| Action Zealandia | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Leader | James "Hector" Fairburn (2019–2021) |
| Dates of operation | 2019 (2019)–present |
| Active regions | New Zealand |
| Ideology | White nationalism White supremacy Anti-Māori sentiment Antisemitism New Zealandnationalism Masculinism[1] Environmentalism Anti-immigration Anti-LGBT Islamophobia Identitarianism |
| Political position | Far-right[1][2] |
| Status | Active |
| Size | 30 members (2021) |
| Flag |  |
| Website | https://action-zealandia.com/ |
Action Zealandia is awhite nationalist group in New Zealand that emerged following theChristchurch mosque shootings in 2019 as the successor to an earlier group called theDominion Movement.[3][4] According toNewshub, Action Zealandia has restricted its membership to "physically fit, tidy European male[s] of sound mind and good character."[5] In addition to its online activities, the group has plastered stickers, posted banners, and networked with other far-right and neo-Nazi groups in New Zealand and abroad.[6][7][8] Action Zealandia has also attracted media attention after members made an online threat againstChristchurch'sAl Noor Mosque, attempted to start a terror cell, purchase weapons, and participated in the2022 Wellington protest.[3][4][9]
According to the group's website, Action Zealandia's stated goal is to build a community forEuropean New Zealanders. They claim that European identity is under threat from so-called "demographic replacement" caused by economically-motivated migration by non-European peoples. Action Zealandia also emphasises masculinity, physical fitness, and condemns drug use and so-called "sexual deviancy." In addition, Action Zealandia promotes nationalism,environmental sustainability and opposes free market capitalism and mass migration as detrimental to national identity and environmental sustainability.[10][5]
According to theUniversity of Waikato law academicAl Gillespie andNewsroom journalist Marc Daalder, Action Zealandia's ideology blends far-right nationalism with left-wingenvironmentalism, they are often involved in picking up rubbish and bushwalks. Action Zealandia is a fraternity also excludes women from becoming members but allows them as supporters; the disabled, drug addicts and obese individuals are also excluded from membership. Action Zealandia also opposeslibertarianism on the grounds that free market capitalism contributes to the "demographic replacement" of European New Zealanders.[10][11][6]
University of Auckland political scientist Chris Wilson andStuff journalist James Halpin have classified Action Zealandia as a paramilitary group that sees itself as sowing the seeds for a mass nationalist movement seeking to normaliseWhite nationalist talking points around European heritage,White identity,immigration andmulticulturalism. While the group has not engaged in terrorist violence, members of Action Zealandia have promoted what the authors consider "hateful rhetoric" targeting minorities, women and leftists; which Wilson and Halpin argue could encourage acts of violence by individual actors.[12]
According to theUniversity of Otago student magazineCritic Te Ārohi journalist Elliott Weir, Action Zealandia had about 30 active members as of August 2021 with at least eight supporters including three women. Although the majority of members are aged between 18 and 35 years, teenagers as young as 13 years of age have attempted to join the group.[5]
As of August 2021, their leader isNew Zealand Army reservist and former Army communications specialist James Fairburn, who is known by the codename "Hector."[13][5][3] In June 2020, Daalder reported that Fairburn had attempted to use his reservist status to secure an "E" endorsement for his firearms license that would allow him to purchasesemi-automatic firearms. Fairburn has participated in far-right Discord channels, promoted theWhite genocide conspiracy theory, advocated forWhite South African farmers, and opposed theUnited Nations'Global Compact for Migration.[3] Fairburn said in January 2023 that he had not been involved with Action Zealandia since September 2021.[14]
According to the journalist Marc Daalder, Action Zealandia emerged in July 2019 as the successor to the Dominion Movement, a far-right group that ceased its activities following theChristchurch mosque shootings in March 2019.[4][3] The Dominion Movement was a self-described "grass-rootsIdentitarian activist organisation committed to the revitalisation of our country and our people:White New Zealanders". The group condemned the Christchurch mosque shootings and claimed that it advocated non-violence. Due to the backlash against far-right groups as a result of the shootings, the Dominion Movement ceased operations and shut down its website.[15][16] In addition, the Dominion Movement opposed consumerism, immigration, and the existence ofTransgender people.[17]
