplied her with a remedy recipe?)

        Wendyl earns money from her activities. She is paid for her columns and for use of her website. She gives the impression that she is full of good and kind intentions in her doings, but she is just in it for the money. Opinion.)
        I am paraphrasing above to try and cut though the verbiage so I can understand it better. Presumably she is allowed to earn money. It may be all, part, or not correct. Links would help from this apparently informed person.

        • McFlock 12.1.1.1

          but links could be checked, and that might be a problem for “rosalind”

        • weka 12.1.1.2

          Nissen states categorically that she is not paid by vested interests for her column.

        • Rosalind 12.1.1.3

          I’ll have to search back on the first one because it was two or three years ago. I do remember that the Herald had to publish a retraction of her assertions, but I’m pretty sure she did not write the retraction herself.
          The second one is in the comments to her article (from a food technologist) and personal communications from my colleagues in toxicology.
          The flea remedy is on Wendyl’s website. Google is your friend. She uses it on her own cats. I have provided a link elsewhere on this thread to the fact that garlic is contraindicated in cats.

          • karol 12.1.1.3.1

            The onus is on the person making the claims to provide the supporting links or citations. It’s not the role of other people to run around doing that for you.

            if you can’t be bothered to provide the links, why should we believe your claims?

          • One Anonymous Bloke 12.1.1.3.2

            Forget it Karol: this “person” thinks evidence is a comment on the internet.

            Or pretends to.

            One thing I believe: Rosalind is toxic, but only to cretins.

        • Rosalind 12.1.1.4

          Consider the text from this article by Wendyl:
          http://www.nzherald.co.nz/lifestyle/news/article.cfm?c_id=6&objectid=10842375

          ‘Ponceau 4R (124), a red synthetic colour which has been banned in the US, Norway and Finland. It can cause allergic reactions and there are concerns that it might be carcinogenic.
          Sunset Yellow FCF (110) is banned in Norway and Finland. After the same study mentioned for tartrazine the United Kingdom requested a voluntary withdrawal of this colouring in all its foods.
          Tartrazine (102) is an artificial yellow dye which has been banned in Norway and the United Kingdom due a study which found links to hyperactivity in children. Brilliant Blue (133) is banned in 11 countries and can cause allergic reactions.
          Brown HT (155) is made from coal tar. It is commonly used to give a brown colour but is not approved for use in foods in the United States and many European countries because it causes allergic reactions.
          Amaranth (123) is a dark red or purple dye which is a suspected carcinogen banned in the US in 1976.’

          False claims made by Wendyl in the text above are as follows:
          Norway accepts all the colours that are permitted in the EC, including all the ones which Wendyl asserts Norway has banned. Every time she has written that a colour is banned in Norway, she has made a false statement.
          Ponceau 4R has been banned in the US. In fact it has never been assessed in the USA
          There are concerns that Ponceau 4R is carcinogenic. This is not true. EFSA assessed it and concluded that it is not.
          Sunset Yellow is one of the ‘Southhampton Six’. Although the UKFSA had a voluntary phase-out of these among its own manufacturers, this does not apply to food entering the UK from the rest of the EC, the USA or other countries.
          Tartrazine is not banned in Norway or the UK. Wendyl’s statements are false. The southhampton study alleging links to hyperactivity in children is poorly regarded.
          Brilliant Blue is not banned in ANY country, let alone eleven countries. On the contrary, it is approved by the international food organisation, Codex Alimentarius. EFSA last evaluated Brilliant Blue in 2010 and noted no safety concerns at permitted levels.
          Brown HT is also approved by Codex. No application has ever been made for its use in the USA so it is impossible to say whether or not it would be approved if the FDA assessed it. It is permitted throughout the EC; no EC countries have withheld approval which doesn’t leave many European countries, does it?
          Although the USA does not permit Amaranth, Wendyl neglects to mention that both EFSA and JECFA (WHO) permit Amaranth and have concluded that it is NOT a carcinogen

          So, in that short extract from Wendyl’s article linked above, she has made, by quick count eight completely false statements and several more profoundly misleading ones.

          • One Anonymous Bloke 12.1.1.4.1

            Let’s assume for a moment that any of Rosalind’s assertions are true.

            What does it say about toxicologists that they need to employ Cameron Slater to run their lines?

            Don’t toxicologists have codes of ethics ‘n’ shit?

            • Rosalind 12.1.1.4.1.1

              I don’t know of any toxicologists who employ Cameron Slater to run their lines. Katherine Rich is not a toxicologist. There is no mention of toxicologists in Dirty Politics. Scientific facts don’t need the likes of Slater.

              • One Anonymous Bloke

                So attacking one of his targets, in the middle of a discussion about his attacks, and asserting toxicological dominance is a spectacularly stoopid way to make your case, Perfesser.

                Scientists and their cack-handed approach to meeja.

