There were several witch doctors in Auckland last year, and they eventually left the country after efforts were made to clamp down on them, including some successful ASA complaints.

A new witch doctor has turned up in Wellington (opens new window) this month, offering in a newspaper ad to be able to help with:

"family matters, business, finance, education, children, mistakes and any personal problems" and "bad luck and black magic removal"

by using:

"palm, face [and] horoscope reading [and] numerology"

Justice of the Peace Pratima Nand has been chasing this case up, like she did with the cases last year. She has apparently already submitted an ASA complaint about the witch doctor, although he's moved out of his hostel accommodation and quite possibly left the country already. It's a pity newspapers run these ads in the first place.

Immigration NZ said that working would be a breach of the witch doctor's visa conditions, and that:

"We would strongly encourage people not to be taken in by anyone offering these types of services. They cannot help you. All they are interested in is their own financial gain"

Vicki Hyde said that skeptics are "equally concerned about your local happy-clappy Christian faith healers", and interestingly on Friday someone gave me an envelope filled with advertising materials from a Wellington christian group saying they can heal physical ailments:

"We are convinced God wants good things to happen to you. We believe he wants you to be fully healed and pain free."