FreeNZ

FreeNZ is an unregistered political party in New Zealand that advocates for radical libertarianism. It was founded by weedgaylord69 on 16 January 2022.

History
The FreeNZ party made its first public appearance on 16 January 2022, when a press release from the party was released announcing the candidacy of party leader weedgaylord69 in the Northland electorate for the January 2022 election. It described itself in the press release as standing "for the absolute minimisation of the role that government has to play in our lives".

Initial pre-election polls showed weedgaylord69 polling on 4.3% in Northland. After the first day of campaigning, she registered 14.1% in a poll. Her polling support declined to 11.7% after an electorate debate with the other three candidates. Raoul Duke for The Northern Advocate wrote of weedgaylord69's debate performance that "her answers, while forceful, apparently failed to resonate with the audience", adding that "her freedom-at-all costs views saw her shrugging off the potential deaths of elderly Kiwis should the country be opened all at once". Duke later wrote an in-depth story into weedgaylord69's Northland campaign on 21 January, entitled Fear and Loathing in Northland, that featured interviews with supporters of her campaign.

weedgaylord69 ultimately won 98,302 electorate votes in Northland, amounting to 13.10% of the Northland electorate vote and 2.27% of the nationwide electorate vote. On 31 January 2022, it was announced by the party that weedgaylord69 had disappeared the day prior. As a result, the party leadership was vacated, with FreeNZ not dissolving, but "entering into a period of dormancy in the meantime as our core leadership team attempts to restructure in her absence".