                • Rosalind

                  My view is that although many victims of Slater’s attacks, such as the innocent civil servant that Collins sicced him onto, deserve our sympathy and support, Wendyl Nissen does not because she has made a career out of scaremongering, and furthermore she has no evidence that it was Katherine Rich who sicced Cameron Slater onto her.

                  • One Anonymous Bloke

                    She’s more qualified to assess that than you are: cf: legal approaches to her employers.

          • Rosalind 12.1.1.4.2

            I don’t think even John Key is capable of such a Gish Gallop as Wendyl’s text that I have quoted above, although Cameron Slater probably is. Side of the angels indeed!

          • Flynn 12.1.1.4.3

            Um, 2 seconds Googling shows that a number of sites claim those additives ARE banned in the places named. (I didn’t check every single one, but enough came up that I consider the whole comment above suspect).

            From a bit more research, it looks like a lot of them *were* banned in places like Norway, until they were later overturned by the European Union, or may not be currently banned, but there haven’t been any releases to update their status in the last few years (e.g. “we will phase out by X date…” being the last update). So while it is true they may not be *currently* banned:

            – they may have been at the time she was writing
            – plenty of reputable sites still claim that information, which she could have relied on when researching (even if a bit more research was needed)
            – ‘was once banned until overturned by wider economic powers’ is a valid point to mention in most cases.
            – in some cases, ‘banned’ appears to be short hand for ‘we require you to declare it, have voluntary codes against it, and generally give health warnings… but it isn’t illegal to use because we have wider economic agreements to uphold/aren’t quite sure’. And while that’s poor reporting, it’s still within the spirit of the sort of articles she was writing, and *exactly* what most of her readers would care about.

            The sheer amount of nitpicking over these specific chemical additives that *a great many people* honestly believe are potentially dangerous is ridiculous and obsessive. She may be wrong. There may be amazingly clear evidence showing that. But there is plenty of evidence showing that she could *genuinely have come to that conclusion* while checking her facts, and considers it to be true. But it is reasonable to ignore pressure from vested interests. It is fair enough to write her articles off as unreliable. It is not reasonable to escalate that pressure to harrassment.

    • Colonial Viper 12.2

      Yes it’s sad when you see paid idiots run lines for corporate interest, Rosalind. Whose interests do you serve Btw?

      • Rosalind 12.2.1

        I don’t serve any interests except scientific fact.

        • One Anonymous Bloke 12.2.1.1

          Regrettably your science is now associated with Cameron Slater and the National Party. We’ll do our best to set up a committee to explore avenues to help avoid collateral damage when we smash this criminal gang.

          • Rosalind 12.2.1.1.1

            Cameron Slater is odious and so is the National Party, but that does not mean their opponents should align with the anti-science faction which includes the scaremongering Wendyl Nissen. The Standard discredits itself by backing her.

            [lprent: The Standard is a machine (see “Meet the Standard”). It doesn’t have opinions. However I do and, as a programmer, one of them is that people trying to tell a dumb machine what it should do are moronic idiots. I usually ban them for stupidity.

            But in this case people appear to be engaged in this debate and apart from this lapse nothing else in this exchange has engaged my moderation attention, so I will let it ride.

            However I suggest that you read the policy so as not to draw my attention again. It is in the section about “Rules”, and the about to find out why we don’t have much of an editorial policy – just rules about behaviour. ]

            • One Anonymous Bloke 12.2.1.1.1.1

              The Standard is a machine. It can’t credit or discredit anything.

              The specific assertions Nissen has made relate to ratfucking, not ratpoison. Your attack on her toxicological credibility has no bearing on the article published by The Herald.

              • Rosalind

                Well it does, in that she claims to have integrity and to ‘be on the side of the angels’.

                • One Anonymous Bloke

                  Well it doesn’t, because the article is about the criminal activities of Slater Rich and Key, of which she seems more qualified to make comment on than you.

    • Nic the NZer 12.3

      Just think of all that good Butylated hydroxy-anisole (BHA) your family is missing out on as a result of her *opinion*.

      • halfcrown 12.3.1

        Butylated hydroxy-anisole (BHA) Code 320
        A lovely little substance according to our Chemical Maze book by Bill Statham. It is banned in some countries (does not state where)
        Petroleum based used in cosmetics and food as an antioxidant
        Can cause Hay fever headache, fatigue neurotoxiicity just to name a few
        It is carcinogenic.

        Can be found in Milk Powder and Instant mashed potato

        Other uses. Cosmetics and plastic food wrap.

        Chemical Maze book classes this as Hazardous.

        • Nic the NZer 12.3.1.1

          Ohh, that sounds yummy.

        • Rosalind 12.3.1.2

          Do you understand the concept ‘The dose makes the poison’? I know Wendyl doesn’t, but competent toxicologists do.

