Yeah... Nah! is a fortnightly podcast from the New Zealand Skeptics focusing on the latest news of skeptical interest both locally and internationally.
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After a break to go down to Christchurch for the 2026 NZ Skeptics conference, our podcast hosts are back and keen to chat about all things conference related. Katrina fills us in on the weekend of talks, Mark reports back on the annual award winners, and Bronwyn lays out what the Society’s been up to in her Chair report. Then Mark goes off-script, talking about his trip back to Wellington, and some of the awful music he and his travelling companions found in charity shops between Christchurch and Picton and were forced to listen to. About this episode Articles we talk about: The Conference in
Katrina is back, and Tim Atkin is also joining us for this episode of the Yeah… Nah! podcast. We start off talking about some cheeky changes that have happened in Rationalist House in Auckland, adding labels to all the portraits on the walls declaring them to be part of the “Dead Old White Men” series. Katrina lets us know what advice the NZ Police are now giving to their officers for how to deal with Sovereign Citizens. And finally Tim, Bronwyn and Mark talk about their recent visit to the “premiere” of a creationist movie called Universe Designed - needless to say, none of them were overly i
We’re missing a member in this episode of the Yeah… Nah! Podcast - Katrina has abandoned us. But have no fear, journalist Anke Richter has joined us in Katrina’s stead. Anke recently visited the US to attend the ICSA’s annual conference on cults, and tells us all about how it went - including the fact that she won an award for her work organising the Decult conference here in New Zealand. We also get some inside info on speakers for the second Decult, happening this October in Christchurch, and share our unvarnished opinions on the new Gloriavale documentary series. About this episode Our gues
It’s a little quieter on this week’s episode of the Yeah… Nah! Podcast, with no guests to speak of, or to. Instead, Mark debriefs us all about his recent visit to a Christian who pretends to be an atheist so that his church audiences can learn how to challenge non-believers. Katrina talks about flow state, and how pseudoscience peddlers are happy to sell products to induce it, even though they have no evidence their products work. Mark dunks on Elon Musk, looking into the history of the HyperLoop concept, the Boring Company, the Urban Loop and the sad reality of what has been delivered so far
We’re almost outnumbered by guests in this episode of the Yeah… Nah! podcast, with Lee Traynor joining us to tell us about his foundation’s offer of scholarships to attend the 2026 NZ Skeptics conference. We also have James Kerr on to talk about his article responding to Patrick Medlicott’s claims about degrowth. Then our regulars have their say, talking about Chris Ashenden and his AG1 supplement company, the wild goose chase to invent a reactionless drive, and the reality and disinformation around Kessler syndrome, where earth’s orbits may end up being filled with a cascade of debris. About
In this episode of the Yeah… Nah! Podcast, after advertising our annual conference we get stuck into talking about some weird and wonderful topics. Starting with our guest Dan Ryan, who has been looking into Highden Temple’s new cryptocurrency, Highden Coin, and how badly it’s been configured. Katrina talks about a new breakthrough in de-extinction, with the invention of artificial eggs. And Mark is unimpressed with Aires Tech and their pendants that supposedly protect you from “dangerous” EMF. About this episode Our Guests: Daniel Ryan Articles we talk about: Conference Update A Spiritual Cry
In this episode of the Yeah… Nah! Podcast, the team have found some very disparate topics to talk about. Firstly, Mark has some thoughts about Richard Dawkins’ recent article where he wonders out loud if Claude and other AI models may be conscious. Katrina has pulled on a thread she picked up in a sci-fi book, and has ended up trying to find out if there’s anything to the Buddhist idea of Tukdam - monks whose consciousness supposedly lives on in their bodies for days after they’ve died. Bronwyn has had enough of seeing AG1 adverts on YouTube and elsewhere, so has looked into the company’s foun
In our shiny new episode of the Yeah… Nah! Podcast, we’re all over the show. Mark starts by talking about Givealittle, and their lacklustre response to concerns he and Dan Ryan raised with them a couple of years ago. Then he transitions to talking about Iran’s issue with sycophancy and fake technological advances. Bronwyn looks into the Guinness World Records, and how the organisation has changed over the years - and not for the better. And finally Katrina has been pondering some recent Alzheimer’s Treatments in the context of both statistical and clinical significance. About this episode Arti
We’re back with a guest for this episode of the Yeah… Nah! Podcast, as Aaron joins us to talk about the Jehovah’s Witnesses, and a recent pamphlet created by Lloyd Evans that can be handed to members, warning them about being misled. Mark talks about Scientology Runs, and whether trespassing on Scientology property is a good thing or not. Bronwyn talks about how one of Edmund Hillary’s later expeditions promised to look for the Yeti, and Katrina debunks yet another claim that NASA has found aliens. About this episode Our Guests: Aaron Davies Articles we talk about: Everything I know about Skep
