Taxpayer Funds, Indigenous Lore, and the Erosion of Scientific Rigor

A Skeptic magazine piece argues New Zealand government funding has increasingly backed projects based on Māori knowledge that lack empirical support, from lunar-phase health claims (NZ$1.2M) and lunar calendar birth outcomes (NZ$400K) to kauri-tree healing using whale products (NZ$1.1M) and a government-funded Antarctica documentary (NZ$400K). It contends that cultural sentiment is lowering the scientific bar, leading to publicly funded research built on anecdotes or untested mechanisms rather than robust evidence. The article also covers the Polynesian Antarctic voyage claim, the subsequent scholarly rebuttal, and a 2024–2026 pattern of funding that critics say privileges culture over rigorous science, urging unwavering evaluation of evidence regardless of origin.