        • Rosalind 12.3.1.3

          Butylated hydroxyanisole (BHA), INS 320

          BHA is authorised alone, or in combination with other antioxidants such as gallates, tertiary butylhydroquinone and butylated hydroxytoluene, for a wide range of different food categories in Europe.

          BHA is also permitted for a variety of foods in the United States, as well as by many other food regulators around the world. It is also permitted in a variety of food categories in the Codex General Standard for Food Additives (GSFA).

          • One Anonymous Bloke 12.3.1.3.1

            So why do you need ratfucker slime to say so?

            • Rosalind 12.3.1.3.1.1

              Who needs ratfucker slime Cameron Slater to say so? Where is Wendyl’s evidence that Katherine Rich or anyone else used Slater to say anything about Wendyl?

    • framu 12.4

      golly – thats terrible

      could you then explain why the attacks on her arent about this?

      im not saying your wrong – i honestly dont know the truth of that one way or the other – BUT – if what you are saying is correct then surely thats plenty of ammo to fight back with

      why use the dirty tricks machine at all?
      Why run the response through a proxie to hide your identity?
      Why not just say what youve said and provide evidence?
      Who is rosalind and what interest does she have? 🙂

      “Furthermore she has not presented any evidence whatsoever that Katherine Rich is behind Cameron Slater’s attacks.”

      she doesnt need to – theres been a whole book already that outlines KRs links to WO and what they were up to

      • One Anonymous Bloke 12.4.1

        Who is rosalind and what interest does she have?

        😆

        • Rosalind 12.4.1.1

          I am interested only in science and truth. I am not in the pay of anyone. Wendyl is in her own pay and the pay of the Herald.

      • Rosalind 12.4.2

        It is only Wendyl’s assertion that Katherine Rich has used the odious Cameron Slater to attack Wendyl specifically. Where is Wendyl’s evidence for this?
        It makes no sense for Katherine Rich to use Whale Oil to attack Wendyl because the FGC can, and does, directly and openly refute false information of the kind Wendyl distributes. Therefore I don’t believe Wendyl’s assertion that KR has used Whale Oil.

        • One Anonymous Bloke 12.4.2.1

          Have you read Dirty Politics? Perhaps not.

          • Rosalind 12.4.2.1.1

            I’ve read some of it so far. I don’t recall anything in it about Wendyl Nissen. Give me the page number where she is referred to and I’ll look it up.

            • One Anonymous Bloke 12.4.2.1.1.1

              It refers to Katherine Rich. Being cute about it won’t help the fact that you appear to have barged in on a discussion about ratfucking with a bee in your bonnet about the toxicological credentials of a Herald columnist.

              Is she such a threat to toxicology?

    • Ffloyd 12.5

      Wow! Someone is prickly! I thought that Wendy gives a lot of her tips and recipesaway for free. Plus she has a huge following of very intelligent discerning people who use her investigative knowledge to make informed choices on product buying and natural ways on cleaning that has a limited harmful effect on the universe.

      • Rosalind 12.5.1

        Very intelligent discerning people don’t follow people as chronically inaccurate as Wendyl Nissen.

    • Inky 12.6

      Rosalind, you’ve been all over the blogs running this reporter down. You claim to be a toxologist. Tell us who you are so we can check you are legit and have no vested interest in continuing the Slater-esque attacks against her. For all we know, you’re Katherine Rich.

      [lprent: You cannot ask someone to out themselves on this site. Persist and you are likely to be banned. Read the policy. ]

      • Rosalind 12.6.1

        I’m not Katherine Rich. She is not a toxicologist.

        • Inky 12.6.1.1

          The point is, I could say I’m a toxologist too, or a brain surgeon or taxidermist, couldn’t I? But I’m not. (Although you could say I have an interest in taxidermy because I’d like to see John Key well and truly stuffed on Saturday.)

    • weka 12.7

      “‘Garlic/yeast powder’ as an oral flea treatment for cats. In fact cats are extremely sensitive to the toxic effects of garlic and should not be fed garlic at all. ”

      Meanwhile, out in the real world, many people give their cats garlic with no ill effect. There is some evidence that garlic can be a problem for some cats, but it’s by no means universal and it’s not toxic in the sense all cats will get acutely ill kind of way that you imply.

      • Rosalind 12.7.1

        http://www.aspca.org/pet-care/virtual-pet-behaviorist/cat-behavior/foods-are-hazardous-cats

        Note that although cats don’t voluntarily eat enough garlic to get sick, Wendyl recommends spreading garlic on cats’ feed so they cannot avoid eating it.

        • weka 12.7.1.1

          you said “In fact cats are extremely sensitive to the toxic effects of garlic and should not be fed garlic at all.”

          That implies that cats eating any amount of garlic will get sick. Which is bullshit.

          You have obviously never tried feeding garlic to cats. Most cats won’t eat food with garlic in it, or spread on it. Cat’s sense of smell is a big part of them choosing what to eat. They also don’t like the taste. You have to disguise the garlic. I agree that it shouldn’t be given a lot or all the time, but that’s different than your statement about it being highly toxic. Am guessing that Nissen’s recipe is low dose.