We start off this week’s episode of the Yeah… Nah! Podcast talking about a recent change in New Zealand legislation, removing the alcohol restrictions on religious holidays in bars and restaurants. As well as this small but meaningful change, Katrina looks into microplastics to see if they’re a ticking timebomb inside our bodies, Mark double checks whether sugar feeds cancer, and where this idea came from, and Bronwyn looks into the history of Youth With a Mission (YWAM), a Christian mission organisation, and uncovers some interesting connections to New Zealand. About this episode Articles we
We’re joined on this episode of the Yeah… Nah! podcast by NZ Skeptics committee member Dan Ryan, who recently found that Falun Gong were being less than honest when running stalls at his local market. We also hear from Katrina about Louis Theroux’s new documentary on the “manosphere”, Mark about the Auckland Deep Thinkers group, who don’t appear to be thinking very deeply, and Bronwyn, who has been looking into the history of Friday the 13th and its superstitious beliefs. About this episode Articles we talk about: Friday the 13th x 3: The mayhem, the meme, and some math Inside the Manosphere –
In this episode of the Yeah… Nah! podcast, we start off with a short chat about Thomas Driver, followed by an extended amount of blathering from Mark, who fills us in on both his visiting Mormons and some emails the NZ Skeptics have been receiving recently asking if we can publish their articles on our website. Bronwyn has debunked one of Mark’s pet theories, the idea that there’s been an uptick in mushrooms being sold as complementary medicine recently because of companies who were planning to grow marijuana having to repurpose their equipment. And finally Katrina has found the curious case o
We’re all over the show in this episode of the Yeah… Nah! Podcast. After an impromptu discussion about the UK’s Metropolitan Police and their decision to force members of secretive groups like the Masons to declare their memberships, we launch into several of the topics that were covered in last weekend’s newsletter. Starting with Jeffrey Epstein, Mark talks about several different ideas people have had that there may be secret codes embedded in the recently released email batches. Bronwyn has found an early Skeptic in New Zealand, and chronicles her deep dive into the adventures of Thomas Dri
In this episode of the Yeah… Nah! podcast we spend most of our time talking with Jared Brandon about his shiny new YouTube channel, Unholy Light. Jared is attempting to tackle some of the simple-sounding but tough topics related to Christianity, like defining the words they use such as “faith”. Mark also talks about Shawn Bolz, a “prophetic” teacher who has been shown to have most likely been using hot reading techniques to wow Christian congregations around the US, and Kristina Dines, a woman whose toes were supposedly magically restored years after they had been amputated, after she attended
We’re back after a hiatus over the Christmas break, with a look into all things skeptical. The team starts off talking about Megalag’s latest videos covering the Honey browser extension debacle. Bronwyn has been looking into the new season of The Telepathy Tapes, and also checking out whether a recent umbrella review of alternative treatments for autism has found anything positive (spoiler: it hasn’t). Katrina is currently being spammed with adverts for “natural” menopause treatments, and has checked out whether any of them have any merit (spoiler: they don’t). And finally Mark has been lookin
In our last Yeah… Nah! episode of 2025, we have an odd mix of topics to cover - but that doesn’t stop Bronwyn from being able to connect them somehow, as well as tie them in with the theme of Christmas. After some housekeeping, Mark talks about his foray into nature documentaries, dissecting a scene from the 1970s movie “Animals are Beautiful People” and questioning whether any of it is real. Katrina has a dream that one day she might be able to walk into her kitchen and ask a 3D printer to make her a meal, but it turns out that that day is probably a long way off. And Bronwyn has found out (s
In this episode of the Yeah… Nah! Podcast, our team of intrepid podcasters reveal that the NZ Skeptics’ fundraising offer is just $50 shy of our $2,000 target. Mark then launches into an impassioned monologue about climate change and some of the correspondence he’s received recently. In the aftermath of the recent failed rapture predictions, Bronwyn has been keeping an eye on Tik Tok and has found the Next Big Thing for outraged Christians, a demon-possessed alarm clock. Katrina’s read a parenting book, Hunt, Gather, Parent, and has tried out some of its suggestions - although she remains skep
In this special episode of the Yeah… Nah! podcast, we talk with longtime skeptic Siouxsie Wiles about taking her employer, Auckland University, to employment court over their lack of support for her science communication work. We get to hear some of the inside scoop about the court case, and try to figure out why the university chose to go down the legal path rather than making a few simple changes to their policies. About this episode Links to resources we talk about: Period People Aotearoa: https://www.toiaria.org/our-projects/period-people-aotearoa/ Period People donations: https://support.