According to aStuff report, an alleged co-founder of the Dominion Movement was aNew Zealand Defence Force soldier named Johann Wolfe, who was facing court martial in January 2020 for conducting four counts of espionage and two counts of attempted espionage with an undisclosed group.[18][19] He was also the first New Zealander to have been charged with espionage.[20] According toThe New Zealand Herald, Wolfe was a founding leader of Action Zealandia and had expressed support for Brenton Tarrant, theChristchurch mosque shooter.[8]
While Action Zealandia has denied any connection to the Dominion Movement, Daalder uncovered a set of leaked documents which confirmed that members of Dominion Movement had intentionally established Action Zealandia. These documents instructed members to conceal their connections to the former Dominion Movement and encouraged former Dominion members to lie to other Action Zealandia members about their prior affiliation. As a security precaution, these guidelines also advised former Dominion members to destroy or conceal their branded flags and other memorabilia associated with the Dominion Movement.[4]
Action Zealandia maintains a website, which was registered through theInstra Corporation on 23 May 2019.[6] The group also runs a podcast calledVoice of Zealandia, which has an associatedFacebook page.[3] After Action Zealandia was banned fromTwitter andYouTube in June 2021, the group has turned to other social media platforms such asDiscord,Gab,Odyssee,Telegram andElement.[8] In October 2021,Stuff reported thatMeta Platforms had banned Action Zealandia from Facebook, citing a leaked Facebook list of "Dangerous Individuals and Organisations" obtained by the American media organisationThe Intercept.[21]
In addition to their online activities, Action Zealandia has also plastered stickers in public spaces promoting their nationalist ideology.[7] in June 2022, Action Zealandia members unsuccessfully attempted to plaster "White Lives Matter" and "Kyle Rittenhouse Was Right" posters inDunedin but fled after being confronted by members of the public. In August 2022, the group's leaders ordered its chapters to do banner drops and poster runs in order to promote "White Lives Matter Day" on 9 August. The group wanted to use White Lives Matter Day to raise awareness of allegedWhite genocide in theSouth African farm attacks.[8]
According to Daalder, Action Zealandia was also linked to at least three potential crimes in March 2020 including a member named Sam Brittenden making an online threat against theAl Noor Mosque in Christchurch, posting a leakedNew Zealand Police Financial Intelligence unit document, and alleged plans to start a terror cell and purchase weapons from like-minded groups such as theAtomwaffen Division.[3][4]
On 18 August 2025, aNew Zealand Defence Force soldier, who had admitted being a member of the Dominion Movement and Action Zealandia, pleaded guilty at a court martial toattempted espionage on behalf of a foreign power; the first successful conviction for such a crime in New Zealand. The defendant admitted providing classified information including the telephone directories of several army camps and access codes toLinton Military Camp and the nearbyRNZAF Base Ohakea to an undercover New Zealand agent, posing as a foreign spy. In his affidavit, the soldier described the Dominion Movement and Action Zealandia as a "positive experience" for him and claimed they were not terrorist groups.[22] On 20 August, the soldier was sentenced to two years' imprisonment for attempted espionage.[23]
In August 2021, theCritic Te Ārohi journalist Elliot Weir reported an undercover investigation of Action Zealandia, including their plans to infiltrate theNational andNew Zealand Social Credit parties and planning to appeal to a broader group of people. Action Zealandia has also cultivated relationships with both domestic and overseas white supremacist and neo-Nazi groups and figures including formerNew Zealand National Front general secretaryKerry Bolton,Thomas Sewell'sNational Socialist Network, International Conservative Community,Nordic Resistance Movement, New British Union,Blair Cottrell, and Robert Rundo'sRise Above Movement.[13][8][5] The International Conservative Community is a transnational network offascist groups founded by Rundo. Action Zealandia is the New Zealand chapter of the group.[8]
During theCOVID-19 pandemic in New Zealand, Action Zealandia spread misinformation and conspiracy theories aboutCOVID-19 vaccines, claiming that they were part of a Jewish conspiracy to sterilise and depopulate the world. Members pressured other members not to get vaccinated and discussed ways of circumventing workplace vaccine mandates including falsifying vaccine documents.[8] Action Zealandia also supported2022 Wellington protest. In mid February 2022, an Action Zealandia member, posted a video and photos of the protest fromBowen House. These activities sparked an investigation by law enforcement authorities and promptedSpeaker of the HouseTrevor Mallard to restrict access to Bowen House.[9][24]
The name of a New Zealand right-wing nationalist group has appeared on an internal Facebook list of terror and hate groups released by international media today.
The Dominion Movement is a grass-roots identitarian activist organization committed to the revitalization of our country and our people: White New Zealanders