          I doubt you understand how to apply science or research results in the real world. You come across as someone with a grudge based on dogma (that’s me being kind and assuming you don’t work for Rich).

          • Rosalind 12.7.1.1.1

            ‘That implies that cats eating any amount of garlic will get sick.’ No it doesn’t. That’s a strawman argument.

            Nissen’s recipe is not low dose; it is 30 g of garlic powder, sprinkled on their food so they can’t avoid it.

            Cats most certainly can be, and have been, clinically poisoned by that sort of quanitity of garlic powder, if they can’t avoid eating it.

            I am in fact Board-certified in both Toxicology (i.e. human and environmental) and Veterinary Toxicology. To even sit the exams for Board Certification in Veterinary Toxicology requires both a veterinary degree and a PhD on top of it. I am easily New Zealand’s most highly qualified toxicologist.

            http://www.toxi.co.nz

            You come across as an ignorant person who knows nothing about toxicology.

            • weka 12.7.1.1.1.1

              do you still claim that no cats can eat small quantities of garlic without being poisoned?

              Please link to Nissen’s recipe.

              • Rosalind

                http://wendyls.co.nz/garlicyeast-powder-for-cat-food/

                The fundamental rule of toxicology is that the dose makes the poison. If a cat is forced to eat 30 g of garlic because it can’t get at its food without eating the garlic, then that is sufficient to cause haemolysis in the average-sized cat.

                I have never claimed that ‘no cats can eat small quanities of garlic without being poisoned’; that is a Straw Man argument. However, 30 g of garlic is not a small quantity to a cat.

                • weka

                  “I have never claimed that ‘no cats can eat small quanities of garlic without being poisoned'”

                  Yeah, you did:

                  “‘Garlic/yeast powder’ as an oral flea treatment for cats. In fact cats are extremely sensitive to the toxic effects of garlic and should not be fed garlic at all. ”

                  • Rosalind

                    What I meant is that the prudent, responsible policy is to not feed cats garlic at all. That does mean that a tiny amount would cause clinical toxicity.

                    • weka

                      right, so you intentionally misled us with your statement, as a way of making a political point. Well done there Science.

                • Rosalind

                  Correction, I see on further review that it is not 30 g but probably only 1 or 2 when diluted by the Brewer’s Yeast etc. However, fed daily, that is still enough to give a cat haemolysis.

                  • weka

                    have you done an actual calculation of the amount of garlic in one dose of the recipe?

                    • weka

                      Am curious for a reference for toxic dose too. Best I can find easily on google is 5gm per kg, but I haven’t looked on science databases yet.

                      Am also curious if the research differentiated between dry and fresh garlic, as some of the compounds change distinctly (not sure if they are the relevant ones).

                  • Inky

                    Rosalind, re Rich and the New Zealand Food & Grocery Council? Admire their work? I’m curious. Do you know if the council ever hires toxicologists to work for it? (I’m wondering if they use such experts to counter the claims of people such as Wendyl?)

                  • Nic the NZer

                    Funny that you assertions are not in fact affected by your mistake in the dosage. Pretty sloppy from the countries most qualified toxicologist actually. Still you should probably get onto those cat and dog food treat manufacturers who also put garlic in their product. They appear to have some serious issues with their labelling.

                    Keep up the good service to toxicologists, doing the profession proud so far. Any hints on the toxic dosage front for us amateurs?

                • weka

                  “The fundamental rule of toxicology is that the dose makes the poison. If a cat is forced to eat 30 g of garlic because it can’t get at its food without eating the garlic, then that is sufficient to cause haemolysis in the average-sized cat.”

                  She says to use 1 tsp of the whole mix per day, not 30gms of garlic powder per meal or day. Have you calculated how much that is per dose?

            • Te Reo Putake 12.7.1.1.1.2

              “I am easily New Zealand’s most highly qualified toxicologist.”

              Yep, it appears you are (you’ve kinda outed yourself) and I think you are speaking from a position of strength. I just hope Rich never reads your comment about Slater and the Nats; we know what happens to people they don’t like.

              You say the the Standard should not back Nissen, but the post was about her experience with right wing harassment, not about her favourite recipes. The people who comment here are the Standard community, not the site itself. Not that the site itself has a personality. It’s only a machine or so I’m told.

              • Rosalind

                But where is Wendyl’s evidence that Rich has used Slater to attack her? There is no question that Slater has been used as a tool (in more than one sense) to attack people, but where is the specific evidence that he was used to attack Wendyl by Katherine Rich?

                • Inky

                  So you think it was mere coincidence that soon after Rich moved against Wendyl, Slater suddenly decided off his own bat to smear the woman? What, because she said the Twisties he loves are no good for him?

        • Inky 12.7.1.2

          It depends on the website you go to.

