“God they could accidentally join a cult”: Falun Gong infiltrates Massey University

A Chinese student was shocked to see a poster on a Wellington bulletin board advertising Falun Gong, a spiritual practice many call a cult.  

The posters were displayed on a Massey Students’ Association bulletin boards and had the MAWSA (now known as Te Tira Ahu Pae) stamp of approval.  

The posters were taken down upon Massive’s inquiry, and Te Tira Ahu Pae has been apologetic. 

Falun Gong’s leader Li Hongzhi, 73-years-old, claims he has supernatural powers, giving him the ability to cure illness. 

In his book Zhaun Falun, Hongzhi called homosexual behaviour “repulsive”.  

His teachings suggest that mixed race people don’t have a place in heaven. 

The poster advertised Falun Gong free teaching classes with the title ‘A Happier Healthier You’. 

The student, who wished to be anonymous, said approving the poster showed an association that supports bigoted messages, “It doesn’t exactly preach of diversity and tolerance.” 

When asked how the poster could affect students, the student said, “God they could accidentally join a cult.” 

The student felt the poster had been made intentionally, sarcastically saying, “You wouldn’t trust a Chinese person so let's just slap on a white, blonde woman.” 

The Falun Gong Wellington organiser was approached for an interview, however, declined.  

Te Tira Ahu Pae said it was apologetic for any offence or distress it may have caused. 

“From the outset, it appeared to cultivate concepts such as self-care and wellbeing. 

“However, upon further research, we do not support the homophobic and racist acts of this religion.” 

The association said in the future, it would add a sign on its notice boards giving them the right to remove posters that do not align with the values of inclusivity. 

“We will do our best to ensure that from our best knowledge there is nothing offensive.” 

Wellington vice president Tim Wilson also commented, and appeared to contradict his association. 

“It is my opinion that I would no sooner condemn a Muslim poster promoting prayer time in a mosque on our boards, or an invitation to a synagogue from a local Jewish community, than I would any other religious group.” 

A Massey University spokesperson said its policy recognises that the university has an obligation to ensure that such material is not offensive, defamatory or illegal.  

“We do encourage students to obtain the appropriate approvals before hanging posters, and to notify security if they spot any concerning posters around any of the campuses.” 

Inside a Falun Gong meeting

What’s Falun Gong up to in Wellington? Is it a dangerous cult? They wouldn't give us an interview, so Sammy Carter went along undercover to find out. 

I scanned the QR code on the poster and signed up for a class with a fake email and name. My sister came along also with a fake identity in case anything went wrong.  

The class took place in a small room in the centre city. Only four others were there, all of whom seemed to have been going for a long time. 

I felt apprehensive and expected to be meditating like the woman on the poster. I also wondered if I’d be hit up for money. But it wasn’t what I expected.  

For a start the organiser was a middle-aged European woman with a strong accent. She was incredibly friendly.  

For an hour and a half, a recorded lecture played of Hongzhi speaking to a crowd with a bright yellow backdrop and many microphones surrounding him. The lecture appeared to be from the 90’s and had been poorly translated into English.  

He spoke about his supernatural powers saying, “At my level there isn’t even any[one] left to talk to”. He stated that if you do not have supernatural powers, you cannot cure illnesses at all.  

According to the papers given to me by the organiser, Falun Gong is a “special Buddhist cultivation practice”.  

After the lesson, I asked the organiser if Falun Gong was a cult, to which they laughed, “No, otherwise I wouldn’t be involved with it.” 

They said this was the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) “propaganda”. The CCP is atheist and banned Falun Gong in China in 1999. 

I asked them if the practice was racist and homophobic, the organiser said, “It’s got nothing to do with that. People try and label and say because he (Hongzhi) said a few things and they pick at the one comment that he’s made. 

“It's absolutely for everyone so don’t listen to anyone who tells you otherwise. Once people listen to the lectures and they do the exercises they find out for themselves.” 

The organiser said they were the person who put the posters around Massey University Wellington.  

I said to the organiser, “This is an ancient Chinese practice, right? But there's a white person meditating on the poster.” 

The organiser said, “It’s to let people know that anyone can do it. If we could we’d put everyone on the poster.”  

The organiser said they had been practising for many years, “It's very down to earth and factual and that's one thing that attracted me to the practice was its not kind of fluffy or new agey.” 

After the two-hour class, the organiser offered my sister and I a large pamphlet on “cultivation exercises” and invited us to come back the next day. We weren’t asked for money, and while we left feeling safe, the content was disturbing.