Elizabeth Jane Cooney, commonly known as Liz Gunn (born 1959 or 1960), is the leader of the NZ Loyal Party,^[1] an anti-vaccination activist, conspiracy theorist, and a former television presenter from New Zealand.^[2][3][4][5]

Law and broadcasting career

Gunn was a litigation lawyer before beginning her TV career on the TVNZ show Sunday in 1992.^[6] From 1997 she was the first Breakfast newsreader, becoming one of the show’s co-hosts (alongside Mike Hosking) in 2001. She unexpectedly quit that role on-air during the year’s last episode. By then she had also begun broadcasting on Radio New Zealand.^[7] Other television roles included reporting for Holmes and newsreading on 1 News. Gunn moved to Australia after her TV presenting days ended in 2002, returning to New Zealand a decade later.^[8] She rejoined RNZ until 2016.^[9]

In 2017 she became a director and one-third shareholder of a new company, Lifeforce Water Limited.^[10]

Anti-vaccination activism

During the 2020s she became a leader in the anti-vaccination movement in New Zealand, and championed conspiracy theories about the COVID-19 vaccine causing harm.^[11][12][13] When an earthquake struck the North Island in October 2021, Gunn called it Mother Nature’s response to vaccination targets (which she described as “jab rape”) and other covid-related policies implemented by the “tyrannical” Prime Minister, Jacinda Ardern.^[14]

She was a leader and spokesperson in the 2022 protests occupying the New Zealand parliament grounds.^[15]

In December 2022 she was the spokesperson for parents who refused to allow their child to have a blood transfusion using blood donations from vaccinated people.^[16][17]