          The safe dose of garlic for healthy cats is a slice of garlic clove 2-3 times a week. Although this safe garlic dose is not enough to deworm a pet or cure a viral disease, it probably stimulates the immune system just enough to be a blessing. In addition, garlic provides “heat” from a traditional Chinese medicine (TCM) perspective, and “heat” is beneficial for weak, chilly, or older pets.

          • Rosalind 12.7.1.2.1

            That’s all pure quackery. There is no legitimate scientific indication whatsoever for feeding cats garlic ever.

            • Inky 12.7.1.2.1.1

              With respect, for all we know you’re a quack. No one’s going to just accept what you say when you’re effectively backing Slater’s attacks on the woman and, in fact, continuing them. You sound like someone with a real axe to grind. You’ve made too many posts about this on this blog and others for it to be otherwise. Chances are you’ll find a far more sympathetic audience for your theories on Whale Oil. They love character assassination there. But of course you already know that, don’t you?

              • Rosalind

                I’ve never read Whale Oil and I would never go near it. However I have read Wendyl’s columns and they are frequently full of scaremongering and misinformation. I am happy to attack Wendyl’s credibility because she is not a reliable source of information on food safety as she pretends to be.

                • weka

                  “full of scaremongering and misinformation.”

                  Like ‘cats should never be fed garlic because it is highly toxic’

                  Pot meet kettle.

    • AsleepWhileWalking 12.8

      @ Rosalind
      What has any of this got to do with Wendyl’s resignation from ZB? It is clear Slater bullied her through his blog. Thankfully Wendyl has enough self love to move herself into a better workspace which is more balls than TPTB in ZB have shown.

      I really admire Wendyl for having the integrity to do this despite any financial or professional cost.

      Who gives a shit about garlic.

      • Rosalind 12.8.1

        The point is, Wendyl is in her own way as dishonest as Slater,having made a career out of misleading scaremongering, yet she claims to have integrity and to be on the side of the angels.

      • Rosalind 12.8.2

        People do give a shit about their cats you know, and Wendyl’s recipe isn’t good for their cats.

        • Murray Olsen 12.8.2.1

          On your webpage you don’t say which institution awarded your PhD. Is this the normal practice for toxicologists?

  13. philj 13

    Thanks for speaking out, Wendy. You are making a difference! Principles and ethnics are not dead yet, although our MSM wouldn’t agree.
    Although Campbell Live did a shocking story of the folk of Eltham being poisoned by rotting buttermilk waste toxic gas, permitted by the local regional council. Thank you Campbell Live team for your excellent work, puts the rest to shame.

  14. Local Kiwi 14

    Wendy you have a special place as an assigned angel when we meet on the other side.

    So many good souls we have seen this election come out to save our country.

    We must have good prevail over evil.
    keep your soul free to care and don’t let them win.

  15. One Anonymous Bloke 15

    Little stones make an avalanche.

    • weka 15.1

      Someone else resigned from their media spot so as to not have to share it with Slater or similar. Anyone remember who that was?

  16. sabine 16

    wow
    so much stuff about cats and garlic
    just wow

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    Point of OrderBy Bob Edlin
    6 days ago
  • Why Newshub failed
    Chris Trotter writes – TO UNDERSTAND WHY NEWSHUB FAILED, it is necessary to understand how TVNZ changed. Up until 1989, the state broadcaster had been funded by a broadcasting licence fee, collected from every citizen in possession of a television set, supplemented by a relatively modest (compared ...
    Point of OrderBy poonzteam5443
    6 days ago
  • Māori Party on the warpath against landlords and seabed miners – let’s see if mystical creature...
    Bob Edlin writes  –  The Māori Party has been busy issuing a mix of warnings and threats as its expresses its opposition to interest deductibility for landlords and the plans of seabed miners. It remains to be seen whether they  follow the example of indigenous litigants in Australia, ...
    Point of OrderBy Bob Edlin
    6 days ago
  • There’s a name for this
    Every year, in the Budget, Parliament forks out money to government agencies to do certain things. And every year, as part of the annual review cycle, those agencies are meant to report on whether they have done the things Parliament gave them that money for. Agencies which consistently fail to ...
    No Right TurnBy Idiot/Savant
    6 days ago
  • Echoes of 1968 in 2024?  Pocock on the repetitive problems of the New Left
    Mike Grimshaw writes – Recent events in American universities point to an underlying crisis of coherent thinking, an issue that increasingly affects the progressive left across the Western world. This of course is nothing new as anyone who can either remember or has read of the late ...
    Point of OrderBy poonzteam5443
    6 days ago
  • Two bar blues
    The thing about life’s little victories is that they can be followed by a defeat.Reader Darryl told me on Monday night:Test again Dave. My “head cold” last week became COVID within 24 hours, and is still with me. I hear the new variants take a bit longer to show up ...
    More Than A FeildingBy David Slack
    6 days ago
  • Bernard's Top 10 @ 10 'pick 'n' mix' for March 13
    TL;DR: My top 10 news and analysis links this morning include:Today’s must-read: Angus Deaton on rethinking his economics IMFLocal scoop: The people behind Tamarind, the firm that left a $500m cleanup bill for taxpayers at Taranaki’s Tui oil well, are back operating in Taranaki under a different company name. Jonathan ...
    The KakaBy Bernard Hickey
    6 days ago

