Monday, February 9, 2026

NZOFP slams ACC as COVID jab injury payouts reach new record

ACC record payouts for COVID jab

The New Zealand Outdoors & Freedom Party (NZOFP) has issued a scathing response to new ACC data revealing that 2025 was the highest year on record for COVID-19 vaccine injury compensation.

Party Board Member and prominent musician Aly Cook, speaking as both a party representative and the mother of a vaccine-injured adult son, is demanding an end to the systemic dismissal of those harmed.

“The vaccine figures show how many vaccine injury claims have been blocked for many years. This ongoing blocking of support for the vaccine injured is seriously calculated abuse by the state,” said COok.

“It’s legally and ethically wrong and must stop now . People trusted the government claims that the novel mRNA vax was safe and effective. Those claims were false and many suffered. The state must compensate without any further abuse of delay.”

ACC’s January 2026 Treatment Injury Refresh shows cumulative payouts have reached $16.88 million. However, the party points out that 2025 payouts were nearly double the annual average of the initial rollout years, proving that the medical and financial toll is escalating, not receding.

A mother’s fight against bureaucratic gatekeeping

For Aly Cook, these statistics represent a grueling personal journey. Her adult son was formally diagnosed with vaccine-induced pericarditis by independent specialists, yet their path to support was marked by a combative legal environment of review hearings and for some people this leads to the district court.

“I am not just talking about numbers; I am talking about my son’s life and the lives of thousands of other New Zealanders,” says Cook.

“We have had to fight every step of the way. Many claimants present clear, official diagnoses from top Cardiologists and specialists, only to have ACC use its own hired specialists to question those clinical findings. This forces the injured, already suffering and often unable to work, into a ‘battle of the experts’ that can include formal independent reviews, intense hearings, and ultimately, the District Court for some”

The “hidden” figures and excluded costs

The NZOFP’s analysis of the latest ACC report highlights a disturbing lack of transparency regarding the most severe cases. The party notes that the public $16.88 million figure excludes the most high-impact payments:

  • Lump Sums for Permanent Disability Payouts for the 18 individuals officially assessed with 10% or more permanent impairment (loss of function) are missing from the total.
  • Fatality Support: The costs for funeral and survivor grants for the families of those whose deaths were officially linked to the vaccine have been left off the public balance sheet.
  • The Review Backlog: As of late 2024, nearly 400 reviews had been lodged for declined claims. Some of these have now reached court in 2025, contributing to the record-breaking payout year.

Demanding a Ministerial Review

In an open letter to the Minister for ACC, Aly Cook and the NZOFP are calling for recognition and a public apology NZOFP calls for an immediate investigation into the “Long Legal and Review Battles” forced upon claimants and an improvement in the service. “The 2025 cost peak proves the dam is breaking,” says Cook.

“The government can no longer ignore the testimonies in the documentary ‘THE Tribute.’ which is releasing 1 episode every week with the testimony of diagnosed vaccine injured New Zealanders.”

“We need a system that honorus the ‘no-fault’ promise of ACC, rather than one that hires specialists to undermine the clinical diagnoses given by the patient’s own treating doctors & specialists. My son’s battle (he will feature in a future episode) shows that the system is failing the very people it was built “Many injured are too unwell to fight ACC and are falling through the gaps but are in part what is crushing our health system.”

“The figures of ACC simply do not match the figures of Medsafe OIAs that show the number of reports of serious injury being at 20,435 reports including hospitalisation or prolonged hospitalisation at 5779 and disabling or incapacitating at 8099 reports (note reports not persons) .. it just doesn’t marry up with ACC’s 1812 claims accepted ”

Summary of January 2026 data

  • Total Claims Lodged: 4,286
  • Total Claims Accepted: 1,812 (42%)
  • Cost Trend: 2025 recorded the highest annual payout in the scheme’s history.
  • Total Payout to date: $16,877,835  – Key Exclusions: Permanent impairment lump sums and fatality compensation

Image credit: Maksim Goncharenok

Support DTNZ

DTNZ is committed to bringing Kiwis independent, not-for-profit news. We're up against the vast resources of the legacy mainstream media. Help us in the battle against them by donating today.

