Church of Scientology hands out 50,000 coronavirus pamphlets resembling New Zealand government advice

The 50,000 booklets bearing a yellow-and-white colour scheme contain a QR code that links the reader to Church of Scientology website

The pamphlets look like official advice circulated by New Zealand government but the church said any similarities were ‘pure coincidence’

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The New Zealand Church of Scientology building in Grafton, Auckland. Photo: Facebook

Published: 6:00am, 27 May 2020Updated: 6:00am, 27 May 2020

Shops in New Zealand’s largest city have scrambled to remove thousands of Scientology booklets that resemble the government’s coronavirus posters, as the country slowly reopens after one of the world’s strictest lockdowns.

The “How to Keep Yourself & Others Well” booklets, which feature a striking yellow-and-white design not unlike the one used by New Zealand’s government in its Covid-19 messaging, were handed out to stores in central Auckland last week, local media reported.

The information published appeared to be based on coronavirus advice from the United States government, rather than official New Zealand Ministry of Health guidelines, Newshub reported.

The Church of Scientology booklets distributed in Auckland. Photo: Twitter

As many as 50,000 booklets were distributed in Auckland as part of the organisation’s efforts to support the community during the pandemic, a representative from the Church of Scientology said on Monday.

Allison Axford, its community relations manager, told Newshub the design similarity to the government’s Covid-19 campaign was “pure coincidence”.