  • Positive progress for social worker workforce
    New Zealand’s social workers are qualified, experienced, and more representative of the communities they serve, Social Development and Employment Minister Louise Upston says. “I want to acknowledge and applaud New Zealand’s social workers for the hard work they do, providing invaluable support for our most vulnerable. “To coincide with World ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    4 hours ago
  • Minister confirms reduced RUC rate for PHEVs
    Cabinet has agreed to a reduced road user charge (RUC) rate for plug-in hybrid electric vehicles (PHEVs), Transport Minister Simeon Brown says. Owners of PHEVs will be eligible for a reduced rate of $38 per 1,000km once all light electric vehicles (EVs) move into the RUC system from 1 April.  ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    6 hours ago
  • Trade access to overseas markets creates jobs
    Minister of Agriculture and Trade, Todd McClay, says that today’s opening of Riverland Foods manufacturing plant in Christchurch is a great example of how trade access to overseas markets creates jobs in New Zealand.  Speaking at the official opening of this state-of-the-art pet food factory the Minister noted that exports ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    7 hours ago
  • NZ and Chinese Foreign Ministers hold official talks
    Minister of Foreign Affairs Winston Peters met with Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi in Wellington today. “It was a pleasure to host Foreign Minister Wang Yi during his first official visit to New Zealand since 2017. Our discussions were wide-ranging and enabled engagement on many facets of New Zealand’s relationship with China, including trade, ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    20 hours ago
  • Kāinga Ora instructed to end Sustaining Tenancies
    Kāinga Ora – Homes & Communities has been instructed to end the Sustaining Tenancies Framework and take stronger measures against persistent antisocial behaviour by tenants, says Housing Minister Chris Bishop. “Earlier today Finance Minister Nicola Willis and I sent an interim Letter of Expectations to the Board of Kāinga Ora. ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    1 day ago
  • Speech to Auckland Business Chamber: Growth is the answer
    Tēna koutou katoa. Greetings everyone. Thank you to the Auckland Chamber of Commerce and the Honourable Simon Bridges for hosting this address today. I acknowledge the business leaders in this room, the leaders and governors, the employers, the entrepreneurs, the investors, and the wealth creators. The coalition Government shares your ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    3 days ago
  • Singapore rounds out regional trip
    Minister Winston Peters completed the final leg of his visit to South and South East Asia in Singapore today, where he focused on enhancing one of New Zealand’s indispensable strategic partnerships.      “Singapore is our most important defence partner in South East Asia, our fourth-largest trading partner and a ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    4 days ago
  • Minister van Velden represents New Zealand at International Democracy Summit
    Minister of Internal Affairs and Workplace Relations and Safety, Hon. Brooke van Velden, will travel to the Republic of Korea to represent New Zealand at the Third Summit for Democracy on 18 March. The summit, hosted by the Republic of Korea, was first convened by the United States in 2021, ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    4 days ago
  • Insurance Council of NZ Speech, 7 March 2024, Auckland
    ICNZ Speech 7 March 2024, Auckland  Acknowledgements and opening  Mōrena, ngā mihi nui. Ko Andrew Bayly aho, Nor Whanganui aho.  Good morning, it’s a privilege to be here to open the ICNZ annual conference, thank you to Mark for the Mihi Whakatau  My thanks to Tim Grafton for inviting me ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    4 days ago
  • Five-year anniversary of Christchurch terror attacks
    Prime Minister Christopher Luxon and Lead Coordination Minister Judith Collins have expressed their deepest sympathy on the five-year anniversary of the Christchurch terror attacks. “March 15, 2019, was a day when families, communities and the country came together both in sorrow and solidarity,” Mr Luxon says.  “Today we pay our respects to the 51 shuhada ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    4 days ago
  • Speech for Financial Advice NZ Conference 5 March 2024
    Speech for Financial Advice NZ Conference 5 March 2024  Acknowledgements and opening  Morena, Nga Mihi Nui.  Ko Andrew Bayly aho, Nor Whanganui aho. Thanks Nate for your Mihi Whakatau  Good morning. It’s a pleasure to formally open your conference this morning. What a lovely day in Wellington, What a great ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    4 days ago
  • Early visit to Indonesia strengthens ties
    Foreign Minister Winston Peters held discussions in Jakarta today about the future of relations between New Zealand and South East Asia’s most populous country.   “We are in Jakarta so early in our new government’s term to reflect the huge importance we place on our relationship with Indonesia and South ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    5 days ago
  • China Foreign Minister to visit
    Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Foreign Affairs Winston Peters has announced that the Foreign Minister of China, Wang Yi, will visit New Zealand next week.  “We look forward to re-engaging with Foreign Minister Wang Yi and discussing the full breadth of the bilateral relationship, which is one of New Zealand’s ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    5 days ago
  • Minister opens new Auckland Rail Operations Centre
