Kelvyn Alp

Paramilitary activism

In 1996 Alp set up the New Zealand Armed Intervention Force as a mercenary organisation, later transforming it into a para-military, anti-banking, pro-people rights movement – although it was referred to in the media as a Māori separatist organisation. It is now defunct.

Alp claimed to have used a "Māori Passport" to travel to the Solomon Islands in 2001. Alp has claimed that this practice ended after the New Zealand Labour-led government threatened to pull aid from the Solomon Islands.

Political career

Alp was the leader of the Direct Democracy Party of New Zealand which stood in the 2005 general elections. He also stood for Mayor of Manukau City in 2007. Alp stood in the 2011 Te Tai Tokerau by-election under the OurNZ Party banner receiving 0.5% of the vote.

In 2023 Alp wrote party policy for New Zealand Loyal and supported its unsuccessful campaigning efforts under founding leader Liz Gunn. The next year Gunn attempted to wind up NZ Loyal and had it deregistered by the Electoral Commission. Alp kept the party active, calling an AGM in November 2024 being elected leader.

On Alp was announced by the Electoral Commission as one of five candidates for the 2025 Tāmaki Makaurau by-election. In the by-election that was held on 6 September, Alp came in last place, receiving 23 votes based on preliminary results.

Counterspin Media

Alp is a director of and programme host for far right media platform Counterspin Media Limited. Counterspin streams on the Steve Bannon-led GTV network, whose content has been described as "a significant source of fake news and misinformation". A Counterspin contributor interrupted a press conference by New Zealand Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern in November 2021, loudly shouting misinformation about COVID-19 vaccines, leading Ardern to temporarily halt the event.

Alp was an agitating force at the Convoy 2022 New Zealand protest between February and March 2022, calling for the protestors to storm parliament and arrest MPs.

In mid-August 2022, Alp and fellow Counterspin Media host Hannah Spierer featured in Stuff's Circuit documentary Fire and Fury, which examined various anti-vaccination and far right figures and groups involved in the 2022 Wellington protest. The documentary's producers including journalist Paula Penfold did not interview Alp and Spierer on the grounds that they did not want to give them a platform but instead used their videos, social media posts, and media coverage relating to their activities. In response, broadcaster Sean Plunket hosted Alp on his online radio station The Platform to share his side of the story regarding Fire and Fury.

Legal problems

Christchurch mosque shootings livestream

On 25 August 2022, Alp and Spierer were arrested in Christchurch on charges of distributing an objectionable publication, and for failing to allow Police to search their computer. The pair had allegedly distributed footage of the 2019 Christchurch mosque shootings on Counterspin Media. The pair were subsequently bailed and ordered to appear at the Christchurch District Court on 30 August. During the hearing on 31 August, the pair refused to enter the dock and instead read prepared statements from the lawyer's bench. After ignoring Judge Large's repeated instructions to stand in the dock, Alp and Spierer were forcibly removed by security personnel and remanded on bail for three weeks. 60 pro-Counterspin demonstrators and a smaller group of counter-demonstrators demonstrated outside the Christchurch District Court.

The pair subsequently reappeared at the Christchurch District Court in December 2022. In addition to the charge of sharing the objectionable documentary of the Christchurch mosque shooting, Alp was charged with "failing to carry out obligations in relation to a computer search." In late October 2023, Justice Bruce Davidson confirmed that the couple's objectionable publication case had been transferred from Christchurch to the Wellington District Court for the defendants' convenience. A pre-trial date of 14 February 2024 was set.

On 14 February 2024, Alp and Spierer attended pre-trial proceedings at the Wellington District Court. Davidson issued an interim order suppressing the defence and Crown counsels' arguments. In mid-July 2024, the couple's lawyer Tim Leighton challenged the Crown's use of 14,000 terabytes of data extracted from dozens of devices seized by Police from the defendants. He argued that they were journalists and had a right to protect their sources. Leighton argued that the Crown's digital evidence was inadmissible due to issues around privacy privileges and data restructuring. The Wellington High Court justice has reserved their decision.

2021 unlawful travel

During a COVID-19 lockdown on 22 October 2021, Alp and Spierer were arrested after travelling from Auckland (which was under an Alert Level 3 lockdown) to Wellington to support anti-vaccination activist Sue Grey during a hearing at the Wellington High Court. Alp was arrested by Police for travelling without applying for a travel exemption. In late May 2024, his case against the Police for wrongful arrest was dismissed by Justice Kevin Kelly of the Wellington District Court.

Personal life

Alp is the partner of Hannah Spierer, a former Green Party activist and the co-founder of Counterspin Media. The couple have two children.

References

References

1. Crewdson, Patrick. (7 August 2005). "Small parties battle election arithmetic". [[The New Zealand Herald]].
2. Mitchell, Charlie. (12 February 2022). "Inside the disorienting, contradictory swirl of the convoy, as seen through its media mouthpiece". [[Stuff (website).
3. (13 August 2022). "Democracy on Edge: Beyond the Fringe". [[Stuff (website).
4. (16 August 2025). "The ‘ghost party’ at the centre of a bitter political feud". [[The Press]].
5. "Maori radicals threaten BNZ chief at his home - sharechat.co.nz".
6. (14 May 2011). "Kelvyn Alp To Contest Te Tai Tokerau By-Election".
7. (5 August 2025). "Tāmaki Makaurau by-election candidates announced". Electoral Commission New Zealand.
8. (6 September 2025). "‘Looking forward to fighting a good fight’: Oriini Kaipara wins Tāmaki Makaurau by-election". [[Stuff (website).
9. "Tāmaki Makaurau - Preliminary Count". [[Electoral Commission (New Zealand).
10. "COUNTERSPIN MEDIA LIMITED".
11. (1 September 2021). "The radical right in gumboots".
12. "Ants in a Web: Deconstructing Guo Wengui's Online 'Whistleblower Movement'".
13. (2 November 2021). "Covid-19 NZ: Jacinda Ardern press conference in Northland disrupted by anti-Covid-vaccination heckling". [[Stuff (website).
14. (12 February 2022). "'Splintered realities': How NZ convoy lost its way". [[Newsroom (website).
15. (14 August 2022). "Pushing Back Across The Monsters". [[Stuff (website).
16. (22 August 2022). "The subjects of Stuff's Fire and Fury are furious". [[The Spinoff]].
17. (25 August 2022). "Hosts of far-right media outlet Counterspin reportedly arrested and charged". [[Stuff (company).
18. (31 August 2022). "Protesters face off as far-right media hosts in court". [[Radio New Zealand]].
19. (7 December 2022). "No supporters show up for far-right Counterspin Media pair's latest court appearance". [[Radio New Zealand]].
20. (25 October 2023). "Pre-trial date set for far-right activists charged over sharing livestream of Christchurch mosque attacks". [[RNZ]].
21. (14 February 2024). "Hosts of far-right media platform back in court". [[The Star (Christchurch).
22. (11 July 2024). "Terabytes of data at centre of far-right media’s legal challenge". [[The Post (New Zealand newspaper).
23. (30 May 2024). "Far-right media host's court case against police dismissed". [[RNZ]].
24. (3 September 2022). "From potential environmental to conspiracy theorist: What happened to Hannah Spierer". [[Stuff (website).