We’ve covered some serious topics in this week’s podcast, and some that are thankfully a little more light-hearted. Mark talks about a media request the NZ Skeptics have received to answer questions about UFOs, hoping to make it abundantly clear that despite a number of UFO articles on our website, we don’t actually believe that little green men are visiting us. Bronwyn has delved into our project to collate events of skeptical interest, and looks at what skeptical events happened this fortnight in history. Katrina tackles a more serious topic, of Parental Alienation, asking whether this “synd
We have more topics than usual on this week’s Yeah… Nah! podcast episode, with Bronwyn talking about Zholia Alemi and RFK Jr’s circumcision claims, Mark talking about the new book The War on Science and Avi Loeb’s doom and gloom predictions that aliens are coming to kill us, and finally Katrina talking about Gerson Therapy and another sad case of someone foregoing proper medical treatment, with dire consequences. Plus we have an update of sorts on the (non)Rapture of 2025. About this episode Articles we talk about: Wham, Bam, Autism scams: Circumcisions and Autism The Actual War on Science Ger
Katrina’s back and in top form for this episode of the Yeah… Nah! Podcast, updating us on the latest research into keto diets, and recent experiments in mice. Mark has an up-date on the failed Rapture prediction, with a new date being suggested of the 7th of October, and a hand-waving excuse as to why it didn’t happen on the 24th. And there was no way Bronwyn wasn’t going to cover the recent claims by Trump and RFK Jr in the US that paracetamol use in pregnancy is the cause of autism. About this episode Articles we talk about: The 2025 Keto Mice Update Why was the Rapture predicted for Septemb
Quick, you only have a few days left before the Antichrist turns up for the end of the world - make sure your room’s tidy, and say goodbye to any Christians in your life before they’re whisked away. In this week’s episode, Mark talks about an Official Information Act request warning the government that the Rapture is happening on Wednesday the 24th of September, 2025, and breaks down what all the mentions of conspiracy theories are in the request. Bronwyn has found a worrying trend on social media of using scare tactics to stop women taking the contraceptive pill. Finally, Bronwyn and Tim talk
This week in the Yeah… Nah! podcast, there’s a smorgasbord of skeptical topics for you to gorge yourself on. Bronwyn has updates to her previous articles on Cryonics, the Warrens, the Campbells and ISTA, while Katrina has concerns about how poor numeracy can have detrimental health outcomes. And Mark has been patiently waiting for a new game, Silksong, to be released, and has found an interesting parallel to how conspiracy theorists behave amongst the many people hyped up about the game’s long-awaited release. About this episode Articles we talk about: Skeptical Updates Numeracy and Health Out
In this episode of the Yeah… Nah! podcast there’s just one topic on all of our minds - The Telepathy Tapes. Bronwyn, Mark and Katrina talk to Janyce Boynton from the US about the world of Facilitated Communication (FC). Janyce is not only hugely knowledgeable about the world of FC, but was also once a practitioner herself. The conversation ranges from the 1990s through to today, covering not only FC but also RPM, S2C, telepathy, false abuse accusations, the complicity of higher education, copyright strikes, and a whole lot more. About this episode Our Guests: Janyce Boynton Articles we talk ab
Despite the fact that all our podcast hosts wrote about the same topic for our newsletter this week, we’ve still ended up with a variety of discussions for the podcast. Bronwyn and Mark not only talk about The Telepathy Tapes, but also about their visit to see a talk given by Brother Guy Consolmagno, the head Vatican Astronomer. Katrina thoroughly debunks the idea that quantum entanglement could explain telepathy between individuals who have been in close proximity to each other, and Mark laments the end of his regular Skeptical Activism evenings in Wellington. About this episode Articles we t