    Transport Minister Simeon Brown has today opened the new Auckland Rail Operations Centre, which will bring together KiwiRail, Auckland Transport, and Auckland One Rail to improve service reliability for Aucklanders. “The recent train disruptions in Auckland have highlighted how important it is KiwiRail and Auckland’s rail agencies work together to ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    5 days ago
  • Celebrating 10 years of Crankworx Rotorua
    The Government is proud to support the 10th edition of Crankworx Rotorua as the Crankworx World Tour returns to Rotorua from 16-24 March 2024, says Minister for Economic Development Melissa Lee.  “Over the past 10 years as Crankworx Rotorua has grown, so too have the economic and social benefits that ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    5 days ago
  • Government delivering on tax commitments
    Legislation implementing coalition Government tax commitments and addressing long-standing tax anomalies will be progressed in Parliament next week, Finance Minister Nicola Willis says. The legislation is contained in an Amendment Paper to the Taxation (Annual Rates for 2023–24, Multinational Tax, and Remedial Matters) Bill issued today.  “The Amendment Paper represents ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    5 days ago
  • Significant Natural Areas requirement to be suspended
    Associate Environment Minister Andrew Hoggard has today announced that the Government has agreed to suspend the requirement for councils to comply with the Significant Natural Areas (SNA) provisions of the National Policy Statement for Indigenous Biodiversity for three years, while it replaces the Resource Management Act (RMA).“As it stands, SNAs ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    5 days ago
  • Government classifies drought conditions in Top of the South as medium-scale adverse event
    Agriculture Minister Todd McClay has classified the drought conditions in the Marlborough, Tasman, and Nelson districts as a medium-scale adverse event, acknowledging the challenging conditions facing farmers and growers in the district. “Parts of Marlborough, Tasman, and Nelson districts are in the grip of an intense dry spell. I know ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    5 days ago
  • Government partnership to tackle $332m facial eczema problem
    The Government is helping farmers eradicate the significant impact of facial eczema (FE) in pastoral animals, Agriculture Minister Todd McClay announced.  “A $20 million partnership jointly funded by Beef + Lamb NZ, the Government, and the primary sector will save farmers an estimated NZD$332 million per year, and aims to ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    5 days ago
  • NZ, India chart path to enhanced relationship
    Foreign Minister Winston Peters has completed a successful visit to India, saying it was an important step in taking the relationship between the two countries to the next level.   “We have laid a strong foundation for the Coalition Government’s priority of enhancing New Zealand-India relations to generate significant future benefit for both countries,” says Mr Peters, ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    5 days ago
  • Ruapehu Alpine Lifts bailout the last, say Ministers
    Cabinet has agreed to provide $7 million to ensure the 2024 ski season can go ahead on the Whakapapa ski field in the central North Island but has told the operator Ruapehu Alpine Lifts it is the last financial support it will receive from taxpayers. Cabinet also agreed to provide ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    6 days ago
  • Govt takes action to drive better cancer services
    Health Minister Dr Shane Reti says the launch of a new mobile breast screening unit in Counties Manukau reinforces the coalition Government’s commitment to drive better cancer services for all New Zealanders. Speaking at the launch of the new mobile clinic, Dr Reti says it’s a great example of taking ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    6 days ago
  • Govt takes action to drive better cancer services
    Health Minister Dr Shane Reti says the launch of a new mobile breast screening unit in Counties Manukau reinforces the coalition Government’s commitment to drive better cancer services for all New Zealanders. Speaking at the launch of the new mobile clinic, Dr Reti says it’s a great example of taking ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    6 days ago
  • Work begins on SH29 upgrades near Tauriko
    Unlocking economic growth and land for housing are critical elements of the Government’s plan for our transport network, and planned upgrades to State Highway 29 (SH29) near Tauriko will deliver strongly on those priorities, Transport Minister Simeon Brown says. “The SH29 upgrades near Tauriko will improve safety at the intersections ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    6 days ago
  • Work begins on SH29 upgrades near Tauriko
    Unlocking economic growth and land for housing are critical elements of the Government’s plan for our transport network, and planned upgrades to State Highway 29 (SH29) near Tauriko will deliver strongly on those priorities, Transport Minister Simeon Brown says. “The SH29 upgrades near Tauriko will improve safety at the intersections ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    6 days ago
  • Fresh produce price drop welcome
    Lower fruit and vegetable prices are welcome news for New Zealanders who have been doing it tough at the supermarket, Finance Minister Nicola Willis says. Stats NZ reported today the price of fruit and vegetables has dropped 9.3 percent in the 12 months to February 2024.  “Lower fruit and vege ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    6 days ago
  • Statement to the 68th United Nations Commission on the Status of Women
    Tēnā koutou katoa and greetings to you all.  Chair, I am honoured to address the sixty-eighth session of the Commission on the Status of Women. I acknowledge the many crises impacting the rights of women and girls. Heightened global tensions, war, climate related and humanitarian disasters, and price inflation all ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    6 days ago