No login required to comment. Name, email and web site fields are optional. Please keep comments respectful, civil and constructive. Moderation times can vary from a few minutes to a few hours. Comments may also be scanned periodically by Artificial Intelligence to eliminate trolls and spam.

10 COMMENTS

  1. ACC is a sick joke. There is no ‘no fault’ to the system, just maximum effort to get out of paying.

    In reality though, the government itself signed the contract with pfizer and screwed us over. The people of NZ should not be paying through our taxes for injuries.

    Pfizer should. The Ardern government let this happen, and a National government would’ve done the same to get access to this crap jab.

  2. Good on ya for promoting a party whose leaders are asking for our vote without listing their credentials or backgound.

    The ongoing covid farce is just another sign of Luxons descent from well meaning businessman with the skills and intent to fix the joint, to a H Clark (lying, cheating, and stealing) protege well down the path to f$%k9ng the joint

    Kiwi fanilies are suffering whilst Luxon joins Willis, Watts, and Simpsons, “line their own pockets from Kiwis hard fought earnings and savings” clique.

    Nice work.Mr Luxon.

  3. A trial mRNA product from a recidivist criminal cartel with a withheld contract,mandated and coerced into a healthy populace.

  4. All the evidence is there
    But nothing is being done
    Like with 911 7/7 Port Arthur Christchurch
    Because the main protagonists who are implicated and involved are too big to fail
    State domestic terrorism cannot happen without state involvement and participation
    Who were given immunity and a free pass to their sinister in ‘just following orders’ unscrupulous actions
    Problems don’t go away
    Nothing pervades light
    The truth is the enemy of the lie
    The lie is the enemy of the truth
    The truth must be protected with a body guard of lies
    But there is a chink in the armor and the light is filtering in
    Justice in NZ will not come through the corridors of controlled fake opposition
    But will come through the power and Word of YHWH God
    Who is in control of all things
    In heaven and in earth
    Otherwise he is in control of nothing

  5. ACC govern themselves and will just keep putting off until you die. We’ve got an email from the mp stating they remain at “arms length” so have no control anyway. This has been ongoing for far longer than the recent increase in load caused by the covid jab.

  6. I can only wish that the NZOFP & the NZ Loyal Party can either merge or form a super-strong coalition, and boot the Uni-Party OUT of Parliament!
    THEN…we might see some accountability on this genocidal crime against humanity that Jabby and her ilk perpetrated on us all.
    My family NEVER too the jab, but a family member who was injured on the job over 25 years ago lives with the end result of being refused an operation both in public and private, and incessant ACC denials. She is in chronic scale 7 pain and nothing is being done!
    ACC is NOT ‘it for purpose’ and those running it have demonstrated that they also are not ‘fit and proper’ people.
    But, if we were related to a rugby or cricket star, or a Dunning-Kruger type with a high profile that is politically-correct, and Masonic, we would get everything..!
    The pigs always gather at the trough at the end of the year and at the Monarch’s Birthday to see who won what awards…
    Getting a medal or recognition for ‘contributions to sports’ is insulting to those in the NZDF who risked their lives and received nothing.
    Same goes for NZ Fire and in some cases the cops who have been injured on the job.

  7. I looked up nzofp as Im genuinely looking for for a half honest, moral, clever party to vote for (i bet i’m not alone) but participants (other than sue grey) appear to be very average and the party member’s chief concerns look like a bunch of conspiracies.

    The legalize marijuana policy is a disgrace. I challange nzofp to publish the horrific stats from Canada and the US; post marijuana legalization along side your destructive policy.

    Can’t someome start a party which won’t support australian: supermarket, banking, energy, and insurance cartels; stealing billions off kiwis every year; in other words a party with politicians who wont lie to Kiwis whilst stealing our lifealstyles?

LEAVE A REPLY

Please enter your comment!
Please enter your name here

Wellington
scattered clouds
16.4 ° C
18.1 °
16.1 °
77 %
4.1kmh
40 %
Mon
18 °
Tue
19 °
Wed
19 °
Thu
22 °
Fri
21 °




Sponsored



Trending

Sport

Daily Life

Opinion

DTNZ News Network