  • Speech to the 68th United Nations Commission on the Status of Women (CSW68)
    Tēnā koutou katoa and greetings to you all.  Chair, I am honoured to address the 68th session of the Commission on the Status of Women. I acknowledge the many crises impacting the rights of women and girls. Heightened global tensions, war, climate related and humanitarian disasters, and price inflation all ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    6 days ago
  • Government backs rural led catchment projects
    The coalition Government is supporting farmers to enhance land management practices by investing $3.3 million in locally led catchment groups, Agriculture Minister Todd McClay announced. “Farmers and growers deliver significant prosperity for New Zealand and it’s vital their ongoing efforts to improve land management practices and water quality are supported,” ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    6 days ago
  • Speech to Auckland Business Chamber
    Good evening everyone and thank you for that lovely introduction.   Thank you also to the Honourable Simon Bridges for the invitation to address your members. Since being sworn in, this coalition Government has hit the ground running with our 100-day plan, delivering the changes that New Zealanders expect of us. ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    7 days ago
  • Commission’s advice on ETS settings tabled
    Recommendations from the Climate Change Commission for New Zealand on the Emissions Trading Scheme (ETS) auction and unit limit settings for the next five years have been tabled in Parliament, Climate Change Minister Simon Watts says. “The Commission provides advice on the ETS annually. This is the third time the ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    1 week ago
  • Government lowering building costs
    The coalition Government is beginning its fight to lower building costs and reduce red tape by exempting minor building work from paying the building levy, says Building and Construction Minister Chris Penk. “Currently, any building project worth $20,444 including GST or more is subject to the building levy which is ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    1 week ago
  • Trustee tax change welcomed
    Proposed changes to tax legislation to prevent the over-taxation of low-earning trusts are welcome, Finance Minister Nicola Willis says. The changes have been recommended by Parliament’s Finance and Expenditure Committee following consideration of submissions on the Taxation (Annual Rates for 2023–24, Multinational Tax, and Remedial Matters) Bill. “One of the ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    1 week ago
  • Minister’s Ramadan message
    Assalaamu alaikum. السَّلَام عليكم In light of the holy month of Ramadan, I want to extend my warmest wishes to our Muslim community in New Zealand. Ramadan is a time for spiritual reflection, renewed devotion, perseverance, generosity, and forgiveness.  It’s a time to strengthen our bonds and appreciate the diversity ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    1 week ago
  • Minister appoints new NZTA Chair
    Former Transport Minister and CEO of the Auckland Business Chamber Hon Simon Bridges has been appointed as the new Board Chair of the New Zealand Transport Agency (NZTA) for a three-year term, Transport Minister Simeon Brown announced today. “Simon brings extensive experience and knowledge in transport policy and governance to the role. He will ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    1 week ago
  • Speech to Life Sciences Summit
    Good morning all, it is a pleasure to be here as Minister of Science, Innovation and Technology.  It is fantastic to see how connected and collaborative the life science and biotechnology industry is here in New Zealand. I would like to thank BioTechNZ and NZTech for the invitation to address ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    1 week ago
  • Progress continues apace on water storage
    Regional Development Minister Shane Jones says he is looking forward to the day when three key water projects in Northland are up and running, unlocking the full potential of land in the region. Mr Jones attended a community event at the site of the Otawere reservoir near Kerikeri on Friday. ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    1 week ago
  • Government agrees to restore interest deductions
    Associate Finance Minister David Seymour has today announced that the Government has agreed to restore deductibility for mortgage interest on residential investment properties. “Help is on the way for landlords and renters alike. The Government’s restoration of interest deductibility will ease pressure on rents and simplify the tax code,” says ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    1 week ago
  • Minister to attend World Anti-Doping Agency Symposium
    Sport and Recreation Minister Chris Bishop will travel to Switzerland today to attend an Executive Committee meeting and Symposium of the World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA). Mr Bishop will then travel on to London where he will attend a series of meetings in his capacity as Infrastructure Minister. “New Zealanders believe ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    1 week ago
  • Pacific Language Weeks celebrate regional unity
    This year’s Pacific Language Weeks celebrate regional unity and the contribution of Pacific communities to New Zealand culture, says Minister for Pacific Peoples Dr Shane Reti.  Dr Reti announced dates for the 2024 Pacific Language Weeks during a visit to the Pasifika festival in Auckland today and says there’s so ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    1 week ago

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